Medulla, FL truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Medulla: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Medulla 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
2.3 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 4.5 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Polk County compares with Florida
Polk County against Florida 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 | Florida | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 56.4 | 37.4 | 49.7 | 1.5× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 4.5 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 1.1× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.54 | 0.51 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 2.5% | 3.8% | 2.3% | 34% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 0.0% | 0.1% | 6.2% | 50% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 25.2% | 25.2% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 7.9% | 8.9% | 13.8% | 11% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 43.0% | 42.1% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 27.4% | 24.2% | 24.8% | 1.1× the state |
Compared with Florida, Polk County is lower on garbage-truck share, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow. Where it is higher: crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and after dark.
The headline for Medulla: SR-60 deadliest road: 12 fatal truck crashes within 10 miles of Medulla since 2015.
Overview
Since 2015, 5,582 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Polk County. They injured 3,056 people and killed 257.
That averages about 1 truck crash a day in fully reported years.
Medulla had 0 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
The worst month is March with 10.4% of truck crashes; the quietest is June at 7.2%.
The five winter months (November to March) hold 43.0% of truck crashes, against 42.1% across Florida.
The busiest hour is 6–7 am, with 7.1% of truck crashes.
0.0% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 0.1% across Florida.
Where crashes happen
Within this area, SR-60 had the most fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015 (12). After it: US-98 (9), I-4 (7) and US-92 (7).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 138 crashes, 2.5% of the total, against 3.8% across Florida.
Their busiest month is February, with 13% of garbage-truck crashes.
They recorded 2.3 deaths per 100 crashes, against 4.5 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Medulla fleets
- Plan March schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Polk County.
- Where you can, review stops along SR-60; it has the most fatal large-truck crashes nearby.
- Garbage-truck crashes here peak in February; review collection routes for that month.
- 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) |
|---|---|
| SR-60 | 12 |
| US-98 | 9 |
| I-4 | 7 |
| US-92 | 7 |
| County Line Rd | 4 |
| SR-37 | 4 |
| SR-659 | 3 |
| CR-640 | 2 |
| CR-33A | 1 |
| CR-542 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Polk County) |
|---|---|
| SR-60 | 431 |
| SR-27 | 354 |
| US-27 | 160 |
| US-98 | 158 |
| Sr25 (Highway 27) | 139 |
| US-92 | 128 |
| I-4 | 115 |
| SR-98 | 92 |
Medulla at a glance
| Land area | 5.6 sq mi |
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 | 96 | — | 18.1 |
| 2000s | 258 | +167% | 19.4 |
| 2010s | 319 | +24% | 14.2 |
| 2020s | 539 | +69% | 21.4 |
In the 1990s about 96 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 539. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 18.0 a year in 2016–19 and 21.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Medulla
How common are truck crashes in Medulla?
Polk County has had 5,582 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 3,056 people and killing 257.
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in Medulla?
NHTSA data shows SR-60 with 12 fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Medulla since 2015, the highest of any road.
When do most truck crashes happen in Medulla?
Truck crashes in Polk County peak in March, with 10.4% of the year's crashes.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Medulla?
Garbage trucks were involved in 138 reported crashes in Polk County since 2015 (2.5% of truck crashes).
What is the truck crash rate in Medulla compared with Florida?
The yearly rate is 56.4 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Polk County, vs 37.4 for Florida.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Medulla?
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.