Tower, MN truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Tower: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Tower 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
No fatal large-truck crashes with a road name recorded here since 2015.
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 |
Compared with Minnesota, St. Louis County is lower on 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 deaths for every 100 truck crashes, against 3.0 across Minnesota.
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.
Tower had 3 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use St. Louis County numbers.
When crashes happen
The worst month is January with 14.1% of truck crashes; the quietest is April at 5.4%.
November through March accounts for 52.3% of truck crashes here, compared with 46.2% in Minnesota.
More truck crashes happen at 8–9 am than at any other hour (9.8%).
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 34.0% of truck crashes, compared with 25.6% in Minnesota.
Where crashes happen
No fatal crash involving a large truck has a recorded location within 10 miles of Tower since 2015.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 21 crashes, 3.3% of the total, against 2.8% across 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 Tower fleets
- Plan January schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in St. Louis County.
- Waste haulers: December is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in St. Louis County.
- The morning rush (6–10 am) holds 29.1% of truck crashes here, more than Minnesota; adjust start times where you can.
- 34.0% 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
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
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 (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 |
Tower at a glance
| Population | 421 |
| Land area | 2.9 sq mi |
| Density | 144 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 55782) | $56,420 |
| Median home value (ZIP 55782) | $112,925 |
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 large-truck crashes: 1.8 a year in 2016–19, 2.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Tower
How common are truck crashes in Tower?
632 truck crashes have been reported in St. Louis County since 2015, with 32 deaths and 250 injuries.
When do most truck crashes happen in Tower?
Truck crashes in St. Louis County peak in January, with 14.1% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Tower?
21 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in St. Louis County since 2015, 3.3% of all truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Tower compare with Minnesota?
Per 100,000 residents, St. Louis County has 27.0 truck crashes a year; Minnesota has 39.0.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Tower?
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.