Rat Lake, ND truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Rat Lake: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Rat Lake and Mountrail County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Mountrail County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
4 of 308 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Mountrail County compares with North Dakota
Mountrail County against North Dakota and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Mountrail County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Mountrail County | North Dakota | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 287.9 | 73.9 | 49.7 | 3.9× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 7.0 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 1.7× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.37 | 0.33 | 0.49 | 1.1× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.3% | 0.9% | 2.3% | 1.5× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 26.7% | 34.4% | 6.2% | 22% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 26.7% | 22.7% | 23.7% | 1.2× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 9.0% | 16.2% | 13.8% | 44% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 46.7% | 47.2% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 32.0% | 24.7% | 24.8% | 1.3× the state |
Compared with North Dakota, Mountrail County is lower on 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 injuries per crash.
What stands out in Mountrail County: 7.0 people killed per 100 truck crashes (North Dakota: 4.1).
Overview
Since 2015, 308 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Mountrail County. They injured 114 people and killed 21.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 13 days.
Only 0 truck crashes were reported in Rat Lake since 2015; patterns below come from Mountrail County as a whole.
75% of truck crash reports in Mountrail 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 April has the fewest (4.5%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 46.7% of truck crashes, against 47.2% across North Dakota.
By time of day, 9–10 am stands out with 8.9% of truck crashes.
26.7% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 34.4% across North Dakota.
Where crashes happen
Roads with fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Rat Lake since 2015: SR-1804 (1) and US-1804 (1). No single road stands out.
Garbage & waste trucks
4 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 1.3% share (North Dakota: 0.9%).
Route planning tips for Rat Lake fleets
- Review driver schedules for March, the month with the most truck crashes.
- The morning rush (6–10 am) holds 26.7% of truck crashes here, more than North Dakota; adjust start times where you can.
- 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.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Mountrail County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-1804 | 1 |
| US-1804 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Mountrail County) |
|---|---|
| 73Rd Ave Nw | 4 |
| 74Th St Nw | 4 |
| 83Rd Ave Nw | 4 |
| SR-1804 | 4 |
| US-2 | 4 |
| 47Th St Nw | 2 |
| 59Th St Nw | 2 |
| 88Th Ave Nw | 2 |
Rat Lake at a glance
| Population | 36 |
| Land area | 35.7 sq mi |
| Density | 1 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 58776) | $83,155 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Mountrail 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 | 2 | — | 0.2 |
| 2000s | 4 | +64% | 0.9 |
| 2010s | 38 | +820% | 1.8 |
| 2020s | 28 | -25% | 0.8 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 2 to 28. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 1.5 a year in 2016–19 and 0.8 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Rat Lake
How common are truck crashes in Rat Lake?
Mountrail County has had 308 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 114 people and killing 21.
When do most truck crashes happen in Rat Lake?
Truck crashes in Mountrail County peak in March, with 12.0% of the year's crashes.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Rat Lake?
Since 2015, Mountrail County has reported 4 garbage-truck crashes, or 1.3% of its truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Rat Lake compared with North Dakota?
Per 100,000 residents, Mountrail County has 287.9 truck crashes a year; North Dakota has 73.9.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Rat Lake?
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.