Palo Alto, PA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Palo Alto: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Palo Alto and Schuylkill County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Schuylkill County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
16.0 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 6.6 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Schuylkill County compares with Pennsylvania
Schuylkill County against Pennsylvania and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Schuylkill County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Schuylkill County | Pennsylvania | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 85.2 | 57.2 | 49.7 | 1.5× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 6.6 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 2.5× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.81 | 0.47 | 0.49 | 1.7× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 3.7% | 3.6% | 2.3% | same |
| On snow, slush or ice | 15.0% | 9.1% | 6.2% | 1.6× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 22.8% | 24.5% | 23.7% | 7% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 22.2% | 19.0% | 13.8% | 1.2× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 47.2% | 42.7% | 41.9% | 1.1× the state |
| After dark | 27.2% | 24.2% | 24.8% | 1.1× the state |
Schuylkill County has lower values than Pennsylvania for morning rush (6–10 am). It stands out for higher crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and injuries per crash.
Schuylkill County at a glance: 6.6 deaths for every 100 truck crashes, against 2.6 across Pennsylvania.
Overview
Police reported 1,452 crashes involving commercial trucks in Schuylkill County since 2015: 1,138 people were injured and 93 were killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 3 days in fully reported years.
Palo Alto had 6 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Schuylkill County numbers.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in March (12.7% of the year) and are lowest in May (7.2%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 47.2% of truck crashes, against 42.7% across Pennsylvania.
The busiest hour is 10–11 am, with 7.9% of truck crashes.
15.0% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 9.1% across Pennsylvania.
Where crashes happen
SR-61 leads within 10 miles of Palo Alto with 4 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. Next come I-81 (3), SR-0061 (2) and SR-901 (2).
Garbage & waste trucks
53 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 3.7% share (Pennsylvania: 3.6%).
Garbage-truck crashes peak in August (15% of them).
Per 100 crashes, garbage trucks recorded 16.0 deaths compared with 6.6 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Palo Alto fleets
- Plan March schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Schuylkill County.
- Check whether your routes use SR-61, the road with the most fatal truck crashes in this area.
- Waste haulers: August is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Schuylkill County.
- 15.0% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice, above Pennsylvania; plan winter equipment checks before the season.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
About the data
Sources: the FMCSA crash file for all reported truck crashes and NHTSA FARS for fatal crashes with a large truck. Every statement here comes straight from those numbers.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Schuylkill County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-61 | 4 |
| I-81 | 3 |
| SR-0061 | 2 |
| SR-901 | 2 |
| Berne Dr | 1 |
| Keystone Blvd | 1 |
| Morea Rd | 1 |
| SR-0443 | 1 |
| SR-0901 | 1 |
| SR-1011 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Schuylkill County) |
|---|---|
| I-0081 | 532 |
| SR-0061 | 211 |
| SR-0309 | 84 |
| SR-0901 | 79 |
| SR-0054 | 51 |
| SR-0443 | 47 |
| SR-0209 | 39 |
| SR-0183 | 36 |
Palo Alto at a glance
| Population | 977 |
| Land area | 1.0 sq mi |
| Density | 936 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 17965) | $61,284 |
| Median home value (ZIP 17965) | $107,082 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Schuylkill County since the 1990s
Combines the FMCSA crash file (all reported truck crashes, real coverage from about 1990) with NHTSA FARS (fatal crashes involving a large truck, 1982–2024).
| Decade | Truck crashes / yr | Change | Fatal crashes / yr (FARS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 112 | — | 4.2 |
| 2000s | 128 | +13% | 4.3 |
| 2010s | 99 | -23% | 3.7 |
| 2020s | 131 | +33% | 3.8 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 112 a year in the 1990s and 131 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. Fatal large-truck crashes: 3.2 a year in 2016–19, 3.8 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Palo Alto
How common are truck crashes in Palo Alto?
Schuylkill County has had 1,452 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 1,138 people and killing 93.
What is the most dangerous road for trucks in Palo Alto?
SR-61 had 4 fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Palo Alto since 2015, more than any other road.
When do most truck crashes happen in Palo Alto?
The worst month is March: 12.7% of truck crashes in Schuylkill County happen then.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Palo Alto?
Since 2015, Schuylkill County has reported 53 garbage-truck crashes, or 3.7% of its truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Palo Alto compared with Pennsylvania?
Schuylkill County records 85.2 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 57.2 across Pennsylvania.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Palo Alto?
The free Route Planner takes your stops and returns a route risk score, safer alternatives and low-bridge warnings.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.