Paynesville, MN truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Paynesville: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Paynesville 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 |
Stearns County sits below Minnesota on injuries per crash and garbage-truck share. It runs above Minnesota on crashes per 100k residents / yr, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow.
Stearns County at a glance: 28.8% after dark, against 20.3% across Minnesota.
Overview
Since 2015, 1,072 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Stearns County. They injured 349 people and killed 30.
That averages about one truck crash every 4 days in fully reported years.
Paynesville had 18 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%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 50.9% of truck crashes, vs 46.2% for Minnesota.
By time of day, 9–10 am stands out 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
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Paynesville happened on SR-23 (3); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 21 crashes, 2.0% of the total, against 2.8% across Minnesota.
Garbage-truck crashes peak in June (14% of them).
They recorded 0.0 deaths per 100 crashes, against 3.0 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Paynesville fleets
- Build extra time into December routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- 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.
- Use the free Route Planner to score your route and spot low bridges before drivers head out.
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 |
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 |
Paynesville at a glance
| Population | 2,586 |
| Land area | 2.3 sq mi |
| Density | 1,129 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 56362) | $86,212 |
| Median home value (ZIP 56362) | $258,836 |
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 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 18 to 93. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. NHTSA counts 1.8 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 3.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Paynesville
How common are truck crashes in Paynesville?
Stearns County has had 1,072 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 349 people and killing 30.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Paynesville?
December has the most truck crashes in Stearns County, 11.4% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Paynesville?
Since 2015, Stearns County has reported 21 garbage-truck crashes, or 2.0% of its truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Paynesville compare 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 Paynesville?
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.