Cedar Falls, IA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Cedar Falls: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Cedar Falls and Black Hawk County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Black Hawk County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
4.0 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 2.9 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Black Hawk County compares with Iowa
Black Hawk County against Iowa and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Black Hawk County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Black Hawk County | Iowa | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 48.0 | 68.1 | 49.7 | 30% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.9 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 17% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.44 | 0.41 | 0.49 | 1.1× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 3.6% | 2.2% | 2.3% | 1.6× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 17.6% | 18.7% | 6.2% | same |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 26.0% | 24.0% | 23.7% | 1.1× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 15.0% | 15.1% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 46.8% | 45.4% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 20.3% | 23.1% | 24.8% | 12% below the state |
Compared with Iowa, Black Hawk County is lower on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and after dark. Where it is higher: injuries per crash, garbage-truck share and morning rush (6–10 am).
Black Hawk County at a glance: 1 in 28 crashes involve a garbage truck (26 since 2015), vs 2.2% across Iowa.
Overview
Police reported 739 crashes involving commercial trucks in Black Hawk County since 2015: 322 people were injured and 22 were killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 6 days.
Only 121 truck crashes were reported in Cedar Falls since 2015; patterns below come from Black Hawk County as a whole.
20% of truck crash reports in Black Hawk County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in December (10.4% of the year) and are lowest in June (6.2%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 46.8% of truck crashes, vs 45.4% for Iowa.
The busiest hour is 12–1 pm, with 9.5% of truck crashes.
17.6% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 18.7% across Iowa.
Where crashes happen
Fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Cedar Falls since 2015 were spread across roads: CR-V14 Waverly Rd (1), E Shaulis Rd (1), I-380 (1), Mu-Pheasant Dr (1) and SR-21 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 26 of the truck crashes here, or 3.5%, compared with 2.2% in Iowa.
The most garbage-truck crashes happen in November (19%).
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 4.0, vs 2.9 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for Cedar Falls fleets
- Plan December schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Black Hawk County.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at November schedules: garbage-truck crashes peak then.
- 26.0% of truck crashes happen between 6 and 10 am, above Iowa; consider earlier or later starts where possible.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
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 Black Hawk County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| CR-V14 Waverly Rd | 1 |
| E Shaulis Rd | 1 |
| I-380 | 1 |
| Mu-Pheasant Dr | 1 |
| SR-21 | 1 |
| SR-27 | 1 |
| SR-58 | 1 |
| W Airline Hwy | 1 |
| W Ridgeway Ave | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Black Hawk County) |
|---|---|
| I-380 | 51 |
| Interstate 380/I 380 | 26 |
| US-218 | 22 |
| Us 218/Washington St | 13 |
| US-20 | 12 |
| Us 63/Hudson Rd | 10 |
| US-63 | 6 |
| Dubuque Rd | 5 |
Cedar Falls at a glance
| Population | 41,417 |
| Land area | 29.4 sq mi |
| Density | 1,406 per sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Black Hawk 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 | 15 | — | 2.1 |
| 2000s | 51 | +242% | 1.7 |
| 2010s | 67 | +31% | 1.5 |
| 2020s | 64 | -6% | 1.2 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 15 a year in the 1990s and 64 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 2.0 a year in 2016–19 and 1.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Cedar Falls
How many truck accidents are there in Cedar Falls?
739 truck crashes have been reported in Black Hawk County since 2015, with 22 deaths and 322 injuries.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Cedar Falls?
Truck crashes in Black Hawk County peak in December, with 10.4% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Cedar Falls?
Garbage trucks were involved in 26 reported crashes in Black Hawk County since 2015 (3.5% of truck crashes).
How do truck crashes in Cedar Falls compare with Iowa?
Black Hawk County records 48.0 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 68.1 across Iowa.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Cedar Falls?
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.