Great Bend, PA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Great Bend: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Great Bend and Susquehanna County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Susquehanna County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
6 of 589 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Susquehanna County compares with Pennsylvania
Susquehanna County against Pennsylvania and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Susquehanna County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Susquehanna County | Pennsylvania | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 133.6 | 57.2 | 49.7 | 2.3× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 3.2 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 1.2× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.40 | 0.47 | 0.49 | 15% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.1% | 3.6% | 2.3% | 70% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 20.9% | 9.1% | 6.2% | 2.3× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 20.9% | 24.5% | 23.7% | 15% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 20.0% | 19.0% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 51.4% | 42.7% | 41.9% | 1.2× the state |
| After dark | 36.1% | 24.2% | 24.8% | 1.5× the state |
Susquehanna County has lower values than Pennsylvania for injuries per crash, garbage-truck share and morning rush (6–10 am). It runs above Pennsylvania on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and on snow, slush or ice.
Susquehanna County at a glance: 20.9% of truck crashes happened on snow, slush or ice, vs 9.1% in Pennsylvania.
Overview
Since 2015, 589 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Susquehanna County. They injured 244 people and killed 18.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 7 days.
With 83 truck crashes reported in Great Bend since 2015, this page uses Susquehanna County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
When crashes happen
The worst month is February with 13.6% of truck crashes; the quietest is September at 5.6%.
The five winter months (November to March) hold 51.4% of truck crashes, against 42.7% across Pennsylvania.
The busiest hour is 10–11 am, with 7.5% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 20.9% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Pennsylvania: 9.1%).
Where crashes happen
The deadliest road for trucks within 10 miles of Great Bend is I-81, with 3 fatal large-truck crashes since 2015. It is followed by SR-1015 (1), SR-17 (1) and US-11 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
6 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 1.0% share (Pennsylvania: 3.6%).
Route planning tips for Great Bend fleets
- Build extra time into February routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Where you can, review stops along I-81; it has the most fatal large-truck crashes nearby.
- Icy and snowy roads show up in 20.9% of truck crashes here, more than Pennsylvania; schedule winter checks early.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
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 Susquehanna County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-81 | 3 |
| SR-1015 | 1 |
| SR-17 | 1 |
| US-11 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Susquehanna County) |
|---|---|
| I-0081 | 294 |
| SR-0029 | 39 |
| SR-0706 | 30 |
| SR-0011 | 26 |
| SR-0267 | 20 |
| SR-0092 | 19 |
| American Legion Mem Hw | 17 |
| SR-0171 | 13 |
Great Bend at a glance
| Population | 618 |
| Land area | 0.3 sq mi |
| Density | 2,116 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 18821) | $52,857 |
| Median home value (ZIP 18821) | $169,728 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Susquehanna 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 | 30 | — | 1.0 |
| 2000s | 37 | +22% | 1.1 |
| 2010s | 45 | +20% | 1.6 |
| 2020s | 46 | +3% | 1.4 |
In the 1990s about 30 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 46. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal large-truck crashes: 1.2 a year in 2016–19, 1.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Great Bend
How many truck accidents are there in Great Bend?
Since 2015, 589 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Susquehanna County (244 injured, 18 killed).
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in Great Bend?
Since 2015, I-81 has had the most fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Great Bend: 3.
When do most truck crashes happen in Great Bend?
Truck crashes in Susquehanna County peak in February, with 13.6% of the year's crashes.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Great Bend?
Garbage trucks were involved in 6 reported crashes in Susquehanna County since 2015 (1.0% of truck crashes).
How do truck crashes in Great Bend compare with Pennsylvania?
Susquehanna County records 133.6 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 57.2 across Pennsylvania.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Great Bend?
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.