Columbia, MN truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Columbia: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Columbia and Polk County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Polk County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
3 of 210 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
No fatal large-truck crashes with a road name recorded here since 2015.
How Polk County compares with Minnesota
Polk County against Minnesota and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Polk County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Polk County | Minnesota | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 57.4 | 39.0 | 49.7 | 1.5× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 7.8 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 2.6× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.52 | 0.37 | 0.49 | 1.4× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2.3% | 44% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 28.1% | 25.6% | 6.2% | 1.1× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 28.1% | 27.0% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 14.1% | 19.1% | 13.8% | 26% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 43.8% | 46.2% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 17.2% | 20.3% | 24.8% | 15% below the state |
Polk County sits below Minnesota on garbage-truck share, in rain, sleet or snow and after dark. Where it is higher: crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and injuries per crash.
Polk County at a glance: 7.8 deaths per 100 truck crashes, vs 3.0 in Minnesota.
Overview
Police reported 210 crashes involving commercial trucks in Polk County since 2015: 107 people were injured and 15 were killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 21 days.
Columbia had 2 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Polk County numbers.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in October (16.2% of the year) and are lowest in July (3.3%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 43.8% of truck crashes, against 46.2% across Minnesota.
The busiest hour is 8–9 am, with 13.3% of truck crashes.
28.1% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 25.6% across Minnesota.
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, no fatal large-truck crashes with a location were recorded within 10 miles of Columbia.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 3 of the truck crashes here, or 1.4%, compared with 2.8% in Minnesota.
Route planning tips for Columbia fleets
- Review driver schedules for October, the month with the most truck crashes.
- With 28.1% 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 Polk 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 (Polk County) |
|---|---|
| Usth 2 | 48 |
| Usth 75 | 16 |
| Mnth 220 | 6 |
| Hwy | 6 |
| 170Th St Sw | 5 |
| Gateway Dr Nw | 5 |
| 150Th St Sw | 4 |
| 430Th St Se | 4 |
Columbia at a glance
| Population | 439 |
| Land area | 34.6 sq mi |
| Density | 13 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 56542) | $59,706 |
| Median home value (ZIP 56542) | $186,166 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Polk 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 | 8 | — | 1.4 |
| 2000s | 17 | +114% | 0.9 |
| 2010s | 18 | +3% | 1.4 |
| 2020s | 17 | -4% | 0.2 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 8 a year in the 1990s and 17 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. Fatal large-truck crashes: 1.8 a year in 2016–19, 0.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Columbia
How common are truck crashes in Columbia?
210 truck crashes have been reported in Polk County since 2015, with 15 deaths and 107 injuries.
When do most truck crashes happen in Columbia?
October has the most truck crashes in Polk County, 16.2% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Columbia?
3 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Polk County since 2015, 1.4% of all truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Columbia compared with Minnesota?
Per 100,000 residents, Polk County has 57.4 truck crashes a year; Minnesota has 39.0.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Columbia?
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.