Butler, MN truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Butler: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Butler and Otter Tail County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Otter Tail County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
7 of 466 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Otter Tail County compares with Minnesota
Otter Tail County against Minnesota and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Otter Tail County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Otter Tail County | Minnesota | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 64.5 | 39.0 | 49.7 | 1.7× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.4 | same |
| Injuries per crash | 0.34 | 0.37 | 0.49 | 8% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2.3% | 42% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 35.2% | 25.6% | 6.2% | 1.4× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 28.2% | 27.0% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 19.9% | 19.1% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 48.1% | 46.2% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 22.0% | 20.3% | 24.8% | 1.1× the state |
Otter Tail County has lower values than Minnesota for injuries per crash and garbage-truck share. It runs above Minnesota on crashes per 100k residents / yr, on snow, slush or ice and after dark.
The headline for Otter Tail County: 1 in 62 crashes involve a garbage truck (7 since 2015), vs 2.8% across Minnesota.
Overview
Police reported 466 crashes involving commercial trucks in Otter Tail County since 2015: 166 people were injured and 14 were killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 9 days in fully reported years.
Butler had 4 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Otter Tail County numbers.
When crashes happen
December has the most truck crashes, 12.7% of the yearly total, while May has the fewest (6.0%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 48.1% of truck crashes, vs 46.2% for Minnesota.
The busiest hour is 8–9 am, with 9.7% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 35.2% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Minnesota: 25.6%).
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Butler happened on US-10 (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 7 of the truck crashes here, or 1.5%, compared with 2.8% in Minnesota.
Route planning tips for Butler fleets
- Build extra time into December routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- With 35.2% of truck crashes on snow, slush or ice (above Minnesota), plan winter equipment checks early.
- Use the free Route Planner to score your route and spot low bridges before drivers head out.
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 Otter Tail County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-10 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Otter Tail County) |
|---|---|
| Isth 94 | 146 |
| Usth 10 | 35 |
| Mnth 210 | 23 |
| Mnth 29 | 12 |
| Mnth 78 | 12 |
| Usth 59 | 11 |
| Mnth 108 | 10 |
| Csah 75 | 6 |
Butler at a glance
| Population | 251 |
| Land area | 35.2 sq mi |
| Density | 7 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 56567) | $72,500 |
| Median home value (ZIP 56567) | $216,319 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Otter Tail 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 | 14 | — | 1.0 |
| 2000s | 28 | +97% | 1.2 |
| 2010s | 34 | +21% | 0.9 |
| 2020s | 41 | +19% | 1.6 |
In the 1990s about 14 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 41. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 0.8 a year in 2016–19 and 1.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Butler
How many truck accidents are there in Butler?
466 truck crashes have been reported in Otter Tail County since 2015, with 14 deaths and 166 injuries.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Butler?
The worst month is December: 12.7% of truck crashes in Otter Tail County happen then.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Butler?
7 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Otter Tail County since 2015, 1.5% of all truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Butler compare with Minnesota?
Otter Tail County records 64.5 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 39.0 across Minnesota.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Butler?
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.