Crash Record MN0230270324
FMCSA crash record in WEST UNION on Jan 27, 2023.
Tow-Away
Federal Recordable
What happened
On January 27, 2023, FMCSA recorded a tow-away crash with no reported injuries in WEST UNION, Minnesota. The vehicle was operated by PPG ROADLINES INC (USDOT 3120695). Recorded conditions: 1 / 6 / 6 pavement. Reported by PPG ROADLINES INC, FMCSA reference MN0230270324.
Carrier pattern note
This is the carrier's 4 crashes in the past 24 months — above the typical pattern (median 0) for fleets of 6–50 power units.
Fatalities
0
Injuries
0
Vehicles
1
Carrier
PPG ROADLINES INC
Vehicle Type
Truck
Severity
Tow-Away
This carrier's crash pattern
Derived from the carrier's full crash history.
Carrier crashes (24 mo)
4
2 injury · 4 tow-away
Crashes per 100 power units (24 mo)
3.2
1 crashes · 31 units
Days since prior carrier crash
289
Last on Apr 13, 2022
Vs fleet-size peers
above the median
Cohort median 0.0 · 310,532 carriers
Contributing factors
What the responding officer recorded.
- Light
- 1
- Weather
- 6
- Road surface
- 6
Conditions are mixed. The data does not assign causation; this section reports only what was recorded by the responding officer.
Crash details
Key facts from the FMCSA crash record.
- Report #:
- MN0230270324
- Date:
- Jan 27, 2023
- Time:
- 0754
- State:
- Minnesota
- City:
- WEST UNION
- Fatalities:
- 0
- Injuries:
- 0
- Tow-Away:
- Yes
- HazMat:
- No
- Vehicles:
- 1
- Carrier (USDOT):
- PPG ROADLINES INC (3120695)
Vehicles / units involved
1 commercial motor vehicle(s) in this crash.
| # | Config | Cargo Type | VIN | Plate | Carrier | GVW | HazMat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | 3 | 4V4NC9EH5LN218687 | A45030 (AB) | PPG ROADLINES INC | 3 | No |
Crash event
Event sequence description.
3:18:COLLISION INVOLVING FIXED OBJECT;1:15:COLLISION INVOLVING TRAIN;2:6:NONCOLLISION:EXPLOSION OR FIRE
Other crashes by this carrier
7 additional crash record(s) on file.
| Record | Date | State | Severity | Fatalities | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| cr_5123954 | Mar 12, 2026 | WY | Injury | 0 | 1 |
| cr_4779180 | Jul 1, 2024 | MT | Tow-Away | 0 | 0 |
| cr_4579818 | May 4, 2023 | ND | Tow-Away | 0 | 0 |
| cr_4352308 | Apr 13, 2022 | MT | Tow-Away | 0 | 0 |
| cr_4297609 | Jan 16, 2022 | TX | Injury | 0 | 1 |
| cr_4257092 | Nov 10, 2021 | MT | Injury | 0 | 2 |
| cr_4628737 | Jan 14, 2021 | TX | Tow-Away | 0 | 0 |
Related records
Vehicle
2020 VOLVO TRUCK VNL
NHTSA recalls and complaints for this make/model/year.
Carrier
PPG ROADLINES INC
USDOT 3120695 · 8 crashes · 165 inspections
Vehicle
VIN: 4V4NC9EH5LN218687
Decode this VIN for make, model, year, and recall data.
State
Crashes in Minnesota
Statewide crash records.
Agency
PPG ROADLINES INC
Crashes reported by this law-enforcement agency.
City
Crashes in WEST UNION, MN
All crashes on file for this city.
Index
All Crash Records
Browse FMCSA commercial vehicle crash records.
Database
Roadside Inspections
Inspection history and violation details.
Database
NHTSA Recalls
Active recall campaigns.
How to evaluate a carrier's crash record
- Look at frequency, not any single crash. A single crash record rarely tells you anything decisive about a carrier. Pull the carrier's full multi-year crash list and look at the rate over time — clusters and trends matter more than any one event.
- Calculate crashes per power unit when data is available. Divide the 24-month crash count by the carrier's reported power units. A rate of one crash per power unit per year is high; a rate of one crash per ten power units per year is closer to industry baseline. Skip this step when power_units is missing or zero — the rate is meaningless without it.
- Filter for fault-attributed crashes. FMCSA crash records do not flag fault. To distinguish preventable from non-preventable, check whether the carrier requested a Preventability Determination through DataQs and what FMCSA ruled. Only the preventable crashes are a clean signal of carrier or driver behavior.
- Compare against fleet-size peers. Crash counts cannot be compared directly between fleets of different sizes. Use the SMS Crash Indicator percentile, or compare the carrier's crashes-per-power-unit rate against the median for its fleet-size cohort. A 50-truck carrier with 4 crashes in 24 months looks very different from a 5-truck carrier with the same count.
- Cross-reference with the SMS BASIC Crash Indicator. FMCSA's Safety Measurement System publishes a Crash Indicator percentile when the carrier has enough crashes and exposure to score. A score in the 65th percentile or higher triggers federal intervention thresholds. Always sanity-check raw crash counts against the percentile before drawing conclusions.
Frequently asked questions about FMCSA crash records
What does this crash report tell me about the carrier? ▾
An individual FMCSA crash record tells you that a commercial vehicle operated by this carrier was involved in a reportable crash on the date listed, along with the severity (fatalities / injuries / tow-away) and the responding agency. A single crash record does not tell you whether the carrier was at fault, whether the driver was cited, or how the crash affected the carrier's safety scores. To evaluate the carrier, compare the full multi-year crash history against the carrier's fleet size, miles driven, and cohort peers.
Was this crash the carrier's fault? ▾
FMCSA crash records do not assign fault. Fault attribution requires reviewing the police report, any litigation outcome, and FMCSA's preventability determination if one was requested. If you need a fault determination, request the underlying state police crash report (PAR) — the carrier or its insurer can pull this through standard channels.
How does this crash affect the carrier's safety scores? ▾
Crash records feed FMCSA's Crash Indicator BASIC inside the Safety Measurement System (SMS). Each FMCSA-reportable crash counts for two years from the crash date and is weighted by severity (fatal / injury / tow-only). The Crash Indicator score is normalized against the carrier's power-unit count and exposure, so larger fleets need more crashes to score the same percentile as smaller ones. Non-reportable crashes do not enter the score.
Will this crash show up on the carrier's CSA SMS scores? ▾
If the federal_recordable flag on this record is true, yes — it will appear in the carrier's Crash Indicator BASIC for two years from the crash date. Crashes flagged state-only (state_recordable) are visible on the public crash file but do not enter the federal score.
How do I check the carrier's full crash history? ▾
Click through to the carrier profile (the USDOT link near the top of this page). The carrier's profile lists every crash on file, severity counts, and links into the SMS detail when an MC docket is on record. You can also visit FMCSA's SAFER and SMS portals directly using the carrier's USDOT number.
What if details look wrong — how do I correct an FMCSA crash record? ▾
FMCSA's DataQs system handles corrections to crash records. Either the carrier or an interested third party can file a Request for Data Review (RDR) with supporting documentation (police report, court records, witness statements). Corrections are processed by the originating state agency and propagate to the federal file within roughly 60–120 days when accepted.