Cresco, IA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Cresco: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Cresco and Howard County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Howard County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
2 of 87 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
No fatal large-truck crashes with a road name recorded here since 2015.
How Howard County compares with Iowa
Howard County against Iowa and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Howard County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Howard County | Iowa | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 74.8 | 68.1 | 49.7 | 1.1× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 1.3 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 63% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.57 | 0.41 | 0.49 | 1.4× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 2.6% | 2.2% | 2.3% | 1.2× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 27.3% | 18.7% | 6.2% | 1.5× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 20.8% | 24.0% | 23.7% | 14% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 11.7% | 15.1% | 13.8% | 23% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 53.2% | 45.4% | 41.9% | 1.2× the state |
| After dark | 23.4% | 23.1% | 24.8% | same |
Compared with Iowa, Howard County is lower on deaths per 100 crashes, morning rush (6–10 am) and in rain, sleet or snow. Where it is higher: crashes per 100k residents / yr, injuries per crash and garbage-truck share.
What stands out in Howard County: February the month with the most truck crashes: 12.6% of the year's total.
Overview
Howard County has recorded 87 truck crashes since 2015, with 47 people injured and 1 killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 52 days in fully reported years.
Cresco had 10 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Howard County numbers.
64% of truck crash reports in Howard County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
The worst month is February with 12.6% of truck crashes; the quietest is August at 3.4%.
The five winter months (November to March) hold 53.2% of truck crashes, against 45.4% across Iowa.
More truck crashes happen at 11 am–12 pm than at any other hour (16.1%).
27.3% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 18.7% across Iowa.
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, no fatal large-truck crashes with a location were recorded within 10 miles of Cresco.
Garbage & waste trucks
2 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 2.3% share (Iowa: 2.2%).
Route planning tips for Cresco fleets
- Review driver schedules for February, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Icy and snowy roads show up in 27.3% of truck crashes here, more than Iowa; schedule winter checks early.
- 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 Howard County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
No fatal crashes involving a large truck with a road name were recorded within 10 miles since 2015.
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Howard County) |
|---|---|
| US-63 | 19 |
| 150Th St | 3 |
| 150Th St And Willow Ave | 2 |
| A023/50Th St | 2 |
| B017/190Th St | 2 |
| Ft North Of 175Th St. On U | 2 |
| Ia 9 | 2 |
| Us 63 And State 9/Iowa 9 | 2 |
Cresco at a glance
| Population | 3,890 |
| Land area | 3.3 sq mi |
| Density | 1,165 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 52136) | $70,778 |
| Median home value (ZIP 52136) | $158,613 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Howard 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 | 2 | — | 0.3 |
| 2000s | 6 | +157% | 0.4 |
| 2010s | 6 | +15% | 0.1 |
| 2020s | 6 | -13% | 0.2 |
In the 1990s about 2 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 6. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 0.0 a year in 2016–19 and 0.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Cresco
How common are truck crashes in Cresco?
87 truck crashes have been reported in Howard County since 2015, with 1 deaths and 47 injuries.
When do most truck crashes happen in Cresco?
Truck crashes in Howard County peak in February, with 12.6% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Cresco?
Garbage trucks were involved in 2 reported crashes in Howard County since 2015 (2.3% of truck crashes).
What is the truck crash rate in Cresco compared with Iowa?
Howard County records 74.8 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 68.1 across Iowa.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Cresco?
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.