West Penn, PA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in West Penn: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in West Penn 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 |
Compared with Pennsylvania, Schuylkill County is lower on 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 people killed per 100 truck crashes (Pennsylvania: 2.6).
Overview
Schuylkill County has recorded 1,452 truck crashes since 2015, with 1,138 people injured and 93 killed.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 3 days.
West Penn had 51 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%).
November through March accounts for 47.2% of truck crashes here, compared with 42.7% in Pennsylvania.
By time of day, 10–11 am stands out 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
Fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of West Penn since 2015 were spread across roads: SR-309 (2), SR-443 (2) and SR-863 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 53 of the truck crashes here, or 3.7%, compared with 3.6% in Pennsylvania.
Garbage-truck crashes peak in August (15% of them).
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 16.0, vs 6.6 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for West Penn fleets
- Plan March schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Schuylkill County.
- Waste haulers: August is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Schuylkill County.
- With 15.0% of truck crashes on snow, slush or ice (above Pennsylvania), plan winter equipment checks early.
- 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-309 | 2 |
| SR-443 | 2 |
| SR-863 | 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 |
West Penn at a glance
| Population | 4,562 |
| Land area | 57.8 sq mi |
| Density | 79 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 18211) | $78,806 |
| Median home value (ZIP 18211) | $339,271 |
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. NHTSA counts 3.2 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 3.8 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about West Penn
How common are truck crashes in West Penn?
1,452 truck crashes have been reported in Schuylkill County since 2015, with 93 deaths and 1,138 injuries.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in West Penn?
Truck crashes in Schuylkill County peak in March, with 12.7% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in West Penn?
Garbage trucks were involved in 53 reported crashes in Schuylkill County since 2015 (3.7% of truck crashes).
What is the truck crash rate in West Penn compared with Pennsylvania?
Schuylkill County records 85.2 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 57.2 across Pennsylvania.
How can I plan a safer truck route in West Penn?
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.