St. James, MO truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in St. James: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in St. James and Phelps County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Phelps County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
6 of 1,295 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Phelps County compares with Missouri
Phelps County against Missouri and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Phelps County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Phelps County | Missouri | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 246.6 | 85.9 | 49.7 | 2.9× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.5 | 2.7 | 3.4 | 7% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.40 | 0.44 | 0.49 | 9% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 0.4% | 2.2% | 2.3% | 82% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 11.9% | 7.2% | 6.2% | 1.7× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 19.0% | 22.8% | 23.7% | 17% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 15.5% | 10.7% | 13.8% | 1.4× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 46.7% | 40.7% | 41.9% | 1.1× the state |
| After dark | 31.9% | 24.7% | 24.8% | 1.3× the state |
Phelps County has lower values than Missouri for deaths per 100 crashes, injuries per crash and garbage-truck share. It stands out for higher crashes per 100k residents / yr, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow.
The headline for Phelps County: 1 in 250 crashes involve a garbage truck (6 since 2015), vs 2.2% across Missouri.
Overview
Police reported 1,295 crashes involving commercial trucks in Phelps County since 2015: 522 people were injured and 34 were killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 3 days in fully reported years.
With 185 truck crashes reported in St. James since 2015, this page uses Phelps County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in February (12.2% of the year) and are lowest in August (6.9%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 46.7% of truck crashes, against 40.7% across Missouri.
The busiest hour is 1–2 pm, with 7.4% of truck crashes.
11.9% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 7.2% across Missouri.
Where crashes happen
I-44 leads within 10 miles of St. James with 9 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. Next come Mu-Jefferson St (1), Old Saint James Rd (1) and SR-72 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
6 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 0.5% share (Missouri: 2.2%).
Route planning tips for St. James fleets
- Review driver schedules for February, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Check whether your routes use I-44, the road with the most fatal truck crashes in this area.
- 11.9% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice, above Missouri; plan winter equipment checks before the season.
- Use the free Route Planner to score your route and spot low bridges before drivers head out.
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 Phelps County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-44 | 9 |
| Mu-Jefferson St | 1 |
| Old Saint James Rd | 1 |
| SR-72 | 1 |
| Sr-F | 1 |
| US-63 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Phelps County) |
|---|---|
| Is 44 | 1,000 |
| US-63 | 90 |
| Mo 68 | 23 |
| Mo 72 | 18 |
| Cst Bishop Ave | 11 |
| Cst Jefferson St | 9 |
| Mo 8 | 8 |
| Crd Dillion Outer Rd | 7 |
St. James at a glance
| Population | 3,932 |
| Land area | 4.2 sq mi |
| Density | 926 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 65559) | $61,750 |
| Median home value (ZIP 65559) | $188,244 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Phelps 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 | 50 | — | 2.0 |
| 2000s | 58 | +16% | 2.1 |
| 2010s | 73 | +24% | 2.5 |
| 2020s | 121 | +67% | 1.6 |
In the 1990s about 50 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 121. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 3.5 a year in 2016–19 and 1.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about St. James
How many truck accidents are there in St. James?
Phelps County has had 1,295 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 522 people and killing 34.
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in St. James?
Since 2015, I-44 has had the most fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of St. James: 9.
When do most truck crashes happen in St. James?
The worst month is February: 12.2% of truck crashes in Phelps County happen then.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in St. James?
Since 2015, Phelps County has reported 6 garbage-truck crashes, or 0.5% of its truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in St. James compared with Missouri?
The yearly rate is 246.6 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Phelps County, vs 85.9 for Missouri.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in St. James?
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.