Sheldahl, IA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Sheldahl: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Sheldahl 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.
Sheldahl at a glance: I-35 deadliest road: 4 fatal truck crashes within 10 miles of Sheldahl since 2015.
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.
Sheldahl had 1 reported truck crash since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Polk County numbers.
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
February has the most truck crashes, 9.9% of the yearly total, while November has the fewest (6.7%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 42.7% of truck crashes, vs 45.4% for Iowa.
The busiest hour is 3–4 pm, with 7.8% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 14.7% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Iowa: 18.7%).
Where crashes happen
The deadliest road for trucks within 10 miles of Sheldahl is I-35, with 4 fatal large-truck crashes since 2015. It is followed by SR-17 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 100 crashes, 3.0% of the total, against 2.2% across Iowa.
Garbage-truck crashes peak in August (12% of them).
Per 100 crashes, garbage trucks recorded 1.1 deaths compared with 1.4 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Sheldahl fleets
- Plan February schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Polk County.
- Check whether your routes use I-35, the road with the most fatal truck crashes in this area.
- Waste haulers: August is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Polk County.
- 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 | 4 |
| SR-17 | 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 |
Sheldahl at a glance
| Population | 312 |
| Land area | 0.8 sq mi |
| Density | 387 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 50243) | $80,938 |
| Median home value (ZIP 50243) | $185,166 |
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. 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 Sheldahl
How many truck crashes happen in Sheldahl?
Since 2015, 3,327 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Polk County (1,035 injured, 47 killed).
What is the most dangerous road for trucks in Sheldahl?
Since 2015, I-35 has had the most fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Sheldahl: 4.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Sheldahl?
The worst month is February: 9.9% of truck crashes in Polk County happen then.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Sheldahl?
100 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Polk County since 2015, 3.0% of all truck crashes.
How does Sheldahl compare with Iowa for truck crashes?
The yearly rate is 54.7 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Polk County, vs 68.1 for Iowa.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Sheldahl?
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.