Fort Polk South, LA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Fort Polk South: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Fort Polk South and Vernon Parish, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Vernon Parish numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
6 of 338 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Vernon Parish compares with Louisiana
Vernon Parish against Louisiana and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Vernon Parish stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Vernon Parish | Louisiana | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 63.1 | 81.5 | 49.7 | 23% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.5 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 17% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.83 | 0.77 | 0.49 | 1.1× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.9% | 2.2% | 2.3% | 13% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 0.3% | 0.8% | 6.2% | 59% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 23.3% | 23.6% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 7.9% | 10.5% | 13.8% | 25% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 41.5% | 40.3% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 17.6% | 23.9% | 24.8% | 26% below the state |
Vernon Parish sits below Louisiana on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and garbage-truck share. Where it is higher: injuries per crash.
What stands out in Vernon Parish: 0.3% share of truck crashes on snow, slush or ice (Louisiana: 0.8%).
Overview
Police reported 338 crashes involving commercial trucks in Vernon Parish since 2015: 273 people were injured and 8 were killed.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 13 days.
Only 0 truck crashes were reported in Fort Polk South since 2015; patterns below come from Vernon Parish as a whole.
When crashes happen
The worst month is March with 10.7% of truck crashes; the quietest is May at 4.7%.
November through March accounts for 41.5% of truck crashes here, compared with 40.3% in Louisiana.
More truck crashes happen at 11 am–12 pm than at any other hour (8.9%).
0.3% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 0.8% across Louisiana.
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Fort Polk South happened on US-171 (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 6 crashes, 1.8% of the total, against 2.2% across Louisiana.
Route planning tips for Fort Polk South fleets
- Build extra time into March routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Use the free Route Planner to score your route and spot low bridges before drivers head out.
About the data
This report uses the FMCSA crash file (reported crashes of trucks over 10,000 lb) and NHTSA FARS (fatal crashes). It reports the numbers without guessing at reasons.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Vernon Parish
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-171 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Vernon Parish) |
|---|---|
| US-171 | 148 |
| La-8 | 31 |
| La-10 | 25 |
| La-28 | 18 |
| La-111 | 18 |
| La-3226 | 13 |
| La-117 | 8 |
| La-392 | 6 |
Fort Polk South at a glance
| Land area | 6.1 sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 71459) | $56,038 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Vernon 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 | 12 | — | 1.1 |
| 2000s | 22 | +85% | 0.8 |
| 2010s | 29 | +32% | 1.0 |
| 2020s | 30 | +3% | 0.4 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 12 a year in the 1990s and 30 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. NHTSA counts 0.8 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 0.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Fort Polk South
How many truck crashes happen in Fort Polk South?
338 truck crashes have been reported in Vernon Parish since 2015, with 8 deaths and 273 injuries.
When do most truck crashes happen in Fort Polk South?
Truck crashes in Vernon Parish peak in March, with 10.7% of the year's crashes.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Fort Polk South?
Since 2015, Vernon Parish has reported 6 garbage-truck crashes, or 1.8% of its truck crashes.
How does Fort Polk South compare with Louisiana for truck crashes?
The yearly rate is 63.1 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Vernon Parish, vs 81.5 for Louisiana.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Fort Polk South?
Use the free Route Planner: enter your stops to get a risk score, safer alternatives and the low bridges on your route.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.