Pleasant Hill, IA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Pleasant Hill: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Pleasant Hill 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.
The headline for Polk County: 1.4 deaths per 100 truck crashes, vs 3.5 in Iowa.
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.
Only 111 truck crashes were reported in Pleasant Hill since 2015; patterns below come from Polk County as a whole.
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
The worst month is February with 9.9% of truck crashes; the quietest is November at 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 Pleasant Hill since 2015 were spread across roads: SR-163 (4), US-65 (4), I-35 (3), I-80 (3) and 8th St Sw (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
100 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 3.0% share (Iowa: 2.2%).
Garbage-truck crashes peak in August (12% of them).
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 1.1, vs 1.4 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for Pleasant Hill fleets
- Build extra time into February routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Waste haulers: August is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Polk County.
- Use the free Route Planner to score your route and spot low bridges before drivers head out.
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 Polk County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-163 | 4 |
| US-65 | 4 |
| I-35 | 3 |
| I-80 | 3 |
| 8th St Sw | 1 |
| CR-R56/NW 6Th Dr | 1 |
| E Army Post Rd | 1 |
| Grand Ave | 1 |
| Guthrie Ave | 1 |
| I-235 | 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 |
Pleasant Hill at a glance
| Population | 11,942 |
| Land area | 10.8 sq mi |
| Density | 1,106 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 50327) | $98,333 |
| Median home value (ZIP 50327) | $313,319 |
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 |
In the 1990s about 112 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 301. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 2.8 a year in 2016–19 and 4.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Pleasant Hill
How many truck crashes happen in Pleasant Hill?
Since 2015, 3,327 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Polk County (1,035 injured, 47 killed).
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Pleasant Hill?
The worst month is February: 9.9% of truck crashes in Polk County happen then.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Pleasant Hill?
Garbage trucks were involved in 100 reported crashes in Polk County since 2015 (3.0% of truck crashes).
How do truck crashes in Pleasant Hill compare with Iowa?
Per 100,000 residents, Polk County has 54.7 truck crashes a year; Iowa has 68.1.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Pleasant Hill?
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.