Sterling, ND truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Sterling: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Sterling and Burleigh County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Burleigh County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
2 of 284 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Burleigh County compares with North Dakota
Burleigh County against North Dakota and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Burleigh County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Burleigh County | North Dakota | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 24.5 | 73.9 | 49.7 | 67% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.4 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 41% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.32 | 0.33 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 0.8% | 0.9% | 2.3% | 13% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 23.7% | 34.4% | 6.2% | 31% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 21.7% | 22.7% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 11.9% | 16.2% | 13.8% | 27% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 39.9% | 47.2% | 41.9% | 15% below the state |
| After dark | 18.6% | 24.7% | 24.8% | 25% below the state |
Burleigh County has lower values than North Dakota for crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and garbage-truck share.
The headline for Burleigh County: March 12.0% of truck crashes happen in March, more than any other month.
Overview
Since 2015, 284 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Burleigh County. They injured 97 people and killed 9.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 14 days.
Sterling had 4 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Burleigh County numbers.
49% of truck crash reports in Burleigh County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
March has the most truck crashes, 12.0% of the yearly total, while February has the fewest (4.2%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 39.9% of truck crashes, vs 47.2% for North Dakota.
More truck crashes happen at 11 am–12 pm than at any other hour (8.5%).
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 23.7% of truck crashes, compared with 34.4% in North Dakota.
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Sterling happened on I-94 (3); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 2 of the truck crashes here, or 0.7%, compared with 0.9% in North Dakota.
Route planning tips for Sterling fleets
- Plan March schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Burleigh County.
- 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.
Reporting to FMCSA was incomplete in 2020; rates and comparisons skip those years.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Burleigh County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-94 | 3 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Burleigh County) |
|---|---|
| I-94 | 4 |
| 26Th St | 2 |
| Century Ave | 2 |
| Country West Rd | 2 |
| State St | 2 |
| Washington St | 2 |
| 11Th St | 1 |
| 12Th St | 1 |
Sterling at a glance
| Population | 163 |
| Land area | 35.9 sq mi |
| Density | 5 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 58572) | $56,250 |
| Median home value (ZIP 58572) | $486,827 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Burleigh 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 | 13 | — | 0.4 |
| 2000s | 8 | -35% | 0.6 |
| 2010s | 25 | +207% | 0.1 |
| 2020s | 24 | -4% | 1.8 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 13 to 24. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. NHTSA counts 0.0 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 1.8 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Sterling
How many truck crashes happen in Sterling?
Burleigh County has had 284 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 97 people and killing 9.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Sterling?
The worst month is March: 12.0% of truck crashes in Burleigh County happen then.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Sterling?
2 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Burleigh County since 2015, 0.7% of all truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Sterling compare with North Dakota?
Per 100,000 residents, Burleigh County has 24.5 truck crashes a year; North Dakota has 73.9.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Sterling?
Use the free Route Planner: enter your stops to get a risk score, safer alternatives and the low bridges on your route.
Crash reporting to FMCSA was incomplete in 2020; those years are greyed out and left out of rates. 2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.