Arkansas City, AR truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Arkansas City: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Arkansas City and Desha County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Desha County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
1 of 151 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Desha County compares with Arkansas
Desha County against Arkansas and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Desha County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Desha County | Arkansas | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 126.0 | 92.4 | 49.7 | 1.4× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 4.2 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 1.1× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.56 | 0.45 | 0.49 | 1.2× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 0.7% | 1.6% | 2.3% | 57% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 1.4% | 3.3% | 6.2% | 58% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 18.9% | 22.9% | 23.7% | 18% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 11.2% | 15.4% | 13.8% | 27% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 35.7% | 40.9% | 41.9% | 13% below the state |
| After dark | 24.5% | 22.4% | 24.8% | 1.1× the state |
Desha County has lower values than Arkansas for garbage-truck share, on snow, slush or ice and morning rush (6–10 am). Where it is higher: crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and injuries per crash.
The headline for Desha County: 1 in 143 garbage-truck share of crashes is 0.7%, against 1.6% for Arkansas.
Overview
Since 2015, 151 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Desha County. They injured 84 people and killed 6.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 28 days.
Only 0 truck crashes were reported in Arkansas City since 2015; patterns below come from Desha County as a whole.
When crashes happen
The worst month is May with 13.9% of truck crashes; the quietest is December at 1.3%.
The five winter months (November to March) hold 35.7% of truck crashes, against 40.9% across Arkansas.
By time of day, 9–10 am stands out with 8.6% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 1.4% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Arkansas: 3.3%).
Where crashes happen
Roads with fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Arkansas City since 2015: SR-4 (1). No single road stands out.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 1 crash, 0.7% of the total, against 1.6% across Arkansas.
Route planning tips for Arkansas City fleets
- Build extra time into May routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- 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 Desha County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-4 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Desha County) |
|---|---|
| US-65 | 34 |
| Sh1 | 22 |
| US-65N | 21 |
| US-165 | 18 |
| US-65S | 12 |
| Sh4 | 6 |
| Sh4N | 5 |
| Cst(South 1St Street) | 2 |
Arkansas City at a glance
| Population | 345 |
| Land area | 0.5 sq mi |
| Density | 701 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 71630) | $41,900 |
| Median home value (ZIP 71630) | $117,267 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Desha 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 | 12 | — | 0.8 |
| 2000s | 12 | -3% | 0.4 |
| 2010s | 11 | -2% | 0.7 |
| 2020s | 14 | +21% | 0.6 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 12 a year in the 1990s and 14 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 0.5 a year in 2016–19 and 0.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Arkansas City
How many truck accidents are there in Arkansas City?
Desha County has had 151 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 84 people and killing 6.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Arkansas City?
The worst month is May: 13.9% of truck crashes in Desha County happen then.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Arkansas City?
Since 2015, Desha County has reported 1 garbage-truck crash, or 0.7% of its truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Arkansas City compared with Arkansas?
The yearly rate is 126.0 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Desha County, vs 92.4 for Arkansas.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Arkansas City?
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.