Excelsior, MI truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Excelsior: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Excelsior and Kalkaska County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Kalkaska County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
4 of 121 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Kalkaska County compares with Michigan
Kalkaska County against Michigan and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Kalkaska County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Kalkaska County | Michigan | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 53.2 | 52.4 | 49.7 | same |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 6.4 | 2.1 | 3.4 | 3.0× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.37 | 0.30 | 0.49 | 1.2× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 2.8% | 3.2% | 2.3% | 15% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 27.5% | 17.7% | 6.2% | 1.6× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 22.9% | 25.5% | 23.7% | 10% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 31.2% | 21.9% | 13.8% | 1.4× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 52.3% | 44.4% | 41.9% | 1.2× the state |
| After dark | 26.6% | 20.7% | 24.8% | 1.3× the state |
Kalkaska County sits below Michigan on garbage-truck share and morning rush (6–10 am). It stands out for higher deaths per 100 crashes, injuries per crash and on snow, slush or ice.
The headline for Kalkaska County: 6.4 deaths per 100 truck crashes, vs 2.1 in Michigan.
Overview
Since 2015, 121 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Kalkaska County. They injured 44 people and killed 7.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 37 days.
Excelsior had 13 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Kalkaska County numbers.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in January (13.2% of the year) and are lowest in October (2.5%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 52.3% of truck crashes, against 44.4% across Michigan.
By time of day, 9–10 am stands out with 9.1% of truck crashes.
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 27.5% of truck crashes, compared with 17.7% in Michigan.
Where crashes happen
Within this area, US-131 had the most fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015 (3). Next come CR-571 (1), SR-72 (1) and US-31 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
4 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 3.3% share (Michigan: 3.2%).
Route planning tips for Excelsior fleets
- Review driver schedules for January, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Look at alternatives to US-131 at busy times: it leads this area in fatal truck crashes.
- 27.5% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice, above Michigan; plan winter equipment checks before the season.
- 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 Kalkaska County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-131 | 3 |
| CR-571 | 1 |
| SR-72 | 1 |
| US-31 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Kalkaska County) |
|---|---|
| US-131 | 36 |
| Cedar | 9 |
| Boardman | 4 |
| Mile | 4 |
| County Road 571 | 3 |
| County Road 612 | 2 |
| Ingersoll | 2 |
| Rapid City | 2 |
Excelsior at a glance
| Population | 1,028 |
| Land area | 35.3 sq mi |
| Density | 29 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 49646) | $64,863 |
| Median home value (ZIP 49646) | $181,523 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Kalkaska 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 | 8 | — | 0.4 |
| 2000s | 8 | +9% | 0.3 |
| 2010s | 7 | -19% | 0.5 |
| 2020s | 12 | +69% | 0.4 |
In the 1990s about 8 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 12. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. NHTSA counts 1.0 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 0.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Excelsior
How common are truck crashes in Excelsior?
Kalkaska County has had 121 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 44 people and killing 7.
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in Excelsior?
Since 2015, US-131 has had the most fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Excelsior: 3.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Excelsior?
The worst month is January: 13.2% of truck crashes in Kalkaska County happen then.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Excelsior?
4 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Kalkaska County since 2015, 3.3% of all truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Excelsior compared with Michigan?
Per 100,000 residents, Kalkaska County has 53.2 truck crashes a year; Michigan has 52.4.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Excelsior?
Paste your stops into the free CurbWaste Route Planner: it scores your route against fatal-crash locations, suggests safer alternatives and flags low bridges.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.