Poplar Bluff, MO truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Poplar Bluff: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Poplar Bluff and Butler County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Butler County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
16 of 493 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Butler County compares with Missouri
Butler County against Missouri and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Butler County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Butler County | Missouri | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 99.8 | 85.9 | 49.7 | 1.2× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 3.9 | 2.7 | 3.4 | 1.4× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.50 | 0.44 | 0.49 | 1.1× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 3.3% | 2.2% | 2.3% | 1.5× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 6.3% | 7.2% | 6.2% | 12% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 22.9% | 22.8% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 9.4% | 10.7% | 13.8% | 13% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 39.6% | 40.7% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 23.3% | 24.7% | 24.8% | same |
Butler County sits below Missouri on on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow. It stands out for higher crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and injuries per crash.
The headline for Butler County: 1 in 31 garbage-truck share of crashes is 3.3%, against 2.2% for Missouri.
Overview
Police reported 493 crashes involving commercial trucks in Butler County since 2015: 236 people were injured and 19 were killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 9 days.
Poplar Bluff had 68 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Butler County numbers.
When crashes happen
The worst month is June with 11.0% of truck crashes; the quietest is November at 5.9%.
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 39.6% of truck crashes, vs 40.7% for Missouri.
By time of day, 11 am–12 pm stands out with 8.1% of truck crashes.
6.3% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 7.2% across Missouri.
Where crashes happen
Fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Poplar Bluff since 2015 were spread across roads: US-60 (4), US-67 (4), SR-53 (2) and Sr-B (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 16 crashes, 3.2% of the total, against 2.2% across Missouri.
Route planning tips for Poplar Bluff fleets
- Build extra time into June routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
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 Butler County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-60 | 4 |
| US-67 | 4 |
| SR-53 | 2 |
| Sr-B | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Butler County) |
|---|---|
| US-67 | 188 |
| US-60 | 57 |
| Mo 53 | 42 |
| Bu 67 | 32 |
| US-160 | 17 |
| Mo 51 | 12 |
| Bu 60 | 8 |
| Rt B | 7 |
Poplar Bluff at a glance
| Population | 16,177 |
| Land area | 13.5 sq mi |
| Density | 1,198 per sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Butler 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 | 38 | — | 2.1 |
| 2000s | 17 | -54% | 1.8 |
| 2010s | 30 | +75% | 0.6 |
| 2020s | 42 | +39% | 2.2 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 38 to 42. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 0.8 a year in 2016–19 and 2.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Poplar Bluff
How many truck accidents are there in Poplar Bluff?
Since 2015, 493 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Butler County (236 injured, 19 killed).
Which month has the most truck crashes in Poplar Bluff?
June has the most truck crashes in Butler County, 11.0% of the yearly total.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Poplar Bluff?
16 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Butler County since 2015, 3.2% of all truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Poplar Bluff compare with Missouri?
The yearly rate is 99.8 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Butler County, vs 85.9 for Missouri.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Poplar Bluff?
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.