Clarks, NE truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Clarks: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Clarks and Merrick County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Merrick County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
1 of 132 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
No fatal large-truck crashes with a road name recorded here since 2015.
How Merrick County compares with Nebraska
Merrick County against Nebraska and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Merrick County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Merrick County | Nebraska | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 143.8 | 60.7 | 49.7 | 2.4× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 4.0 | 4.8 | 3.4 | 17% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.51 | 0.57 | 0.49 | 11% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 0.8% | 1.8% | 2.3% | 55% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 12.9% | 16.7% | 6.2% | 23% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 20.2% | 22.4% | 23.7% | 10% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 12.9% | 20.4% | 13.8% | 37% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 44.4% | 42.7% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 26.6% | 24.5% | 24.8% | 1.1× the state |
Compared with Nebraska, Merrick County is lower on deaths per 100 crashes, injuries per crash and garbage-truck share. It runs above Nebraska on crashes per 100k residents / yr and after dark.
The headline for Merrick County: October worst month: 15.2% of truck crashes, vs 8.3% in an average month.
Overview
Merrick County has recorded 132 truck crashes since 2015, with 68 people injured and 5 killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 32 days in fully reported years.
Clarks had 2 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Merrick County numbers.
70% of truck crash reports in Merrick County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in October (15.2% of the year) and are lowest in July (3.8%).
November through March accounts for 44.4% of truck crashes here, compared with 42.7% in Nebraska.
The busiest hour is 3–4 pm, with 9.6% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 12.9% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Nebraska: 16.7%).
Where crashes happen
NHTSA lists no located fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Clarks since 2015.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 1 of the truck crashes here, or 0.8%, compared with 1.8% in Nebraska.
Route planning tips for Clarks fleets
- Build extra time into October routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- 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 Merrick 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 (Merrick County) |
|---|---|
| US-30 | 31 |
| Ne-92 | 5 |
| SR-30 | 4 |
| 030 /352.990/Us30 Ne Of "W" Rd-Ne Of Clarks | 3 |
| SR-92 | 3 |
| 014 /83.700/N14 & "P" Rd-N Of Central City | 2 |
| 030 /338.450/16Th St(Us30) W Of 5Th Ave-Ent | 2 |
| 030 /351.890/Us30 Sw Of 27Th Rd-Ne Of Clarks | 2 |
Clarks at a glance
| Population | 342 |
| Land area | 0.3 sq mi |
| Density | 1,089 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 68628) | $58,438 |
| Median home value (ZIP 68628) | $198,372 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Merrick 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 | 6 | — | 0.7 |
| 2000s | 8 | +34% | 0.6 |
| 2010s | 9 | +10% | 0.5 |
| 2020s | 12 | +32% | 0.6 |
In the 1990s about 6 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 12. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 0.5 a year in 2016–19 and 0.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Clarks
How many truck accidents are there in Clarks?
Since 2015, 132 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Merrick County (68 injured, 5 killed).
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Clarks?
October has the most truck crashes in Merrick County, 15.2% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Clarks?
Garbage trucks were involved in 1 reported crash in Merrick County since 2015 (0.8% of truck crashes).
What is the truck crash rate in Clarks compared with Nebraska?
Merrick County records 143.8 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 60.7 across Nebraska.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Clarks?
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.