Knox County, TN truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Knox County: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
3.3 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 2.8 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Knox County compares with Tennessee
Knox County against Tennessee and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Knox County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Knox County | Tennessee | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 56.6 | 60.1 | 49.7 | same |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.8 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 28% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.43 | 0.48 | 0.49 | 10% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.9% | 1.9% | 2.3% | same |
| On snow, slush or ice | 1.3% | 2.3% | 6.2% | 43% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 21.7% | 21.8% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 17.9% | 14.9% | 13.8% | 1.2× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 38.7% | 40.5% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 25.9% | 25.9% | 24.8% | same |
Compared with Tennessee, Knox County is lower on deaths per 100 crashes, injuries per crash and on snow, slush or ice. It stands out for higher in rain, sleet or snow.
What stands out in Knox County: I-40 most fatal truck crashes in Knox County: 28 since 2015.
Overview
Police reported 3,331 crashes involving commercial trucks in Knox County since 2015: 1,450 people were injured and 87 were killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly 1 truck crash every day.
When crashes happen
The worst month is October with 9.9% of truck crashes; the quietest is February at 6.9%.
The five winter months (November to March) hold 38.7% of truck crashes, against 40.5% across Tennessee.
More truck crashes happen at 3–4 pm than at any other hour (6.9%).
1.3% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 2.3% across Tennessee.
Where crashes happen
I-40 leads in Knox County with 28 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. After it: I-75 (5), SR-169 (4) and SR-131 (3).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 62 of the truck crashes here, or 1.9%, compared with 1.9% in Tennessee.
Their busiest month is December, with 15% of garbage-truck crashes.
They recorded 3.3 deaths per 100 crashes, against 2.8 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Knox County fleets
- Plan October schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Knox County.
- Check whether your routes use I-40, the road with the most fatal truck crashes in this area.
- Waste haulers: December is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Knox County.
- 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 Knox County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (in Knox County) |
|---|---|
| I-40 | 28 |
| I-75 | 5 |
| SR-169 | 4 |
| SR-131 | 3 |
| SR-168 | 3 |
| US-11 | 3 |
| US-25W | 3 |
| I-275 | 2 |
| US-11W | 2 |
| CR-ASBURY Rd | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Knox County) |
|---|---|
| I-40 | 1,136 |
| I-75 | 183 |
| I-640 | 114 |
| I-40 West | 94 |
| I-40 East | 73 |
| Lovell Rd | 48 |
| Asheville Hwy | 46 |
| Interstate 40 East | 40 |
Knox County at a glance
| Population | 506,748 |
| Land area | 508.3 sq mi |
| Density | 997 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP average) | $78,722 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Knox 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 | 34 | — | 6.5 |
| 2000s | 162 | +381% | 5.6 |
| 2010s | 220 | +36% | 4.9 |
| 2020s | 311 | +42% | 8.0 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 34 to 311. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. NHTSA counts 6.0 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 8.0 a year in 2020–24.
Cities, towns & communities in Knox County
ZIP codes in Knox County
Nearby counties
Questions fleets ask about Knox County
How common are truck crashes in Knox County?
Knox County has had 3,331 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 1,450 people and killing 87.
Where do fatal truck crashes happen most in Knox County?
Since 2015, I-40 has had the most fatal large-truck crashes in Knox County: 28.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Knox County?
October has the most truck crashes in Knox County, 9.9% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Knox County?
Since 2015, Knox County has reported 62 garbage-truck crashes, or 1.9% of its truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Knox County compared with Tennessee?
Knox County records 56.6 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 60.1 across Tennessee.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Knox County?
Paste your stops into the free CurbWaste Route Planner: it scores your route against fatal-crash locations, suggests safer alternatives and flags low bridges.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.