Grand Rapids, IL truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Grand Rapids: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Grand Rapids and LaSalle County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use LaSalle County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
8 of 1,266 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How LaSalle County compares with Illinois
LaSalle County against Illinois and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where LaSalle County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | LaSalle County | Illinois | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 101.1 | 56.0 | 49.7 | 1.8× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 4.6 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 1.8× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.46 | 0.50 | 0.49 | 8% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 0.7% | 1.4% | 2.3% | 51% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 16.8% | 9.0% | 6.2% | 1.9× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 23.7% | 24.3% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 21.2% | 17.9% | 13.8% | 1.2× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 44.2% | 42.0% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 26.4% | 24.1% | 24.8% | 1.1× the state |
LaSalle County sits below Illinois on injuries per crash and garbage-truck share. It runs above Illinois on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and on snow, slush or ice.
What stands out in LaSalle County: 16.8% share of truck crashes on snow, slush or ice (Illinois: 9.0%).
Overview
Police reported 1,266 crashes involving commercial trucks in LaSalle County since 2015: 578 people were injured and 56 were killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 3 days.
Grand Rapids had 3 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use LaSalle County numbers.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in January (11.4% of the year) and are lowest in July (6.2%).
November through March accounts for 44.2% of truck crashes here, compared with 42.0% in Illinois.
By time of day, 10–11 am stands out with 6.9% of truck crashes.
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 16.8% of truck crashes, compared with 9.0% in Illinois.
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Grand Rapids happened on I-80 (2), SR-23 (2) and US-6 (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 8 of the truck crashes here, or 0.6%, compared with 1.4% in Illinois.
Route planning tips for Grand Rapids fleets
- Build extra time into January routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Icy and snowy roads show up in 16.8% of truck crashes here, more than Illinois; schedule winter checks early.
- 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 LaSalle County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-80 | 2 |
| SR-23 | 2 |
| US-6 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (LaSalle County) |
|---|---|
| I-80 | 424 |
| I-39 | 227 |
| Columbus St | 11 |
| SR-251 | 11 |
| I-080 | 9 |
| E 8Th Rd | 9 |
| Il Rt 71 | 8 |
| US-34 | 8 |
Grand Rapids at a glance
| Population | 277 |
| Land area | 35.6 sq mi |
| Density | 8 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 61325) | $87,500 |
| Median home value (ZIP 61325) | $184,450 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in LaSalle 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 | 34 | — | 2.4 |
| 2000s | 74 | +120% | 3.7 |
| 2010s | 100 | +35% | 3.1 |
| 2020s | 106 | +6% | 3.6 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 34 to 106. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. NHTSA counts 3.2 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 3.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Grand Rapids
How common are truck crashes in Grand Rapids?
1,266 truck crashes have been reported in LaSalle County since 2015, with 56 deaths and 578 injuries.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Grand Rapids?
The worst month is January: 11.4% of truck crashes in LaSalle County happen then.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Grand Rapids?
Since 2015, LaSalle County has reported 8 garbage-truck crashes, or 0.6% of its truck crashes.
How does Grand Rapids compare with Illinois for truck crashes?
LaSalle County records 101.1 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 56.0 across Illinois.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Grand Rapids?
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.