Colo, IA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Colo: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Colo 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. Where it is higher: 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.
With 4 truck crashes reported in Colo since 2015, this page uses Story County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
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%).
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 19.4% of truck crashes, compared with 18.7% in Iowa.
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Colo happened on CR-S27 650Th Ave (1), CR-S52 Eastman Ave (1) and US-65 (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
23 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 4.3% share (Iowa: 2.2%).
Garbage-truck crashes peak in May (17% of them).
Per 100 crashes, garbage trucks recorded 0.0 deaths compared with 3.8 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Colo fleets
- Plan January schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Story County.
- Waste haulers: May is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Story 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 Story County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| CR-S27 650Th Ave | 1 |
| CR-S52 Eastman Ave | 1 |
| US-65 | 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 |
Colo at a glance
| Population | 856 |
| Land area | 1.1 sq mi |
| Density | 804 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 50056) | $73,333 |
| Median home value (ZIP 50056) | $183,221 |
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 |
In the 1990s about 14 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 45. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 1.0 a year in 2016–19 and 1.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Colo
How common are truck crashes in Colo?
Since 2015, 535 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Story County (203 injured, 19 killed).
When do most truck crashes happen in Colo?
January has the most truck crashes in Story County, 11.2% of the yearly total.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Colo?
Garbage trucks were involved in 23 reported crashes in Story County since 2015 (4.3% of truck crashes).
What is the truck crash rate in Colo compared with Iowa?
The yearly rate is 44.8 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Story County, vs 68.1 for Iowa.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Colo?
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.