Spruce, MO truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Spruce: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Spruce and Bates County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Bates County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
4 of 258 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Bates County compares with Missouri
Bates County against Missouri and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Bates County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Bates County | Missouri | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 135.3 | 85.9 | 49.7 | 1.6× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 4.5 | 2.7 | 3.4 | 1.7× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.38 | 0.44 | 0.49 | 14% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.6% | 2.2% | 2.3% | 25% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 6.6% | 7.2% | 6.2% | 9% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 16.8% | 22.8% | 23.7% | 26% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 8.2% | 10.7% | 13.8% | 23% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 37.7% | 40.7% | 41.9% | 7% below the state |
| After dark | 27.5% | 24.7% | 24.8% | 1.1× the state |
Compared with Missouri, Bates County is lower on injuries per crash, garbage-truck share and on snow, slush or ice. It stands out for higher crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and after dark.
The headline for Bates County: September the month with the most truck crashes: 14.0% of the year's total.
Overview
Police reported 258 crashes involving commercial trucks in Bates County since 2015: 98 people were injured and 12 were killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 16 days in fully reported years.
Only 0 truck crashes were reported in Spruce since 2015; patterns below come from Bates County as a whole.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in September (14.0% of the year) and are lowest in March (4.7%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 37.7% of truck crashes, against 40.7% across Missouri.
The busiest hour is 10–11 am, with 8.5% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 6.6% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Missouri: 7.2%).
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Spruce happened on SR-52 (2) and SR-18 (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
4 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 1.6% share (Missouri: 2.2%).
Route planning tips for Spruce fleets
- Plan September schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Bates County.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
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 Bates County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-52 | 2 |
| SR-18 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Bates County) |
|---|---|
| Is 49 | 131 |
| Mo 52 | 26 |
| Rt D | 18 |
| Mo 18 | 16 |
| Rt F | 5 |
| Rt A | 5 |
| Rt B | 4 |
| Rt O | 4 |
Spruce at a glance
| Population | 307 |
| Land area | 36.1 sq mi |
| Density | 9 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 64788) | $71,705 |
| Median home value (ZIP 64788) | $171,927 |
Historical data: truck crashes in Bates 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 | 18 | — | 0.5 |
| 2000s | 16 | -11% | 0.4 |
| 2010s | 13 | -17% | 0.7 |
| 2020s | 28 | +117% | 0.6 |
In the 1990s about 18 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 28. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal large-truck crashes: 1.2 a year in 2016–19, 0.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Spruce
How common are truck crashes in Spruce?
Bates County has had 258 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 98 people and killing 12.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Spruce?
September has the most truck crashes in Bates County, 14.0% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Spruce?
Since 2015, Bates County has reported 4 garbage-truck crashes, or 1.6% of its truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Spruce compare with Missouri?
Bates County records 135.3 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 85.9 across Missouri.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Spruce?
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.