Willis, ND truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Willis: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Willis 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
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 has lower values than North Dakota for crashes per 100k residents / yr, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow. It runs above North Dakota on deaths per 100 crashes, injuries per crash and garbage-truck share.
The headline for Ward County: August the month with the most truck crashes: 12.7% of the year's total.
Overview
Ward County has recorded 308 truck crashes since 2015, with 146 people injured and 16 killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 13 days in fully reported years.
Willis 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
Truck crashes peak in August (12.7% of the year) and are lowest in October (5.8%).
November through March accounts for 43.2% of truck crashes here, compared with 47.2% in North Dakota.
The busiest hour is 8–9 am, with 10.8% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 25.2% 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 Willis happened on US-83 (2); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
3 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 1.0% share (North Dakota: 0.9%).
Route planning tips for Willis fleets
- Review driver schedules for August, the month with the most truck crashes.
- The morning rush (6–10 am) holds 25.2% 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
This report uses the FMCSA crash file (reported crashes of trucks over 10,000 lb) and NHTSA FARS (fatal crashes). It reports the numbers without guessing at reasons.
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
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-83 | 2 |
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 |
Willis at a glance
| Population | 125 |
| Land area | 36.1 sq mi |
| Density | 3 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 58781) | $97,778 |
| Median home value (ZIP 58781) | $288,819 |
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 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 14 to 27. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. 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 Willis
How common are truck crashes in Willis?
308 truck crashes have been reported in Ward County since 2015, with 16 deaths and 146 injuries.
When do most truck crashes happen in Willis?
August has the most truck crashes in Ward County, 12.7% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Willis?
Since 2015, Ward County has reported 3 garbage-truck crashes, or 1.0% of its truck crashes.
How does Willis compare with North Dakota for truck crashes?
Ward County records 40.6 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 73.9 across North Dakota.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Willis?
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 2020; those years are greyed out and left out of rates. 2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.