Granger, IA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Granger: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Granger 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
1.1 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 1.4 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Polk County compares with Iowa
Polk County against Iowa 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 | Iowa | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 54.7 | 68.1 | 49.7 | 20% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 1.4 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 60% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.31 | 0.41 | 0.49 | 24% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 3.0% | 2.2% | 2.3% | 1.4× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 14.7% | 18.7% | 6.2% | 21% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 22.9% | 24.0% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 14.1% | 15.1% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 42.7% | 45.4% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 22.2% | 23.1% | 24.8% | same |
Polk County sits below Iowa on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and injuries per crash. It runs above Iowa on garbage-truck share.
What stands out in Polk County: 1.4 people killed per 100 truck crashes (Iowa: 3.5).
Overview
Police reported 3,327 crashes involving commercial trucks in Polk County since 2015: 1,035 people were injured and 47 were killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly 1 truck crash every day.
With 0 truck crashes reported in Granger since 2015, this page uses Polk County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
29% of truck crash reports in Polk County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in February (9.9% of the year) and are lowest in November (6.7%).
November through March accounts for 42.7% of truck crashes here, compared with 45.4% in Iowa.
The busiest hour is 3–4 pm, with 7.8% of truck crashes.
14.7% 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 Granger since 2015 were spread across roads: I-35 (1), Merle Hay Rd (1), SR-141 (1), SR-151 (1) and SR-17 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 100 of the truck crashes here, or 3.0%, compared with 2.2% in Iowa.
The most garbage-truck crashes happen in August (12%).
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 1.1, vs 1.4 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for Granger fleets
- Build extra time into February routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at August schedules: garbage-truck crashes peak then.
- 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 Polk County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-35 | 1 |
| Merle Hay Rd | 1 |
| SR-141 | 1 |
| SR-151 | 1 |
| SR-17 | 1 |
| SR-44 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Polk County) |
|---|---|
| Interstate 35/I 35 | 44 |
| I-80 | 38 |
| I-35 | 29 |
| I-235 | 28 |
| US-65 | 21 |
| Blk I 80 | 19 |
| Blk I8035 | 15 |
| Interstate 235/I 235 Measuring | 15 |
Granger at a glance
| Population | 2,095 |
| Land area | 2.5 sq mi |
| Density | 848 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 50109) | $118,669 |
| Median home value (ZIP 50109) | $377,430 |
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 | 112 | — | 4.5 |
| 2000s | 212 | +90% | 4.1 |
| 2010s | 234 | +10% | 2.7 |
| 2020s | 301 | +29% | 4.2 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 112 a year in the 1990s and 301 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. NHTSA counts 2.8 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 4.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Granger
How many truck crashes happen in Granger?
Polk County has had 3,327 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 1,035 people and killing 47.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Granger?
The worst month is February: 9.9% of truck crashes in Polk County happen then.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Granger?
Since 2015, Polk County has reported 100 garbage-truck crashes, or 3.0% of its truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Granger compare with Iowa?
Polk County records 54.7 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 68.1 across Iowa.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Granger?
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.