Bernice, LA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Bernice: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Bernice and Union Parish, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Union Parish numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
8 of 242 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Union Parish compares with Louisiana
Union Parish against Louisiana and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Union Parish stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Union Parish | Louisiana | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 108.6 | 81.5 | 49.7 | 1.3× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 1.3× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.83 | 0.77 | 0.49 | 1.1× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 3.6% | 2.2% | 2.3% | 1.6× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 0.9% | 0.8% | 6.2% | 1.2× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 25.0% | 23.6% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 11.6% | 10.5% | 13.8% | 1.1× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 44.6% | 40.3% | 41.9% | 1.1× the state |
| After dark | 20.5% | 23.9% | 24.8% | 14% below the state |
Compared with Louisiana, Union Parish is lower on after dark. It stands out for higher crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and injuries per crash.
The headline for Union Parish: 1 in 28 crashes involve a garbage truck (8 since 2015), vs 2.2% across Louisiana.
Overview
Police reported 242 crashes involving commercial trucks in Union Parish since 2015: 204 people were injured and 10 were killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 16 days.
With 7 truck crashes reported in Bernice since 2015, this page uses Union Parish numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
When crashes happen
January has the most truck crashes, 11.6% of the yearly total, while May has the fewest (5.4%).
November through March accounts for 44.6% of truck crashes here, compared with 40.3% in Louisiana.
By time of day, 9–10 am stands out with 9.1% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 0.9% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Louisiana: 0.8%).
Where crashes happen
Fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Bernice since 2015 were spread across roads: US-167 (2) and US-63 (2).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 8 crashes, 3.3% of the total, against 2.2% across Louisiana.
Route planning tips for Bernice fleets
- Plan January schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Union Parish.
- 0.9% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice, above Louisiana; plan winter equipment checks before the season.
- Use the free Route Planner to score your route and spot low bridges before drivers head out.
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.
Reporting to FMCSA was incomplete in 2017; rates and comparisons skip those years.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Union Parish
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-167 | 2 |
| US-63 | 2 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Union Parish) |
|---|---|
| La-15 | 58 |
| La-2 | 38 |
| La-33 | 31 |
| US-167 | 19 |
| La-143 | 18 |
| La-549 | 16 |
| US-63 | 7 |
| La-558 | 6 |
Bernice at a glance
| Population | 1,304 |
| Land area | 3.2 sq mi |
| Density | 403 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 71222) | $35,051 |
| Median home value (ZIP 71222) | $83,544 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Union Parish 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 | 9 | — | 1.1 |
| 2000s | 14 | +66% | 1.5 |
| 2010s | 20 | +36% | 1.0 |
| 2020s | 21 | +5% | 1.0 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 9 to 21. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. NHTSA counts 0.5 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 1.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Bernice
How common are truck crashes in Bernice?
242 truck crashes have been reported in Union Parish since 2015, with 10 deaths and 204 injuries.
When do most truck crashes happen in Bernice?
The worst month is January: 11.6% of truck crashes in Union Parish happen then.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Bernice?
8 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Union Parish since 2015, 3.3% of all truck crashes.
How does Bernice compare with Louisiana for truck crashes?
The yearly rate is 108.6 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Union Parish, vs 81.5 for Louisiana.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Bernice?
Paste your stops into the free CurbWaste Route Planner: it scores your route against fatal-crash locations, suggests safer alternatives and flags low bridges.
Crash reporting to FMCSA was incomplete in 2017; those years are greyed out and left out of rates. 2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.