Grail, ND truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Grail: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Grail and McKenzie County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use McKenzie County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
4 of 835 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How McKenzie County compares with North Dakota
McKenzie County against North Dakota and the US, 2015–2024 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where McKenzie County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2024) | McKenzie County | North Dakota | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 587.7 | 73.9 | 49.7 | 8.0× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 6.6 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 1.6× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.35 | 0.33 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 0.4% | 0.9% | 2.3% | 53% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 30.4% | 34.4% | 6.2% | 12% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 25.6% | 22.7% | 23.7% | 1.1× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 13.4% | 16.2% | 13.8% | 17% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 47.3% | 47.2% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 31.2% | 24.7% | 24.8% | 1.3× the state |
Compared with North Dakota, McKenzie County is lower on garbage-truck share, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow. Where it is higher: crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and morning rush (6–10 am).
McKenzie County at a glance: 1 in 233 garbage-truck share of crashes is 0.4%, against 0.9% for North Dakota.
Overview
McKenzie County has recorded 835 truck crashes since 2015, with 287 people injured and 55 killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 4 days in fully reported years.
With 0 truck crashes reported in Grail since 2015, this page uses McKenzie County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
85% of truck crash reports in McKenzie County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
January has the most truck crashes, 11.9% of the yearly total, while April has the fewest (6.0%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 47.3% of truck crashes, vs 47.2% for North Dakota.
More truck crashes happen at 7–8 am than at any other hour (8.7%).
Road surface: 30.4% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (North Dakota: 34.4%).
Where crashes happen
SR-23 leads within 10 miles of Grail with 4 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. After it: SR-22 (3), CR-53 Bear Den Rd (2) and CR-18TH St Nw (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 4 of the truck crashes here, or 0.5%, compared with 0.9% in North Dakota.
Route planning tips for Grail fleets
- Build extra time into January routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Look at alternatives to SR-23 at busy times: it leads this area in fatal truck crashes.
- Morning starts matter: 25.6% of truck crashes fall between 6 and 10 am, higher than North Dakota.
- 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.
Crash reporting for 2021, 2023 and 2025 is incomplete; those years are shown in grey and not used for rates.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in McKenzie County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-23 | 4 |
| SR-22 | 3 |
| CR-53 Bear Den Rd | 2 |
| CR-18TH St Nw | 1 |
| SR-73 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (McKenzie County) |
|---|---|
| US-85 | 6 |
| 38Th St Nw | 4 |
| SR-23 | 4 |
| 103Rd Ave Nw | 3 |
| 34Th St Nw | 3 |
| 35Th St Nw | 3 |
| 148Th M Ave Nw | 2 |
| 18Th St Nw | 2 |
Grail at a glance
| Population | 51 |
| Land area | 31.6 sq mi |
| Density | 2 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 58847) | $84,950 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in McKenzie 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 | 3 | — | 0.2 |
| 2000s | 5 | +80% | 0.7 |
| 2010s | 119 | +2106% | 8.0 |
| 2020s | 61 | -49% | 2.6 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 3 to 61. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. NHTSA counts 5.2 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 2.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Grail
How many truck crashes happen in Grail?
Since 2015, 835 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in McKenzie County (287 injured, 55 killed).
What is the most dangerous road for trucks in Grail?
SR-23 had 4 fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Grail since 2015, more than any other road.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Grail?
The worst month is January: 11.9% of truck crashes in McKenzie County happen then.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Grail?
Garbage trucks were involved in 4 reported crashes in McKenzie County since 2015 (0.5% of truck crashes).
How does Grail compare with North Dakota for truck crashes?
Per 100,000 residents, McKenzie County has 587.7 truck crashes a year; North Dakota has 73.9.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Grail?
Paste your stops into the free CurbWaste Route Planner: it scores your route against fatal-crash locations, suggests safer alternatives and flags low bridges.
Crash reporting to FMCSA was incomplete in 2021, 2023 and 2025; those years are greyed out and left out of rates. 2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.