Mountain Iron, MN truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Mountain Iron: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Mountain Iron and St. Louis County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use St. Louis County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
5.0 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 5.4 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How St. Louis County compares with Minnesota
St. Louis County against Minnesota and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where St. Louis County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | St. Louis County | Minnesota | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 27.0 | 39.0 | 49.7 | 31% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 5.4 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 1.8× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.38 | 0.37 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 3.4% | 2.8% | 2.3% | 1.2× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 34.0% | 25.6% | 6.2% | 1.3× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 29.1% | 27.0% | 23.7% | 1.1× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 22.3% | 19.1% | 13.8% | 1.2× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 52.3% | 46.2% | 41.9% | 1.1× the state |
| After dark | 15.4% | 20.3% | 24.8% | 24% below the state |
St. Louis County has lower values than Minnesota for crashes per 100k residents / yr and after dark. It runs above Minnesota on deaths per 100 crashes, garbage-truck share and on snow, slush or ice.
What stands out in St. Louis County: 5.4 people killed per 100 truck crashes (Minnesota: 3.0).
Overview
Police reported 632 crashes involving commercial trucks in St. Louis County since 2015: 250 people were injured and 32 were killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 7 days in fully reported years.
Only 20 truck crashes were reported in Mountain Iron since 2015; patterns below come from St. Louis County as a whole.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in January (14.1% of the year) and are lowest in April (5.4%).
November through March accounts for 52.3% of truck crashes here, compared with 46.2% in Minnesota.
The busiest hour is 8–9 am, with 9.8% of truck crashes.
34.0% 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 Mountain Iron happened on CR-101 (1), CR-102 Park Ridge Dr (1), CR-137 (1) and US-53 (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 21 of the truck crashes here, or 3.3%, compared with 2.8% in Minnesota.
Their busiest month is December, with 24% of garbage-truck crashes.
They recorded 5.0 deaths per 100 crashes, against 5.4 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Mountain Iron fleets
- Review driver schedules for January, the month with the most truck crashes.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at December schedules: garbage-truck crashes peak then.
- Morning starts matter: 29.1% of truck crashes fall between 6 and 10 am, higher than Minnesota.
- With 34.0% of truck crashes on snow, slush or ice (above Minnesota), plan winter equipment checks early.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
About the data
This report uses the FMCSA crash file (reported crashes of trucks over 10,000 lb) and NHTSA FARS (fatal crashes). It reports the numbers without guessing at reasons.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in St. Louis County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| CR-101 | 1 |
| CR-102 Park Ridge Dr | 1 |
| CR-137 | 1 |
| US-53 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (St. Louis County) |
|---|---|
| Usth 53 | 90 |
| I-35 | 40 |
| Usth 2 | 26 |
| Usth 169 | 26 |
| Miller Trunk Hwy | 16 |
| Hwy | 11 |
| Mnth 135 | 10 |
| Mnth 73 | 10 |
Mountain Iron at a glance
| Population | 2,847 |
| Land area | 68.1 sq mi |
| Density | 42 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 55768) | $86,075 |
| Median home value (ZIP 55768) | $225,001 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in St. Louis 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 | 12 | — | 2.5 |
| 2000s | 58 | +381% | 3.1 |
| 2010s | 56 | -2% | 2.0 |
| 2020s | 51 | -9% | 2.4 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 12 to 51. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 1.8 a year in 2016–19 and 2.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Mountain Iron
How common are truck crashes in Mountain Iron?
St. Louis County has had 632 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 250 people and killing 32.
When do most truck crashes happen in Mountain Iron?
The worst month is January: 14.1% of truck crashes in St. Louis County happen then.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Mountain Iron?
Since 2015, St. Louis County has reported 21 garbage-truck crashes, or 3.3% of its truck crashes.
How does Mountain Iron compare with Minnesota for truck crashes?
St. Louis County records 27.0 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 39.0 across Minnesota.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Mountain Iron?
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.