Gretna, VA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Gretna: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Gretna and Pittsylvania County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Pittsylvania County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
6 of 399 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Pittsylvania County compares with Virginia
Pittsylvania County against Virginia and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Pittsylvania County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Pittsylvania County | Virginia | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 57.2 | 51.1 | 49.7 | 1.1× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 5.6 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 2.2× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.54 | 0.44 | 0.49 | 1.2× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.6% | 2.5% | 2.3% | 37% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 1.1% | 3.0% | 6.2% | 65% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 25.4% | 22.7% | 23.7% | 1.1× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 9.9% | 14.8% | 13.8% | 33% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 44.9% | 39.8% | 41.9% | 1.1× the state |
| After dark | 15.5% | 24.3% | 24.8% | 36% below the state |
Pittsylvania County has lower values than Virginia for garbage-truck share, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow. It runs above Virginia on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and injuries per crash.
What stands out in Pittsylvania County: 5.6 deaths for every 100 truck crashes, against 2.6 across Virginia.
Overview
Since 2015, 399 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Pittsylvania County. They injured 215 people and killed 21.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 11 days.
Only 0 truck crashes were reported in Gretna since 2015; patterns below come from Pittsylvania County as a whole.
86% of truck crash reports in Pittsylvania County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in August (11.0% of the year) and are lowest in April (4.0%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 44.9% of truck crashes, against 39.8% across Virginia.
More truck crashes happen at 1–2 pm than at any other hour (10.5%).
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 1.1% of truck crashes, compared with 3.0% in Virginia.
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Gretna happened on US-29 (3) and SR-40 (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 6 crashes, 1.5% of the total, against 2.5% across Virginia.
Route planning tips for Gretna fleets
- Plan August schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Pittsylvania County.
- Morning starts matter: 25.4% of truck crashes fall between 6 and 10 am, higher than Virginia.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
About the data
Crash counts come from the FMCSA crash file (police-reported crashes involving trucks over 10,000 lb); fatal-crash locations come from NHTSA FARS. Text on this page states only what these numbers show.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Pittsylvania County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-29 | 3 |
| SR-40 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Pittsylvania County) |
|---|---|
| SR-29 | 42 |
| US-29 | 27 |
| U.S Hwy 29 | 12 |
| SR-58 | 7 |
| Route 29 / Us Highway 29 | 6 |
| Rt 40 W Gretna Rd | 4 |
| Rt 58 South Boston Hwy | 4 |
| Rt 729 Kentuck Rd | 4 |
Gretna at a glance
| Population | 1,276 |
| Land area | 1.7 sq mi |
| Density | 765 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 24557) | $44,755 |
| Median home value (ZIP 24557) | $138,142 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Pittsylvania 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 | 24 | — | 1.8 |
| 2000s | 24 | -2% | 0.6 |
| 2010s | 31 | +31% | 1.3 |
| 2020s | 34 | +11% | 2.0 |
In the 1990s about 24 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 34. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. NHTSA counts 1.5 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 2.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Gretna
How many truck accidents are there in Gretna?
Pittsylvania County has had 399 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 215 people and killing 21.
When do most truck crashes happen in Gretna?
August has the most truck crashes in Pittsylvania County, 11.0% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Gretna?
Since 2015, Pittsylvania County has reported 6 garbage-truck crashes, or 1.5% of its truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Gretna compare with Virginia?
Per 100,000 residents, Pittsylvania County has 57.2 truck crashes a year; Virginia has 51.1.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Gretna?
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.