Cookeville, TN truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Cookeville: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Cookeville and Putnam County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Putnam County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
10 of 878 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Putnam County compares with Tennessee
Putnam County against Tennessee and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Putnam County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Putnam County | Tennessee | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 86.2 | 60.1 | 49.7 | 1.4× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 4.3 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 1.1× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.49 | 0.48 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.2% | 1.9% | 2.3% | 36% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 3.9% | 2.3% | 6.2% | 1.7× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 19.8% | 21.8% | 23.7% | 10% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 14.9% | 14.9% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 38.9% | 40.5% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 24.6% | 25.9% | 24.8% | same |
Putnam County sits below Tennessee on garbage-truck share and morning rush (6–10 am). It stands out for higher crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and on snow, slush or ice.
What stands out in Putnam County: 3.9% share of truck crashes on snow, slush or ice (Tennessee: 2.3%).
Overview
Police reported 878 crashes involving commercial trucks in Putnam County since 2015: 421 people were injured and 36 were killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 5 days.
Cookeville had 254 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Putnam County numbers.
47% of truck crash reports in Putnam County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
The worst month is July with 10.6% of truck crashes; the quietest is October at 6.9%.
November through March accounts for 38.9% of truck crashes here, compared with 40.5% in Tennessee.
The busiest hour is 3–4 pm, with 8.8% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 3.9% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Tennessee: 2.3%).
Where crashes happen
The deadliest road for trucks within 10 miles of Cookeville is I-40, with 9 fatal large-truck crashes since 2015. It is followed by SR-111 (4), SR-135 (2) and Buffalo Valley Rd (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 10 crashes, 1.1% of the total, against 1.9% across Tennessee.
Route planning tips for Cookeville fleets
- Build extra time into July routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Look at alternatives to I-40 at busy times: it leads this area in fatal truck crashes.
- With 3.9% of truck crashes on snow, slush or ice (above Tennessee), plan winter equipment checks early.
- 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 Putnam County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-40 | 9 |
| SR-111 | 4 |
| SR-135 | 2 |
| Buffalo Valley Rd | 1 |
| CR-SHIPLEY Rd | 1 |
| SR-136 | 1 |
| US-70N | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Putnam County) |
|---|---|
| I-40 | 582 |
| Ramp | 34 |
| E Spring St | 16 |
| SR-111S | 13 |
| S Jefferson Ave | 13 |
| S Willow Ave | 10 |
| Monterey Hwy | 7 |
| E 10Th St | 7 |
Cookeville at a glance
| Population | 37,102 |
| Land area | 35.8 sq mi |
| Density | 1,037 per sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Putnam 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 | 24 | — | 1.6 |
| 2000s | 35 | +46% | 1.3 |
| 2010s | 54 | +52% | 1.1 |
| 2020s | 82 | +53% | 3.0 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 24 to 82. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 2.2 a year in 2016–19 and 3.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Cookeville
How many truck accidents are there in Cookeville?
Putnam County has had 878 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 421 people and killing 36.
What is the most dangerous road for trucks in Cookeville?
NHTSA data shows I-40 with 9 fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Cookeville since 2015, the highest of any road.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Cookeville?
Truck crashes in Putnam County peak in July, with 10.6% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Cookeville?
Garbage trucks were involved in 10 reported crashes in Putnam County since 2015 (1.1% of truck crashes).
How do truck crashes in Cookeville compare with Tennessee?
The yearly rate is 86.2 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Putnam County, vs 60.1 for Tennessee.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Cookeville?
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.