Cove, AR truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Cove: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Cove and Polk County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Polk County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
4 of 164 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Polk County compares with Arkansas
Polk County against Arkansas and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Polk County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Polk County | Arkansas | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 73.4 | 92.4 | 49.7 | 21% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 7.0 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 1.8× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.49 | 0.45 | 0.49 | 1.1× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 2.5% | 1.6% | 2.3% | 1.6× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 3.2% | 3.3% | 6.2% | same |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 26.1% | 22.9% | 23.7% | 1.1× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 13.4% | 15.4% | 13.8% | 13% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 38.2% | 40.9% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 19.1% | 22.4% | 24.8% | 15% below the state |
Compared with Arkansas, Polk County is lower on crashes per 100k residents / yr, in rain, sleet or snow and after dark. Where it is higher: deaths per 100 crashes, injuries per crash and garbage-truck share.
Polk County at a glance: 1 in 39 garbage-truck share of crashes is 2.5%, against 1.6% for Arkansas.
Overview
Since 2015, 164 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Polk County. They injured 82 people and killed 11.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 26 days.
Cove had 4 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Polk County numbers.
When crashes happen
June has the most truck crashes, 14.0% of the yearly total, while September has the fewest (3.7%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 38.2% of truck crashes, vs 40.9% for Arkansas.
More truck crashes happen at 1–2 pm than at any other hour (10.4%).
3.2% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 3.3% across Arkansas.
Where crashes happen
Within this area, US-71 had the most fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015 (4). Next come CR-39 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
4 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 2.4% share (Arkansas: 1.6%).
Route planning tips for Cove fleets
- Review driver schedules for June, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Check whether your routes use US-71, the road with the most fatal truck crashes in this area.
- The morning rush (6–10 am) holds 26.1% of truck crashes here, more than Arkansas; adjust start times where you can.
- Use the free Route Planner to score your route and spot low bridges before drivers head out.
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 Polk County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-71 | 4 |
| CR-39 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Polk County) |
|---|---|
| US-71 | 42 |
| US-71S | 36 |
| US-71N | 19 |
| Sh246E | 6 |
| US-270 | 6 |
| Sh8E | 5 |
| Sh88E | 5 |
| Sh8W | 3 |
Cove at a glance
| Population | 328 |
| Land area | 1.6 sq mi |
| Density | 205 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 71937) | $57,750 |
| Median home value (ZIP 71937) | $104,737 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Polk 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 | 11 | — | 0.8 |
| 2000s | 11 | -1% | 1.0 |
| 2010s | 14 | +33% | 1.2 |
| 2020s | 14 | -2% | 0.8 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 11 to 14. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 0.8 a year in 2016–19 and 0.8 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Cove
How common are truck crashes in Cove?
164 truck crashes have been reported in Polk County since 2015, with 11 deaths and 82 injuries.
Where do fatal truck crashes happen most in Cove?
NHTSA data shows US-71 with 4 fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Cove since 2015, the highest of any road.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Cove?
The worst month is June: 14.0% of truck crashes in Polk County happen then.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Cove?
4 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Polk County since 2015, 2.4% of all truck crashes.
How does Cove compare with Arkansas for truck crashes?
The yearly rate is 73.4 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Polk County, vs 92.4 for Arkansas.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Cove?
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.