Pulaski, VA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Pulaski: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Pulaski and Pulaski County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Pulaski County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
4 of 558 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Pulaski County compares with Virginia
Pulaski County against Virginia and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Pulaski County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Pulaski County | Virginia | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 144.6 | 51.1 | 49.7 | 2.8× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 3.4 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 1.3× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.51 | 0.44 | 0.49 | 1.2× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 0.8% | 2.5% | 2.3% | 71% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 9.9% | 3.0% | 6.2% | 3.3× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 16.5% | 22.7% | 23.7% | 27% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 26.4% | 14.8% | 13.8% | 1.8× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 42.9% | 39.8% | 41.9% | 1.1× the state |
| After dark | 32.0% | 24.3% | 24.8% | 1.3× the state |
Compared with Virginia, Pulaski County is lower on garbage-truck share and morning rush (6–10 am). It runs above Virginia on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and injuries per crash.
The headline for Pulaski County: 9.9% of truck crashes happened on snow, slush or ice, vs 3.0% in Virginia.
Overview
Police reported 558 crashes involving commercial trucks in Pulaski County since 2015: 274 people were injured and 18 were killed.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 8 days.
Only 34 truck crashes were reported in Pulaski since 2015; patterns below come from Pulaski County as a whole.
89% of truck crash reports in Pulaski County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in December (11.8% of the year) and are lowest in March (5.7%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 42.9% of truck crashes, vs 39.8% for Virginia.
By time of day, 2–3 pm stands out with 7.7% of truck crashes.
9.9% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 3.0% across Virginia.
Where crashes happen
The deadliest road for trucks within 10 miles of Pulaski is I-81, with 5 fatal large-truck crashes since 2015. It is followed by SR-100 (2) and CR-643 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 4 of the truck crashes here, or 0.7%, compared with 2.5% in Virginia.
Route planning tips for Pulaski fleets
- Review driver schedules for December, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Check whether your routes use I-81, the road with the most fatal truck crashes in this area.
- 9.9% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice, above Virginia; plan winter equipment checks before the season.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
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 Pulaski County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-81 | 5 |
| SR-100 | 2 |
| CR-643 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Pulaski County) |
|---|---|
| I-81 | 259 |
| I-81 North | 29 |
| Nb I-81 | 24 |
| I-81 South | 23 |
| Sb I-81 | 23 |
| Cleburne Blvd | 19 |
| Northbound Interstate 81 | 14 |
| Southbound Interstate 81 | 8 |
Pulaski at a glance
| Population | 8,805 |
| Land area | 8.1 sq mi |
| Density | 1,091 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 24301) | $57,718 |
| Median home value (ZIP 24301) | $169,412 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Pulaski 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 | 16 | — | 0.6 |
| 2000s | 26 | +55% | 0.8 |
| 2010s | 38 | +49% | 0.6 |
| 2020s | 49 | +29% | 0.4 |
In the 1990s about 16 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 49. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal large-truck crashes: 1.2 a year in 2016–19, 0.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Pulaski
How common are truck crashes in Pulaski?
Pulaski County has had 558 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 274 people and killing 18.
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in Pulaski?
I-81 had 5 fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Pulaski since 2015, more than any other road.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Pulaski?
Truck crashes in Pulaski County peak in December, with 11.8% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Pulaski?
4 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Pulaski County since 2015, 0.7% of all truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Pulaski compared with Virginia?
Pulaski County records 144.6 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 51.1 across Virginia.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Pulaski?
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.