Grand Rapids, MN truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Grand Rapids: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Grand Rapids and Itasca County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Itasca County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
5 of 169 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Itasca County compares with Minnesota
Itasca County against Minnesota and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Itasca County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Itasca County | Minnesota | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 32.4 | 39.0 | 49.7 | 17% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 8.6 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 2.9× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.48 | 0.37 | 0.49 | 1.3× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 3.1% | 2.8% | 2.3% | 1.1× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 28.4% | 25.6% | 6.2% | 1.1× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 27.2% | 27.0% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 20.4% | 19.1% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 43.8% | 46.2% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 18.5% | 20.3% | 24.8% | 9% below the state |
Itasca County has lower values than Minnesota for crashes per 100k residents / yr and after dark. It runs above Minnesota on deaths per 100 crashes, injuries per crash and garbage-truck share.
The headline for Itasca County: 8.6 deaths for every 100 truck crashes, against 3.0 across Minnesota.
Overview
Police reported 169 crashes involving commercial trucks in Itasca County since 2015: 85 people were injured and 14 were killed.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 25 days.
Grand Rapids had 30 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Itasca County numbers.
When crashes happen
January has the most truck crashes, 16.0% of the yearly total, while March has the fewest (2.4%).
November through March accounts for 43.8% of truck crashes here, compared with 46.2% in Minnesota.
More truck crashes happen at 12–1 pm than at any other hour (11.8%).
28.4% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 25.6% across Minnesota.
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Grand Rapids happened on US-169 (2), CR-3 (1) and US-2 (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
5 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 3.0% share (Minnesota: 2.8%).
Route planning tips for Grand Rapids fleets
- Plan January schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Itasca County.
- 28.4% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice, above Minnesota; plan winter equipment checks before the season.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
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 Itasca County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-169 | 2 |
| CR-3 | 1 |
| US-2 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Itasca County) |
|---|---|
| Usth 2 | 36 |
| Usth 169 | 23 |
| Hwy | 9 |
| Mnth 38 | 6 |
| Mnth 6 | 6 |
| 4Th St Ne | 5 |
| Mnth 46 | 5 |
| 4Th St Nw | 4 |
Grand Rapids at a glance
| Population | 11,244 |
| Land area | 22.4 sq mi |
| Density | 502 per sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Itasca 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 | — | 0.9 |
| 2000s | 16 | +471% | 0.6 |
| 2010s | 16 | +3% | 0.7 |
| 2020s | 14 | -14% | 2.0 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 3 a year in the 1990s and 14 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. Fatal large-truck crashes: 0.8 a year in 2016–19, 2.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Grand Rapids
How common are truck crashes in Grand Rapids?
Since 2015, 169 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Itasca County (85 injured, 14 killed).
Which month has the most truck crashes in Grand Rapids?
Truck crashes in Itasca County peak in January, with 16.0% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Grand Rapids?
5 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Itasca County since 2015, 3.0% of all truck crashes.
How does Grand Rapids compare with Minnesota for truck crashes?
The yearly rate is 32.4 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Itasca County, vs 39.0 for Minnesota.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Grand Rapids?
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.