Ames, IA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Ames: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Ames and Story County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Story County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
0.0 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 3.8 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Story County compares with Iowa
Story County against Iowa and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Story County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Story County | Iowa | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 44.8 | 68.1 | 49.7 | 34% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 1.1× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.39 | 0.41 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 4.2% | 2.2% | 2.3% | 1.9× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 19.4% | 18.7% | 6.2% | same |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 24.6% | 24.0% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 18.2% | 15.1% | 13.8% | 1.2× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 42.6% | 45.4% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 19.2% | 23.1% | 24.8% | 17% below the state |
Compared with Iowa, Story County is lower on crashes per 100k residents / yr and after dark. It runs above Iowa on deaths per 100 crashes, garbage-truck share and in rain, sleet or snow.
Story County at a glance: 1 in 24 crashes involve a garbage truck (23 since 2015), vs 2.2% across Iowa.
Overview
Police reported 535 crashes involving commercial trucks in Story County since 2015: 203 people were injured and 19 were killed.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 8 days.
Ames had 145 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Story County numbers.
51% of truck crash reports in Story County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in January (11.2% of the year) and are lowest in March (5.8%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 42.6% of truck crashes, vs 45.4% for Iowa.
More truck crashes happen at 4–5 pm than at any other hour (9.2%).
Road surface: 19.4% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Iowa: 18.7%).
Where crashes happen
Within this area, I-35 had the most fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015 (5). After it: US-30 (2) and Ts-590th Ave (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
23 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 4.3% share (Iowa: 2.2%).
Their busiest month is May, with 17% of garbage-truck crashes.
They recorded 0.0 deaths per 100 crashes, against 3.8 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Ames fleets
- Review driver schedules for January, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Look at alternatives to I-35 at busy times: it leads this area in fatal truck crashes.
- Waste haulers: May is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Story County.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
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 Story County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-35 | 5 |
| US-30 | 2 |
| Ts-590th Ave | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Story County) |
|---|---|
| I-35 | 43 |
| US-30 | 23 |
| Interstate 35/I 35 | 21 |
| US-69 | 11 |
| Ia 210 | 4 |
| Lincoln Way | 4 |
| Sb I-35 At 106Mm | 4 |
| US-65 | 4 |
Ames at a glance
| Population | 69,026 |
| Land area | 28.2 sq mi |
| Density | 2,447 per sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Story 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 | 14 | — | 1.4 |
| 2000s | 28 | +101% | 1.1 |
| 2010s | 38 | +34% | 0.6 |
| 2020s | 45 | +19% | 1.2 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 14 a year in the 1990s and 45 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. Fatal large-truck crashes: 1.0 a year in 2016–19, 1.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Ames
How many truck accidents are there in Ames?
535 truck crashes have been reported in Story County since 2015, with 19 deaths and 203 injuries.
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in Ames?
Since 2015, I-35 has had the most fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Ames: 5.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Ames?
January has the most truck crashes in Story County, 11.2% of the yearly total.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Ames?
Garbage trucks were involved in 23 reported crashes in Story County since 2015 (4.3% of truck crashes).
How do truck crashes in Ames compare with Iowa?
The yearly rate is 44.8 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Story County, vs 68.1 for Iowa.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Ames?
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.