Crow Lake, MN truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Crow Lake: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Crow Lake 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.
Stearns County at a glance: 28.8% share of truck crashes after dark (Minnesota: 20.3%).
Overview
Stearns County has recorded 1,072 truck crashes since 2015, with 349 people injured and 30 killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 4 days.
Crow Lake had 6 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Stearns County numbers.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in December (11.4% of the year) and are lowest in July (5.5%).
November through March accounts for 50.9% of truck crashes here, compared with 46.2% in Minnesota.
More truck crashes happen at 9–10 am than at any other hour (8.5%).
Road surface: 34.0% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Minnesota: 25.6%).
Where crashes happen
Fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Crow Lake since 2015 were spread across roads: US-71 (2).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 21 of the truck crashes here, or 2.0%, compared with 2.8% in Minnesota.
Their busiest month is June, with 14% of garbage-truck crashes.
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 0.0, vs 3.0 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for Crow Lake fleets
- Review driver schedules for December, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Garbage-truck crashes here peak in June; review collection routes for that month.
- With 34.0% of truck crashes on snow, slush or ice (above Minnesota), plan winter equipment checks early.
- 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 Stearns County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-71 | 2 |
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 |
Crow Lake at a glance
| Population | 368 |
| Land area | 33.6 sq mi |
| Density | 11 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 56316) | $71,111 |
| Median home value (ZIP 56316) | $219,496 |
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 large-truck crashes: 1.8 a year in 2016–19, 3.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Crow Lake
How many truck crashes happen in Crow Lake?
1,072 truck crashes have been reported in Stearns County since 2015, with 30 deaths and 349 injuries.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Crow Lake?
Truck crashes in Stearns County peak in December, with 11.4% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Crow Lake?
21 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Stearns County since 2015, 2.0% of all truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Crow Lake compared with Minnesota?
The yearly rate is 56.2 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Stearns County, vs 39.0 for Minnesota.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Crow Lake?
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.