Bolivar, MO truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Bolivar: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Bolivar and Polk County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Polk County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
11 of 225 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
No fatal large-truck crashes with a road name recorded here since 2015.
How Polk County compares with Missouri
Polk County against Missouri and the US, 2015–2024 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Polk County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2024) | Polk County | Missouri | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 60.8 | 85.9 | 49.7 | 29% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 1.0 | 2.7 | 3.4 | 63% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.49 | 0.44 | 0.49 | 1.1× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 5.0% | 2.2% | 2.3% | 2.3× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 2.5% | 7.2% | 6.2% | 65% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 17.9% | 22.8% | 23.7% | 21% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 7.5% | 10.7% | 13.8% | 30% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 39.8% | 40.7% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 21.4% | 24.7% | 24.8% | 13% below the state |
Polk County sits below Missouri on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and on snow, slush or ice. It runs above Missouri on injuries per crash and garbage-truck share.
Polk County at a glance: 1 in 20 crashes involve a garbage truck (11 since 2015), vs 2.2% across Missouri.
Overview
Since 2015, 225 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Polk County. They injured 118 people and killed 3.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 18 days.
Only 53 truck crashes were reported in Bolivar since 2015; patterns below come from Polk County as a whole.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in March (12.0% of the year) and are lowest in January (5.8%).
November through March accounts for 39.8% of truck crashes here, compared with 40.7% in Missouri.
The busiest hour is 2–3 pm, with 9.8% of truck crashes.
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 2.5% of truck crashes, compared with 7.2% in Missouri.
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, no fatal large-truck crashes with a location were recorded within 10 miles of Bolivar.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 11 crashes, 4.9% of the total, against 2.2% across Missouri.
Route planning tips for Bolivar fleets
- Review driver schedules for March, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
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.
Crash reporting for 2025 is incomplete; those years are shown in grey and not used for rates.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Polk 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 (Polk County) |
|---|---|
| Mo 13 | 100 |
| Mo 32 | 36 |
| Mo 215 | 13 |
| Mo 123 | 11 |
| Mo 83 | 11 |
| Rt H | 6 |
| Crd E 455Th Rd | 3 |
| Rt P | 3 |
Bolivar at a glance
| Population | 11,549 |
| Land area | 8.2 sq mi |
| Density | 1,404 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 65613) | $59,172 |
| Median home value (ZIP 65613) | $213,346 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Polk 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 | 31 | — | 1.9 |
| 2000s | 17 | -46% | 2.1 |
| 2010s | 16 | -2% | 0.7 |
| 2020s | 17 | +5% | 0.2 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 31 a year in the 1990s and 17 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. NHTSA counts 0.2 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 0.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Bolivar
How many truck crashes happen in Bolivar?
Since 2015, 225 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Polk County (118 injured, 3 killed).
Which month has the most truck crashes in Bolivar?
The worst month is March: 12.0% of truck crashes in Polk County happen then.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Bolivar?
Since 2015, Polk County has reported 11 garbage-truck crashes, or 4.9% of its truck crashes.
How does Bolivar compare with Missouri for truck crashes?
The yearly rate is 60.8 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Polk County, vs 85.9 for Missouri.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Bolivar?
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 2025; those years are greyed out and left out of rates. 2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.