Sanders, MN truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Sanders: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Sanders 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 |
Pennington County has lower values than Minnesota for crashes per 100k residents / yr, garbage-truck share and in rain, sleet or snow. It runs above Minnesota on deaths per 100 crashes, injuries per crash and morning rush (6–10 am).
The headline for Pennington County: 8.6 deaths per 100 truck crashes, vs 3.0 in Minnesota.
Overview
Since 2015, 35 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Pennington County. They injured 25 people and killed 3.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 115 days.
Only 0 truck crashes were reported in Sanders since 2015; patterns below come from Pennington County as a whole.
When crashes happen
The worst month is August with 17.1% of truck crashes; the quietest is July at 2.9%.
November through March accounts for 40.0% of truck crashes here, compared with 46.2% in Minnesota.
More truck crashes happen at 8–9 am than at any other hour (20.0%).
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 25.7% of truck crashes, compared with 25.6% in Minnesota.
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Sanders happened on SR-1 (2) 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 Sanders fleets
- Build extra time into August routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Morning starts matter: 31.4% of truck crashes fall between 6 and 10 am, higher than Minnesota.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
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 Pennington County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-1 | 2 |
| 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 |
Sanders at a glance
| Population | 290 |
| Land area | 36.2 sq mi |
| Density | 8 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 56701) | $78,599 |
| Median home value (ZIP 56701) | $197,388 |
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 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 2 a year in the 1990s and 2 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. NHTSA counts 0.2 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 0.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Sanders
How many truck crashes happen in Sanders?
Since 2015, 35 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Pennington County (25 injured, 3 killed).
Which month has the most truck crashes in Sanders?
August has the most truck crashes in Pennington County, 17.1% of the yearly total.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Sanders?
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 Sanders compared with Minnesota?
Per 100,000 residents, Pennington County has 23.3 truck crashes a year; Minnesota has 39.0.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Sanders?
Use the free Route Planner: enter your stops to get a risk score, safer alternatives and the low bridges on your route.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.