Cowles, NE truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Cowles: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Cowles and Webster County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Webster County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
0 of 29 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Webster County compares with Nebraska
Webster County against Nebraska and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Webster County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Webster County | Nebraska | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 79.3 | 60.7 | 49.7 | 1.3× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 17.2 | 4.8 | 3.4 | 3.6× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.48 | 0.57 | 0.49 | 16% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 0.0% | 1.8% | 2.3% | 100% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 0.0% | 16.7% | 6.2% | 100% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 24.1% | 22.4% | 23.7% | 1.1× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 10.3% | 20.4% | 13.8% | 49% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 24.1% | 42.7% | 41.9% | 43% below the state |
| After dark | 10.3% | 24.5% | 24.8% | 58% below the state |
Webster County has lower values than Nebraska for injuries per crash, garbage-truck share and on snow, slush or ice. It runs above Nebraska on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and morning rush (6–10 am).
Webster County at a glance: 17.2 deaths per 100 truck crashes, vs 4.8 in Nebraska.
Overview
Police reported 29 crashes involving commercial trucks in Webster County since 2015: 14 people were injured and 5 were killed.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 138 days.
With 0 truck crashes reported in Cowles since 2015, this page uses Webster County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
76% of truck crash reports in Webster County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in July (20.7% of the year) and are lowest in December (0.0%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 24.1% of truck crashes, against 42.7% across Nebraska.
The busiest hour is 11 am–12 pm, with 17.2% of truck crashes.
0.0% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 16.7% across Nebraska.
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Cowles happened on SR-78 (1) and US-81 (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
No crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Webster County since 2015.
Route planning tips for Cowles fleets
- Plan July schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Webster County.
- 24.1% of truck crashes happen between 6 and 10 am, above Nebraska; consider earlier or later starts where possible.
- 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.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Webster County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-78 | 1 |
| US-81 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Webster County) |
|---|---|
| US-281 | 3 |
| 281 /4.240/Us281 N Of Cr "E"-S Of Red Cloud | 2 |
| N-78 & Us-136 / Milepost 6 | 2 |
| Nebraska Hwy 78 | 2 |
| Road R | 2 |
| 004 /58.410/N4 W Of Cr 1100-Se Of Bladen | 1 |
| 078 /13.260/N78 N Of Cr "P"-Ne Of Cowles | 1 |
| 136 /72.610/Us136 Br Ovr Indian Ck-E Of Cr 900-W | 1 |
Cowles at a glance
| Population | 21 |
| Land area | 0.6 sq mi |
| Density | 38 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 68970) | $58,523 |
| Median home value (ZIP 68970) | $96,005 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Webster 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 | 3 | — | 0.1 |
| 2000s | 2 | -27% | 0.0 |
| 2010s | 2 | -4% | 0.2 |
| 2020s | 3 | +52% | 0.4 |
In the 1990s about 3 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 3. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. NHTSA counts 0.0 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 0.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Cowles
How many truck accidents are there in Cowles?
Webster County has had 29 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 14 people and killing 5.
When do most truck crashes happen in Cowles?
Truck crashes in Webster County peak in July, with 20.7% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Cowles?
0 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Webster County since 2015, 0.0% of all truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Cowles compare with Nebraska?
Webster County records 79.3 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 60.7 across Nebraska.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Cowles?
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.