Cold Spring, MN truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Cold Spring: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Cold Spring and Stearns County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Stearns County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
0.0 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 3.0 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Stearns County compares with Minnesota
Stearns County against Minnesota and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Stearns County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Stearns County | Minnesota | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 56.2 | 39.0 | 49.7 | 1.4× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.4 | same |
| Injuries per crash | 0.32 | 0.37 | 0.49 | 14% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 2.0% | 2.8% | 2.3% | 30% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 34.0% | 25.6% | 6.2% | 1.3× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 26.8% | 27.0% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 25.4% | 19.1% | 13.8% | 1.3× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 50.9% | 46.2% | 41.9% | 1.1× the state |
| After dark | 28.8% | 20.3% | 24.8% | 1.4× the state |
Compared with Minnesota, Stearns County is lower on injuries per crash and garbage-truck share. Where it is higher: crashes per 100k residents / yr, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow.
What stands out in Cold Spring: SR-23 3 fatal truck crashes since 2015, more than any other road within 10 miles of Cold Spring.
Overview
Police reported 1,072 crashes involving commercial trucks in Stearns County since 2015: 349 people were injured and 30 were killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 4 days in fully reported years.
With 19 truck crashes reported in Cold Spring since 2015, this page uses Stearns County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
When crashes happen
December has the most truck crashes, 11.4% of the yearly total, while July has the fewest (5.5%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 50.9% of truck crashes, vs 46.2% for Minnesota.
The busiest hour is 9–10 am, with 8.5% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 34.0% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Minnesota: 25.6%).
Where crashes happen
SR-23 leads within 10 miles of Cold Spring with 3 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. Next come CR-75 (1), CR-9 (1) and I-94 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 21 of the truck crashes here, or 2.0%, compared with 2.8% in Minnesota.
Garbage-truck crashes peak in June (14% of them).
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 0.0, vs 3.0 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for Cold Spring fleets
- Plan December schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Stearns County.
- Look at alternatives to SR-23 at busy times: it leads this area in fatal truck crashes.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at June schedules: garbage-truck crashes peak then.
- 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
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 Stearns County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-23 | 3 |
| CR-75 | 1 |
| CR-9 | 1 |
| I-94 | 1 |
| SR-15 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Stearns County) |
|---|---|
| Isth 94 | 415 |
| Mnth 23 | 68 |
| Mnth 15 | 44 |
| Division St | 33 |
| Csah 75 | 26 |
| Hwy | 18 |
| Usth 71 | 16 |
| Csah 2 | 15 |
Cold Spring at a glance
| Population | 4,326 |
| Land area | 2.8 sq mi |
| Density | 1,543 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 56320) | $87,026 |
| Median home value (ZIP 56320) | $353,834 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Stearns 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 | 18 | — | 2.6 |
| 2000s | 71 | +284% | 2.2 |
| 2010s | 88 | +25% | 1.9 |
| 2020s | 93 | +5% | 3.0 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 18 a year in the 1990s and 93 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 1.8 a year in 2016–19 and 3.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Cold Spring
How many truck accidents are there in Cold Spring?
Stearns County has had 1,072 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 349 people and killing 30.
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in Cold Spring?
NHTSA data shows SR-23 with 3 fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Cold Spring since 2015, the highest of any road.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Cold Spring?
Truck crashes in Stearns County peak in December, with 11.4% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Cold Spring?
Garbage trucks were involved in 21 reported crashes in Stearns County since 2015 (2.0% of truck crashes).
How does Cold Spring compare with Minnesota for truck crashes?
The yearly rate is 56.2 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Stearns County, vs 39.0 for Minnesota.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Cold Spring?
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.