Bartlett, TN truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Bartlett: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Bartlett and Shelby County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Shelby County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
2.2 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 4.5 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Shelby County compares with Tennessee
Shelby County against Tennessee and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Shelby County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Shelby County | Tennessee | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 50.8 | 60.1 | 49.7 | 15% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 4.5 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 1.2× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.58 | 0.48 | 0.49 | 1.2× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 2.7% | 1.9% | 2.3% | 1.4× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 1.2% | 2.3% | 6.2% | 48% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 21.7% | 21.8% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 15.6% | 14.9% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 40.8% | 40.5% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 25.0% | 25.9% | 24.8% | same |
Shelby County sits below Tennessee on crashes per 100k residents / yr and on snow, slush or ice. Where it is higher: deaths per 100 crashes, injuries per crash and garbage-truck share.
What stands out in Bartlett: I-40 most fatal truck crashes within 10 miles of Bartlett: 26 since 2015.
Overview
Police reported 5,377 crashes involving commercial trucks in Shelby County since 2015: 3,109 people were injured and 238 were killed.
That averages about 1 truck crash a day in fully reported years.
Only 54 truck crashes were reported in Bartlett since 2015; patterns below come from Shelby County as a whole.
When crashes happen
May has the most truck crashes, 9.1% of the yearly total, while February has the fewest (7.4%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 40.8% of truck crashes, vs 40.5% for Tennessee.
More truck crashes happen at 12–1 pm than at any other hour (7.0%).
1.2% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 2.3% across Tennessee.
Where crashes happen
Within this area, I-40 had the most fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015 (26). Next come SR-14 (3), Mu-Sam Cooper Blvd (2) and US-51 (2).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 139 of the truck crashes here, or 2.6%, compared with 1.9% in Tennessee.
The most garbage-truck crashes happen in August (12%).
They recorded 2.2 deaths per 100 crashes, against 4.5 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Bartlett fleets
- Review driver schedules for May, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Check whether your routes use I-40, the road with the most fatal truck crashes in this area.
- Garbage-truck crashes here peak in August; review collection routes for that month.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
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 Shelby County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-40 | 26 |
| SR-14 | 3 |
| Mu-Sam Cooper Blvd | 2 |
| US-51 | 2 |
| US-64 | 2 |
| Berclair Rd | 1 |
| I-240 | 1 |
| Mu-New Allen Rd | 1 |
| Mu-Raleigh Lagrange Rd | 1 |
| New Allen Rd | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Shelby County) |
|---|---|
| I-40 | 813 |
| I-240 | 407 |
| Lamar Ave | 331 |
| I-55 | 267 |
| E Shelby Dr | 234 |
| Winchester Rd | 111 |
| Getwell Rd | 61 |
| Shelby Dr | 61 |
Bartlett at a glance
| Population | 56,708 |
| Land area | 32.3 sq mi |
| Density | 1,756 per sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Shelby 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 | — | 13.2 |
| 2000s | 384 | +1525% | 10.0 |
| 2010s | 510 | +33% | 11.1 |
| 2020s | 424 | -17% | 19.0 |
In the 1990s about 24 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 424. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 15.8 a year in 2016–19 and 19.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Bartlett
How common are truck crashes in Bartlett?
Shelby County has had 5,377 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 3,109 people and killing 238.
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in Bartlett?
Since 2015, I-40 has had the most fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Bartlett: 26.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Bartlett?
Truck crashes in Shelby County peak in May, with 9.1% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Bartlett?
Garbage trucks were involved in 139 reported crashes in Shelby County since 2015 (2.6% of truck crashes).
How does Bartlett compare with Tennessee for truck crashes?
Per 100,000 residents, Shelby County has 50.8 truck crashes a year; Tennessee has 60.1.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Bartlett?
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.