Western, MN truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Western: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Western 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
No fatal large-truck crashes with a road name recorded here since 2015.
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 sits below Minnesota on injuries per crash and garbage-truck share. Where it is higher: 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
Since 2015, 466 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Otter Tail County. They injured 166 people and killed 14.
That averages about one truck crash every 9 days in fully reported years.
Western had 0 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
Truck crashes peak in December (12.7% of the year) and are lowest in May (6.0%).
November through March accounts for 48.1% of truck crashes here, compared with 46.2% in Minnesota.
More truck crashes happen at 8–9 am than at any other hour (9.7%).
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 35.2% of truck crashes, compared with 25.6% in Minnesota.
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, no fatal large-truck crashes with a location were recorded within 10 miles of Western.
Garbage & waste trucks
7 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 1.5% share (Minnesota: 2.8%).
Route planning tips for Western fleets
- Build extra time into December routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- 35.2% 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 Otter Tail County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
No fatal crashes involving a large truck with a road name were recorded within 10 miles since 2015.
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 |
Western at a glance
| Population | 120 |
| Land area | 34.4 sq mi |
| Density | 3 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 56590) | $70,500 |
| Median home value (ZIP 56590) | $129,127 |
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. NHTSA counts 0.8 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 1.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Western
How many truck accidents are there in Western?
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 Western?
The worst month is December: 12.7% of truck crashes in Otter Tail County happen then.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Western?
Garbage trucks were involved in 7 reported crashes in Otter Tail County since 2015 (1.5% of truck crashes).
What is the truck crash rate in Western compared with Minnesota?
Otter Tail County records 64.5 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 39.0 across Minnesota.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Western?
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.