Earling, IA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Earling: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Earling and Shelby County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Shelby County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
1 of 73 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Shelby County compares with Iowa
Shelby County against Iowa and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Shelby County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Shelby County | Iowa | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 53.1 | 68.1 | 49.7 | 22% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 4.3 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 1.2× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.84 | 0.41 | 0.49 | 2.0× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.5% | 2.2% | 2.3% | 33% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 7.2% | 18.7% | 6.2% | 61% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 31.9% | 24.0% | 23.7% | 1.3× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 7.2% | 15.1% | 13.8% | 52% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 43.5% | 45.4% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 15.9% | 23.1% | 24.8% | 31% below the state |
Shelby 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, injuries per crash and morning rush (6–10 am).
The headline for Shelby County: June 13.7% of truck crashes happen in June, more than any other month.
Overview
Since 2015, 73 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Shelby County. They injured 62 people and killed 4.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 58 days.
Earling had 1 reported truck crash since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Shelby County numbers.
68% of truck crash reports in Shelby County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
The worst month is June with 13.7% of truck crashes; the quietest is January at 1.4%.
November through March accounts for 43.5% of truck crashes here, compared with 45.4% in Iowa.
The busiest hour is 8–9 am, with 15.1% of truck crashes.
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 7.2% of truck crashes, compared with 18.7% in Iowa.
Where crashes happen
Roads with fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Earling since 2015: US-59 (2) and Nishna Ave (1). No single road stands out.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 1 crash, 1.4% of the total, against 2.2% across Iowa.
Route planning tips for Earling fleets
- Build extra time into June routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Morning starts matter: 31.9% of truck crashes fall between 6 and 10 am, higher than Iowa.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
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 Shelby County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-59 | 2 |
| Nishna Ave | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Shelby County) |
|---|---|
| US-59 | 9 |
| State 44/Chatburn Ave | 4 |
| 1500Th St And St F32 Unsigned | 3 |
| F032/Street F32 | 2 |
| Ia 191 | 2 |
| Ia 44 | 2 |
| Ia 44 East Of Exchange | 2 |
| State 37/Iowa 37 | 2 |
Earling at a glance
| Population | 394 |
| Land area | 0.6 sq mi |
| Density | 627 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 51530) | $73,750 |
| Median home value (ZIP 51530) | $184,950 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Shelby 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 | — | 0.4 |
| 2000s | 2 | +53% | 0.3 |
| 2010s | 6 | +158% | 0.4 |
| 2020s | 6 | -9% | 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 0.8 a year in 2016–19 and 0.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Earling
How many truck accidents are there in Earling?
73 truck crashes have been reported in Shelby County since 2015, with 4 deaths and 62 injuries.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Earling?
June has the most truck crashes in Shelby County, 13.7% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Earling?
Since 2015, Shelby County has reported 1 garbage-truck crash, or 1.4% of its truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Earling compared with Iowa?
Shelby County records 53.1 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 68.1 across Iowa.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Earling?
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.