Iowa, ND truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Iowa: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Iowa and Benson County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Benson County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
1 of 35 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
No fatal large-truck crashes with a road name recorded here since 2015.
How Benson County compares with North Dakota
Benson County against North Dakota and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Benson County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Benson County | North Dakota | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 49.0 | 73.9 | 49.7 | 34% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 12.9 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 3.1× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.71 | 0.33 | 0.49 | 2.2× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 3.2% | 0.9% | 2.3% | 3.5× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 29.0% | 34.4% | 6.2% | 16% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 19.4% | 22.7% | 23.7% | 15% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 9.7% | 16.2% | 13.8% | 40% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 45.2% | 47.2% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 19.4% | 24.7% | 24.8% | 22% below the state |
Benson County has lower values than North Dakota for crashes per 100k residents / yr, on snow, slush or ice and morning rush (6–10 am). Where it is higher: deaths per 100 crashes, injuries per crash and garbage-truck share.
What stands out in Benson County: 1 in 31 crashes involve a garbage truck (1 since 2015), vs 0.9% across North Dakota.
Overview
Benson County has recorded 35 truck crashes since 2015, with 22 people injured and 5 killed.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 130 days.
With 0 truck crashes reported in Iowa since 2015, this page uses Benson County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
94% of truck crash reports in Benson County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in January (25.7% of the year) and are lowest in July (0.0%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 45.2% of truck crashes, against 47.2% across North Dakota.
More truck crashes happen at 3–4 pm than at any other hour (17.1%).
29.0% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 34.4% across North Dakota.
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, no fatal large-truck crashes with a location were recorded within 10 miles of Iowa.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 1 crash, 2.9% of the total, against 0.9% across North Dakota.
Route planning tips for Iowa fleets
- Plan January schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Benson County.
- Use the free Route Planner to score your route and spot low bridges before drivers head out.
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 Benson 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 (Benson County) |
|---|---|
| 38Th Street Ne | 1 |
| 47Th St Ne | 1 |
| SR-19 | 1 |
Iowa at a glance
| Population | 18 |
| Land area | 33.6 sq mi |
| Density | 1 per sq mi |
Historical data: truck crashes in Benson 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 | 5 | — | 0.3 |
| 2000s | 2 | -65% | 0.3 |
| 2010s | 4 | +94% | 0.2 |
| 2020s | 3 | -14% | 0.4 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 5 to 3. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. Fatal large-truck crashes: 0.5 a year in 2016–19, 0.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Iowa
How many truck accidents are there in Iowa?
35 truck crashes have been reported in Benson County since 2015, with 5 deaths and 22 injuries.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Iowa?
Truck crashes in Benson County peak in January, with 25.7% of the year's crashes.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Iowa?
Since 2015, Benson County has reported 1 garbage-truck crash, or 2.9% of its truck crashes.
How does Iowa compare with North Dakota for truck crashes?
The yearly rate is 49.0 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Benson County, vs 73.9 for North Dakota.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Iowa?
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.