Cambridge, WI truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Cambridge: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Cambridge and Dane County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Dane County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
0.0 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 2.0 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Dane County compares with Wisconsin
Dane County against Wisconsin and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Dane County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Dane County | Wisconsin | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 33.3 | 42.6 | 49.7 | 22% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.0 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 41% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.45 | 0.46 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.9% | 2.7% | 2.3% | 32% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 9.5% | 13.4% | 6.2% | 29% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 27.4% | 26.9% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 15.6% | 16.5% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 40.9% | 44.9% | 41.9% | 9% below the state |
| After dark | 22.1% | 20.9% | 24.8% | same |
Dane County has lower values than Wisconsin for crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and garbage-truck share.
What stands out in Dane County: 1 in 54 of truck crashes here involve garbage trucks: 1.9%, vs 2.7% in Wisconsin.
Overview
Police reported 2,268 crashes involving commercial trucks in Dane County since 2015: 1,025 people were injured and 45 were killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 2 days.
With 5 truck crashes reported in Cambridge since 2015, this page uses Dane County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
When crashes happen
The worst month is January with 9.5% of truck crashes; the quietest is March at 7.2%.
The five winter months (November to March) hold 40.9% of truck crashes, against 44.9% across Wisconsin.
More truck crashes happen at 7–8 am than at any other hour (7.8%).
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 9.5% of truck crashes, compared with 13.4% in Wisconsin.
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Cambridge happened on I-94 (3), US-12 (3), US-18 (2), CR-B (1) and I-39 (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 41 of the truck crashes here, or 1.8%, compared with 2.7% in Wisconsin.
Their busiest month is May, with 15% of garbage-truck crashes.
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 0.0, vs 2.0 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for Cambridge fleets
- Plan January schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Dane County.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at May schedules: garbage-truck crashes peak then.
- 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 Dane County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-94 | 3 |
| US-12 | 3 |
| US-18 | 2 |
| CR-B | 1 |
| I-39 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Dane County) |
|---|---|
| I-039 | 695 |
| Ush 012 | 234 |
| Ush 018 | 92 |
| Ush 151 | 80 |
| Ush 051 | 80 |
| I-094 | 77 |
| Sth 019 | 59 |
| SR-039 | 44 |
Cambridge at a glance
| Population | 1,691 |
| Land area | 1.5 sq mi |
| Density | 1,148 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 53523) | $102,188 |
| Median home value (ZIP 53523) | $345,868 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Dane 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 | 178 | — | 4.0 |
| 2000s | 222 | +24% | 4.6 |
| 2010s | 188 | -15% | 3.8 |
| 2020s | 187 | -1% | 2.6 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 178 a year in the 1990s and 187 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. NHTSA counts 3.8 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 2.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Cambridge
How common are truck crashes in Cambridge?
Since 2015, 2,268 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Dane County (1,025 injured, 45 killed).
When do most truck crashes happen in Cambridge?
The worst month is January: 9.5% of truck crashes in Dane County happen then.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Cambridge?
41 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Dane County since 2015, 1.8% of all truck crashes.
How does Cambridge compare with Wisconsin for truck crashes?
The yearly rate is 33.3 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Dane County, vs 42.6 for Wisconsin.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Cambridge?
Use the free Route Planner: enter your stops to get a risk score, safer alternatives and the low bridges on your route.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.