Tamaqua, PA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Tamaqua: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Tamaqua 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). Where it is higher: crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and injuries per crash.
What stands out in Schuylkill County: 6.6 deaths for every 100 truck crashes, against 2.6 across Pennsylvania.
Overview
Since 2015, 1,452 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Schuylkill County. They injured 1,138 people and killed 93.
That averages about one truck crash every 3 days in fully reported years.
With 22 truck crashes reported in Tamaqua since 2015, this page uses Schuylkill County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
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.
Road surface: 15.0% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Pennsylvania: 9.1%).
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Tamaqua happened on I-81 (1), Morea Rd (1), SR-1011 (1), SR-309 (1) and SR-443 (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 53 of the truck crashes here, or 3.7%, compared with 3.6% in Pennsylvania.
The most garbage-truck crashes happen in August (15%).
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 16.0, vs 6.6 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for Tamaqua fleets
- Plan March schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Schuylkill County.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at August schedules: garbage-truck crashes peak then.
- 15.0% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice, above Pennsylvania; plan winter equipment checks before the season.
- Use the free Route Planner to score your route and spot low bridges before drivers head out.
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) |
|---|---|
| I-81 | 1 |
| Morea Rd | 1 |
| SR-1011 | 1 |
| SR-309 | 1 |
| SR-443 | 1 |
| SR-8017 | 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 |
Tamaqua at a glance
| Population | 6,944 |
| Land area | 9.6 sq mi |
| Density | 726 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 18218) | $59,250 |
| Median home value (ZIP 18218) | $82,512 |
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 Tamaqua
How common are truck crashes in Tamaqua?
Since 2015, 1,452 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Schuylkill County (1,138 injured, 93 killed).
When do most truck crashes happen in Tamaqua?
Truck crashes in Schuylkill County peak in March, with 12.7% of the year's crashes.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Tamaqua?
Since 2015, Schuylkill County has reported 53 garbage-truck crashes, or 3.7% of its truck crashes.
How does Tamaqua compare with Pennsylvania for truck crashes?
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 Tamaqua?
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.