Elbe, WA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Elbe: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Elbe and Pierce County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Pierce County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
4.9 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 3.2 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Pierce County compares with Washington
Pierce County against Washington and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Pierce County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Pierce County | Washington | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 25.4 | 25.8 | 49.7 | same |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 3.2 | 3.4 | 3.4 | same |
| Injuries per crash | 0.18 | 0.18 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.6% | 2.2% | 2.3% | 29% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 2.0% | 9.7% | 6.2% | 79% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 25.5% | 24.8% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 21.5% | 20.2% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 44.0% | 43.8% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 26.9% | 25.2% | 24.8% | same |
Compared with Washington, Pierce County is lower on garbage-truck share and on snow, slush or ice.
The headline for Pierce County: 2.0% on snowy, slushy or icy roads, against 9.7% across Washington.
Overview
Pierce County has recorded 2,807 truck crashes since 2015, with 514 people injured and 87 killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 2 days in fully reported years.
Only 0 truck crashes were reported in Elbe since 2015; patterns below come from Pierce County as a whole.
When crashes happen
The worst month is January with 9.2% of truck crashes; the quietest is April at 7.8%.
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 44.0% of truck crashes, vs 43.8% for Washington.
More truck crashes happen at 2–3 pm than at any other hour (6.9%).
Road surface: 2.0% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Washington: 9.7%).
Where crashes happen
Roads with fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Elbe since 2015: SR-7 (1). No single road stands out.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 44 crashes, 1.6% of the total, against 2.2% across Washington.
Garbage-truck crashes peak in June (14% of them).
Per 100 crashes, garbage trucks recorded 4.9 deaths compared with 3.2 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Elbe fleets
- Build extra time into January routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Waste haulers: June is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Pierce 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 Pierce County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-7 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Pierce County) |
|---|---|
| Sr-512*001.00 | 30 |
| Sr-167*006.00 | 19 |
| Sr-167*010.00 | 17 |
| Sr-167*007.00 | 16 |
| Sr-509*002.00 | 15 |
| Sr-167*008.00 | 14 |
| Sr-167*009.00 | 13 |
| Sr-16*001.00 | 13 |
Elbe at a glance
| Land area | 0.1 sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Pierce 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 | 100 | — | 4.5 |
| 2000s | 147 | +47% | 5.4 |
| 2010s | 200 | +36% | 4.5 |
| 2020s | 246 | +23% | 8.0 |
In the 1990s about 100 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 246. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal large-truck crashes: 7.0 a year in 2016–19, 8.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Elbe
How many truck crashes happen in Elbe?
2,807 truck crashes have been reported in Pierce County since 2015, with 87 deaths and 514 injuries.
When do most truck crashes happen in Elbe?
The worst month is January: 9.2% of truck crashes in Pierce County happen then.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Elbe?
Since 2015, Pierce County has reported 44 garbage-truck crashes, or 1.6% of its truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Elbe compare with Washington?
Pierce County records 25.4 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 25.8 across Washington.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Elbe?
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.