Spencer, ND truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Spencer: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Spencer and Ward County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Ward County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
3 of 308 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
No fatal large-truck crashes with a road name recorded here since 2015.
How Ward County compares with North Dakota
Ward County against North Dakota and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Ward County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Ward County | North Dakota | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 40.6 | 73.9 | 49.7 | 45% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 5.4 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 1.3× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.47 | 0.33 | 0.49 | 1.4× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.1% | 0.9% | 2.3% | 1.2× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 25.2% | 34.4% | 6.2% | 27% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 25.2% | 22.7% | 23.7% | 1.1× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 5.8% | 16.2% | 13.8% | 64% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 43.2% | 47.2% | 41.9% | 9% below the state |
| After dark | 17.3% | 24.7% | 24.8% | 30% below the state |
Ward County sits below North Dakota on crashes per 100k residents / yr, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow. Where it is higher: deaths per 100 crashes, injuries per crash and garbage-truck share.
What stands out in Ward County: August the month with the most truck crashes: 12.7% of the year's total.
Overview
Since 2015, 308 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Ward County. They injured 146 people and killed 16.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 13 days.
Spencer had 0 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Ward County numbers.
72% of truck crash reports in Ward County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
The worst month is August with 12.7% of truck crashes; the quietest is October at 5.8%.
The five winter months (November to March) hold 43.2% of truck crashes, against 47.2% across North Dakota.
More truck crashes happen at 8–9 am than at any other hour (10.8%).
Road surface: 25.2% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (North Dakota: 34.4%).
Where crashes happen
NHTSA lists no located fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Spencer since 2015.
Garbage & waste trucks
3 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 1.0% share (North Dakota: 0.9%).
Route planning tips for Spencer fleets
- Plan August schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Ward County.
- 25.2% 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
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 was incomplete in 2020, so those years are greyed out and left out of rates and comparisons.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Ward 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 (Ward County) |
|---|---|
| US-2 | 7 |
| US-83 | 4 |
| 128Th Ave Nw | 3 |
| 13Th Ave Se | 3 |
| 27Th St Se | 2 |
| US-52 | 2 |
| - Rd | 1 |
| 100Th St Sw | 1 |
Spencer at a glance
| Population | 44 |
| Land area | 34.9 sq mi |
| Density | 1 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 58746) | $70,263 |
| Median home value (ZIP 58746) | $145,566 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Ward 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 | 14 | — | 1.1 |
| 2000s | 8 | -42% | 1.1 |
| 2010s | 33 | +308% | 2.4 |
| 2020s | 27 | -17% | 0.8 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 14 a year in the 1990s and 27 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 1.2 a year in 2016–19 and 0.8 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Spencer
How common are truck crashes in Spencer?
308 truck crashes have been reported in Ward County since 2015, with 16 deaths and 146 injuries.
When do most truck crashes happen in Spencer?
Truck crashes in Ward County peak in August, with 12.7% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Spencer?
3 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Ward County since 2015, 1.0% of all truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Spencer compared with North Dakota?
The yearly rate is 40.6 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Ward County, vs 73.9 for North Dakota.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Spencer?
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.