Ames, KS truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Ames: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Ames and Cloud County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Cloud County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
0 of 79 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
No fatal large-truck crashes with a road name recorded here since 2015.
How Cloud County compares with Kansas
Cloud County against Kansas and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Cloud County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Cloud County | Kansas | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 81.3 | 61.4 | 49.7 | 1.3× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.6 | 4.8 | 3.4 | 46% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.42 | 0.32 | 0.49 | 1.3× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 0.0% | 2.1% | 2.3% | 100% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 11.5% | 9.3% | 6.2% | 1.2× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 15.4% | 23.1% | 23.7% | 33% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 10.3% | 15.2% | 13.8% | 32% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 37.2% | 42.2% | 41.9% | 12% below the state |
| After dark | 20.5% | 23.2% | 24.8% | 12% below the state |
Cloud County sits below Kansas on deaths per 100 crashes, garbage-truck share and morning rush (6–10 am). It stands out for higher crashes per 100k residents / yr, injuries per crash and on snow, slush or ice.
What stands out in Cloud County: 0 crashes involve a garbage truck (0 since 2015), vs 2.1% across Kansas.
Overview
Police reported 79 crashes involving commercial trucks in Cloud County since 2015: 34 people were injured and 2 were killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 51 days in fully reported years.
Ames had 0 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Cloud County numbers.
68% of truck crash reports in Cloud County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
The worst month is October with 16.5% of truck crashes; the quietest is April at 5.1%.
The five winter months (November to March) hold 37.2% of truck crashes, against 42.2% across Kansas.
More truck crashes happen at 2–3 pm than at any other hour (11.4%).
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 11.5% of truck crashes, compared with 9.3% in Kansas.
Where crashes happen
No fatal crash involving a large truck has a recorded location within 10 miles of Ames since 2015.
Garbage & waste trucks
FMCSA lists no garbage-truck crashes in Cloud County since 2015.
Route planning tips for Ames fleets
- Review driver schedules for October, the month with the most truck crashes.
- With 11.5% of truck crashes on snow, slush or ice (above Kansas), plan winter equipment checks early.
- 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 Cloud County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
No fatal crashes involving a large truck with a road name were recorded within 10 miles since 2015.
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Cloud County) |
|---|---|
| 260Th | 2 |
| 11Th | 1 |
| 210Th | 1 |
| 40Th | 1 |
| 6Th | 1 |
| Lincoln | 1 |
| Noble | 1 |
| Plum | 1 |
Ames at a glance
| Land area | 0.4 sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 66938) | $55,284 |
| Median home value (ZIP 66938) | $84,508 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Cloud 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 | 6 | — | 0.6 |
| 2000s | 5 | -5% | 0.4 |
| 2010s | 9 | +67% | 0.3 |
| 2020s | 6 | -35% | 0.4 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 6 a year in the 1990s and 6 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. Fatal large-truck crashes: 0.0 a year in 2016–19, 0.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Ames
How many truck crashes happen in Ames?
Cloud County has had 79 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 34 people and killing 2.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Ames?
The worst month is October: 16.5% of truck crashes in Cloud County happen then.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Ames?
Garbage trucks were involved in 0 reported crashes in Cloud County since 2015 (0.0% of truck crashes).
What is the truck crash rate in Ames compared with Kansas?
Cloud County records 81.3 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 61.4 across Kansas.
What is the best way to plan truck routes 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.