Lancaster County, NE truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Lancaster County: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
1.5 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 2.4 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Lancaster County compares with Nebraska
Lancaster County against Nebraska and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Lancaster County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Lancaster County | Nebraska | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 35.6 | 60.7 | 49.7 | 41% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.4 | 4.8 | 3.4 | 50% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.59 | 0.57 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 5.0% | 1.8% | 2.3% | 2.8× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 14.0% | 16.7% | 6.2% | 17% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 25.2% | 22.4% | 23.7% | 1.1× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 18.3% | 20.4% | 13.8% | 10% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 42.6% | 42.7% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 20.9% | 24.5% | 24.8% | 15% below the state |
Lancaster County sits below Nebraska on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and on snow, slush or ice. It runs above Nebraska on garbage-truck share and morning rush (6–10 am).
What stands out in Lancaster County: 1 in 20 of truck crashes here involve garbage trucks: 5.0%, vs 1.8% in Nebraska.
Overview
Police reported 1,360 crashes involving commercial trucks in Lancaster County since 2015: 801 people were injured and 34 were killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 3 days in fully reported years.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in February (10.2% of the year) and are lowest in April (7.0%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 42.6% of truck crashes, vs 42.7% for Nebraska.
The busiest hour is 12–1 pm, with 8.4% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 14.0% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Nebraska: 16.7%).
Where crashes happen
I-80 leads in Lancaster County with 5 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. After it: SR-2 (2), US-34 (2) and Abigail Dr (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 67 crashes, 4.9% of the total, against 1.8% across Nebraska.
Garbage-truck crashes peak in February (16% of them).
Per 100 crashes, garbage trucks recorded 1.5 deaths compared with 2.4 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Lancaster County fleets
- Build extra time into February routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Look at alternatives to I-80 at busy times: it leads this area in fatal truck crashes.
- Waste haulers: February is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Lancaster County.
- The morning rush (6–10 am) holds 25.2% of truck crashes here, more than Nebraska; adjust start times where you can.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
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.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Lancaster County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (in Lancaster County) |
|---|---|
| I-80 | 5 |
| SR-2 | 2 |
| US-34 | 2 |
| Abigail Dr | 1 |
| CR-ADAMS St | 1 |
| CR-SOUTH 148Th Street | 1 |
| CR-SW 14Th St | 1 |
| CR-W Mill Rd | 1 |
| CR-WAVERLY Rd | 1 |
| CR-WEST Bluff Road | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Lancaster County) |
|---|---|
| I-80 | 145 |
| US-77 | 28 |
| US-6 | 28 |
| SR-2 | 12 |
| Cornhusker Hwy | 9 |
| US-34 | 9 |
| SR-77 | 6 |
| SR-6 | 6 |
Lancaster County at a glance
| Population | 332,857 |
| Land area | 837.6 sq mi |
| Density | 397 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP average) | $78,768 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Lancaster 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 | 126 | — | 1.9 |
| 2000s | 107 | -15% | 2.7 |
| 2010s | 111 | +4% | 2.2 |
| 2020s | 117 | +6% | 2.0 |
In the 1990s about 126 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 117. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 2.5 a year in 2016–19 and 2.0 a year in 2020–24.
Cities, towns & communities in Lancaster County
ZIP codes in Lancaster County
Nearby counties
Questions fleets ask about Lancaster County
How many truck accidents are there in Lancaster County?
1,360 truck crashes have been reported in Lancaster County since 2015, with 34 deaths and 801 injuries.
What is the most dangerous road for trucks in Lancaster County?
NHTSA data shows I-80 with 5 fatal large-truck crashes in Lancaster County since 2015, the highest of any road.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Lancaster County?
The worst month is February: 10.2% of truck crashes in Lancaster County happen then.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Lancaster County?
67 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Lancaster County since 2015, 4.9% of all truck crashes.
How does Lancaster County compare with Nebraska for truck crashes?
The yearly rate is 35.6 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Lancaster County, vs 60.7 for Nebraska.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Lancaster County?
Paste your stops into the free CurbWaste Route Planner: it scores your route against fatal-crash locations, suggests safer alternatives and flags low bridges.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.