St. Joseph, MN truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in St. Joseph: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in St. Joseph 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 has lower values than Minnesota for 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.
The headline for Stearns County: 28.8% after dark, against 20.3% across Minnesota.
Overview
Stearns County has recorded 1,072 truck crashes since 2015, with 349 people injured and 30 killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 4 days in fully reported years.
With 137 truck crashes reported in St. Joseph 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%).
November through March accounts for 50.9% of truck crashes here, compared with 46.2% in 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 St. Joseph happened on I-94 (2), US-10 (2), CR-133 (1), CR-136 (1) and CR-75 (1); 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.
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 St. Joseph 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.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
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) |
|---|---|
| I-94 | 2 |
| US-10 | 2 |
| CR-133 | 1 |
| CR-136 | 1 |
| CR-75 | 1 |
| CR-9 | 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 |
St. Joseph at a glance
| Population | 6,992 |
| Land area | 9.3 sq mi |
| Density | 752 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 56374) | $80,156 |
| Median home value (ZIP 56374) | $296,322 |
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 |
In the 1990s about 18 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 93. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. 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 St. Joseph
How many truck crashes happen in St. Joseph?
1,072 truck crashes have been reported in Stearns County since 2015, with 30 deaths and 349 injuries.
When do most truck crashes happen in St. Joseph?
The worst month is December: 11.4% of truck crashes in Stearns County happen then.
Are garbage truck crashes common in St. Joseph?
21 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Stearns County since 2015, 2.0% of all truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in St. Joseph compare with Minnesota?
Stearns County records 56.2 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 39.0 across Minnesota.
How can I plan a safer truck route in St. Joseph?
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.