River Falls, MN truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in River Falls: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in River Falls and Pennington County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Pennington County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
0 of 35 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Pennington County compares with Minnesota
Pennington County against Minnesota and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Pennington County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Pennington County | Minnesota | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 23.3 | 39.0 | 49.7 | 40% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 8.6 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 2.9× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.71 | 0.37 | 0.49 | 1.9× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 0.0% | 2.8% | 2.3% | 100% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 25.7% | 25.6% | 6.2% | same |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 31.4% | 27.0% | 23.7% | 1.2× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 17.1% | 19.1% | 13.8% | 10% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 40.0% | 46.2% | 41.9% | 13% below the state |
| After dark | 8.6% | 20.3% | 24.8% | 58% below the state |
Compared with Minnesota, Pennington County is lower on crashes per 100k residents / yr, garbage-truck share and in rain, sleet or snow. It stands out for higher deaths per 100 crashes, injuries per crash and morning rush (6–10 am).
The headline for Pennington County: 8.6 people killed per 100 truck crashes (Minnesota: 3.0).
Overview
Pennington County has recorded 35 truck crashes since 2015, with 25 people injured and 3 killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 115 days.
Only 0 truck crashes were reported in River Falls since 2015; patterns below come from Pennington County as a whole.
When crashes happen
August has the most truck crashes, 17.1% of the yearly total, while July has the fewest (2.9%).
November through March accounts for 40.0% of truck crashes here, compared with 46.2% in Minnesota.
The busiest hour is 8–9 am, with 20.0% of truck crashes.
25.7% 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 River Falls happened on SR-1 (1), SR-32 (1) and US-59 (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
FMCSA lists no garbage-truck crashes in Pennington County since 2015.
Route planning tips for River Falls fleets
- Build extra time into August routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- 31.4% of truck crashes happen between 6 and 10 am, above Minnesota; consider earlier or later starts where possible.
- 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 Pennington County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-1 | 1 |
| SR-32 | 1 |
| US-59 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Pennington County) |
|---|---|
| Center St | 4 |
| Mnth 1 | 4 |
| Usth 59 | 4 |
| Csah 10 | 2 |
| Hwy | 2 |
| Mnth 32 | 2 |
| 170Th Ave Ne | 1 |
| 190Th St Ne | 1 |
River Falls at a glance
| Population | 180 |
| Land area | 22.6 sq mi |
| Density | 8 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 56754) | $79,167 |
| Median home value (ZIP 56754) | $214,400 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Pennington 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 | 2 | — | 0.5 |
| 2000s | 4 | +146% | 0.8 |
| 2010s | 4 | +0% | 0.3 |
| 2020s | 2 | -42% | 0.4 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 2 to 2. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 0.2 a year in 2016–19 and 0.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about River Falls
How common are truck crashes in River Falls?
35 truck crashes have been reported in Pennington County since 2015, with 3 deaths and 25 injuries.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in River Falls?
The worst month is August: 17.1% of truck crashes in Pennington County happen then.
Are garbage truck crashes common in River Falls?
Garbage trucks were involved in 0 reported crashes in Pennington County since 2015 (0.0% of truck crashes).
What is the truck crash rate in River Falls compared with Minnesota?
The yearly rate is 23.3 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Pennington County, vs 39.0 for Minnesota.
How can I plan a safer truck route in River Falls?
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.