Sand Coulee, MT truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Sand Coulee: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Sand Coulee and Cascade County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Cascade County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
4 of 268 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Cascade County compares with Montana
Cascade County against Montana and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Cascade County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Cascade County | Montana | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 27.7 | 64.3 | 49.7 | 57% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 5.8 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 1.5× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.28 | 0.34 | 0.49 | 18% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.6% | 0.9% | 2.3% | 1.7× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 36.0% | 39.4% | 6.2% | 8% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 27.5% | 22.9% | 23.7% | 1.2× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 21.3% | 20.6% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 55.0% | 54.3% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 28.3% | 30.8% | 24.8% | 8% below the state |
Cascade County sits below Montana on crashes per 100k residents / yr, injuries per crash and on snow, slush or ice. It runs above Montana on deaths per 100 crashes, garbage-truck share and morning rush (6–10 am).
What stands out in Cascade County: 1 in 65 crashes involve a garbage truck (4 since 2015), vs 0.9% across Montana.
Overview
Since 2015, 268 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Cascade County. They injured 74 people and killed 15.
That averages about one truck crash every 16 days in fully reported years.
Sand Coulee had 0 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Cascade County numbers.
87% of truck crash reports in Cascade County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
The worst month is January with 12.7% of truck crashes; the quietest is April at 4.1%.
The five winter months (November to March) hold 55.0% of truck crashes, against 54.3% across Montana.
The busiest hour is 9–10 am, with 10.1% of truck crashes.
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 36.0% of truck crashes, compared with 39.4% in Montana.
Where crashes happen
The deadliest road for trucks within 10 miles of Sand Coulee is US-87, with 3 fatal large-truck crashes since 2015. After it: I-15 (1) and US-89 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
4 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 1.5% share (Montana: 0.9%).
Route planning tips for Sand Coulee fleets
- Build extra time into January routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Where you can, review stops along US-87; it has the most fatal large-truck crashes nearby.
- 27.5% of truck crashes happen between 6 and 10 am, above Montana; consider earlier or later starts where possible.
- Use the free Route Planner to score your route and spot low bridges before drivers head out.
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.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Cascade County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-87 | 3 |
| I-15 | 1 |
| US-89 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Cascade County) |
|---|---|
| Mm 1.9 Us Highway 87E | 2 |
| 23Rd St S & 10Th Ave | 1 |
| 87.5 Eb Us Hwy 87/89E | 1 |
| I-15 Nb Mp 278 | 1 |
| I-15 Sb Mp 254 | 1 |
| Lower River Rd | 1 |
| Mm 5.4 Us Highway 89/Montana 200 | 1 |
| Mm 59.6 Us 89S | 1 |
Sand Coulee at a glance
| Land area | 2.7 sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 59472) | $68,036 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Cascade 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 | — | — | 0.6 |
| 2000s | 21 | — | 0.4 |
| 2010s | 25 | +19% | 0.7 |
| 2020s | 20 | -19% | 2.0 |
In the 2000s about 21 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 20. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 1.0 a year in 2016–19 and 2.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Sand Coulee
How many truck accidents are there in Sand Coulee?
Cascade County has had 268 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 74 people and killing 15.
What is the most dangerous road for trucks in Sand Coulee?
US-87 had 3 fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Sand Coulee since 2015, more than any other road.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Sand Coulee?
January has the most truck crashes in Cascade County, 12.7% of the yearly total.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Sand Coulee?
Garbage trucks were involved in 4 reported crashes in Cascade County since 2015 (1.5% of truck crashes).
What is the truck crash rate in Sand Coulee compared with Montana?
Cascade County records 27.7 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 64.3 across Montana.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Sand Coulee?
Paste your stops into the free CurbWaste Route Planner: it scores your route against fatal-crash locations, suggests safer alternatives and flags low bridges.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.