Franklin, IA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Franklin: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Franklin and Lee County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Lee County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
2 of 204 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Lee County compares with Iowa
Lee County against Iowa and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Lee County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Lee County | Iowa | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 55.0 | 68.1 | 49.7 | 19% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 9.2 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 2.6× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.41 | 0.41 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.0% | 2.2% | 2.3% | 53% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 14.8% | 18.7% | 6.2% | 21% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 20.9% | 24.0% | 23.7% | 13% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 14.8% | 15.1% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 46.9% | 45.4% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 16.8% | 23.1% | 24.8% | 27% below the state |
Lee County has lower values than Iowa for crashes per 100k residents / yr, garbage-truck share and on snow, slush or ice. It runs above Iowa on deaths per 100 crashes.
What stands out in Lee County: 9.2 deaths per 100 truck crashes, vs 3.5 in Iowa.
Overview
Police reported 204 crashes involving commercial trucks in Lee County since 2015: 85 people were injured and 18 were killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 20 days.
Franklin had 0 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Lee County numbers.
59% of truck crash reports in Lee 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 12.3% of truck crashes; the quietest is May at 5.4%.
November through March accounts for 46.9% of truck crashes here, compared with 45.4% in Iowa.
The busiest hour is 1–2 pm, with 11.3% of truck crashes.
14.8% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 18.7% across Iowa.
Where crashes happen
The deadliest road for trucks within 10 miles of Franklin is US-218, with 6 fatal large-truck crashes since 2015. After it: SR-2 (2), SR-27 (2) and CR-J38/LOCUST St (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 2 of the truck crashes here, or 1.0%, compared with 2.2% in Iowa.
Route planning tips for Franklin fleets
- Review driver schedules for February, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Where you can, review stops along US-218; it has the most fatal large-truck crashes nearby.
- 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 Lee County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-218 | 6 |
| SR-2 | 2 |
| SR-27 | 2 |
| CR-J38/LOCUST St | 1 |
| SR-16 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Lee County) |
|---|---|
| US-218 | 14 |
| US-61 | 11 |
| State 16/Iowa 16 | 6 |
| State 27/Iowa 27 | 4 |
| Us 218 S And Ia 16 | 3 |
| Carbide Ln And Us 61 | 3 |
| 255Th St And Ia 27 | 3 |
| 10Th St Us 218/Main St | 2 |
Franklin at a glance
| Population | 133 |
| Land area | 0.2 sq mi |
| Density | 853 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 52625) | $80,078 |
| Median home value (ZIP 52625) | $203,741 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Lee 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 | — | 1.1 |
| 2000s | 20 | +84% | 0.9 |
| 2010s | 17 | -14% | 0.7 |
| 2020s | 20 | +16% | 2.0 |
In the 1990s about 11 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 20. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal large-truck crashes: 0.2 a year in 2016–19, 2.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Franklin
How common are truck crashes in Franklin?
Lee County has had 204 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 85 people and killing 18.
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in Franklin?
US-218 had 6 fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Franklin since 2015, more than any other road.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Franklin?
The worst month is February: 12.3% of truck crashes in Lee County happen then.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Franklin?
2 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Lee County since 2015, 1.0% of all truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Franklin compare with Iowa?
Per 100,000 residents, Lee County has 55.0 truck crashes a year; Iowa has 68.1.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Franklin?
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.