Merkel, ND truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Merkel: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Merkel and Kidder County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Kidder County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
0 of 104 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
No fatal large-truck crashes with a road name recorded here since 2015.
How Kidder County compares with North Dakota
Kidder County against North Dakota and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Kidder County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Kidder County | North Dakota | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 379.6 | 73.9 | 49.7 | 5.1× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.0 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 51% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.34 | 0.33 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 0.0% | 0.9% | 2.3% | 100% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 45.5% | 34.4% | 6.2% | 1.3× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 24.2% | 22.7% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 22.2% | 16.2% | 13.8% | 1.4× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 46.5% | 47.2% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 24.2% | 24.7% | 24.8% | same |
Compared with North Dakota, Kidder County is lower on deaths per 100 crashes and garbage-truck share. It runs above North Dakota on crashes per 100k residents / yr, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow.
What stands out in Kidder County: 0 garbage-truck share of crashes is 0.0%, against 0.9% for North Dakota.
Overview
Since 2015, 104 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Kidder County. They injured 37 people and killed 2.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 41 days.
Only 0 truck crashes were reported in Merkel since 2015; patterns below come from Kidder County as a whole.
92% of truck crash reports in Kidder County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
April has the most truck crashes, 14.4% of the yearly total, while August has the fewest (2.9%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 46.5% of truck crashes, against 47.2% across North Dakota.
By time of day, 11 am–12 pm stands out with 9.6% of truck crashes.
45.5% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 34.4% across North Dakota.
Where crashes happen
NHTSA lists no located fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Merkel since 2015.
Garbage & waste trucks
Since 2015, no garbage-truck crashes were reported for Kidder County.
Route planning tips for Merkel fleets
- Plan April schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Kidder County.
- 45.5% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice, above North Dakota; plan winter equipment checks before the season.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
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 Kidder 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 (Kidder County) |
|---|---|
| SR-36 | 3 |
| Van Buren Ave | 1 |
Merkel at a glance
| Population | 29 |
| Land area | 65.6 sq mi |
| Density | 0 per sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Kidder 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 | 4 | — | 0.1 |
| 2000s | 2 | -43% | 0.1 |
| 2010s | 9 | +274% | 0.1 |
| 2020s | 11 | +28% | 0.2 |
In the 1990s about 4 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 11. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. NHTSA counts 0.2 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 0.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Merkel
How common are truck crashes in Merkel?
Kidder County has had 104 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 37 people and killing 2.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Merkel?
The worst month is April: 14.4% of truck crashes in Kidder County happen then.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Merkel?
0 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Kidder County since 2015, 0.0% of all truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Merkel compare with North Dakota?
The yearly rate is 379.6 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Kidder County, vs 73.9 for North Dakota.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Merkel?
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.