Yellowstone, ND truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Yellowstone: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Yellowstone 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 |
McKenzie County sits below North Dakota on garbage-truck share, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow. It stands out for 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
Police reported 835 crashes involving commercial trucks in McKenzie County since 2015: 287 people were injured and 55 were killed.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 4 days.
Yellowstone had 0 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use McKenzie County numbers.
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
The worst month is January with 11.9% of truck crashes; the quietest is April at 6.0%.
November through March accounts for 47.3% of truck crashes here, compared with 47.2% in North Dakota.
The busiest hour is 7–8 am, with 8.7% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 30.4% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (North Dakota: 34.4%).
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Yellowstone happened on CR-154TH Ave Nw (1), SR-200 (1) and SR-58 (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
4 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 0.5% share (North Dakota: 0.9%).
Route planning tips for Yellowstone fleets
- Build extra time into January routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- 25.6% of truck crashes happen between 6 and 10 am, above North Dakota; consider earlier or later starts where possible.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
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.
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) |
|---|---|
| CR-154TH Ave Nw | 1 |
| SR-200 | 1 |
| SR-58 | 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 |
Yellowstone at a glance
| Population | 457 |
| Land area | 40.1 sq mi |
| Density | 11 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 58838) | $59,392 |
| Median home value (ZIP 58838) | $248,177 |
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 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 3 a year in the 1990s and 61 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. 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 Yellowstone
How many truck crashes happen in Yellowstone?
McKenzie County has had 835 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 287 people and killing 55.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Yellowstone?
The worst month is January: 11.9% of truck crashes in McKenzie County happen then.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Yellowstone?
Garbage trucks were involved in 4 reported crashes in McKenzie County since 2015 (0.5% of truck crashes).
What is the truck crash rate in Yellowstone compared with North Dakota?
McKenzie County records 587.7 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 73.9 across North Dakota.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Yellowstone?
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 2021, 2023 and 2025; those years are greyed out and left out of rates. 2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.