Square Butte, MT truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Square Butte: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Square Butte and Chouteau County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Chouteau County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
0 of 65 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
No fatal large-truck crashes with a road name recorded here since 2015.
How Chouteau County compares with Montana
Chouteau County against Montana and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Chouteau County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Chouteau County | Montana | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 86.6 | 64.3 | 49.7 | 1.3× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 16.1 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 4.2× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.38 | 0.34 | 0.49 | 1.1× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 0.0% | 0.9% | 2.3% | 100% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 8.9% | 39.4% | 6.2% | 77% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 26.8% | 22.9% | 23.7% | 1.2× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 3.6% | 20.6% | 13.8% | 83% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 39.3% | 54.3% | 41.9% | 28% below the state |
| After dark | 12.5% | 30.8% | 24.8% | 59% below the state |
Compared with Montana, Chouteau County is lower on garbage-truck share, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow. It stands out for higher crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and injuries per crash.
Chouteau County at a glance: 16.1 people killed per 100 truck crashes (Montana: 3.8).
Overview
Since 2015, 65 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Chouteau County. They injured 24 people and killed 9.
That averages about one truck crash every 72 days in fully reported years.
Square Butte had 0 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Chouteau County numbers.
72% of truck crash reports in Chouteau County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in July (13.8% of the year) and are lowest in April (3.1%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 39.3% of truck crashes, vs 54.3% for Montana.
The busiest hour is 8–9 am, with 12.3% of truck crashes.
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 8.9% of truck crashes, compared with 39.4% in Montana.
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, no fatal large-truck crashes with a location were recorded within 10 miles of Square Butte.
Garbage & waste trucks
No crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Chouteau County since 2015.
Route planning tips for Square Butte fleets
- Plan July schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Chouteau County.
- Morning starts matter: 26.8% of truck crashes fall between 6 and 10 am, higher than Montana.
- 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 Chouteau 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 (Chouteau County) |
|---|---|
| Mm 80.3 Us Hwy 87 | 2 |
| Mm20.5 Us Highway 87 | 2 |
| Bootlegger Trl Nb Mp 29 | 1 |
| Mm 8.1 Mt Highway 80 | 1 |
| Mm47.3 Us87 | 1 |
| S Hwy 223 | 1 |
| Us Hwy 87 Mm 31.8 | 1 |
Square Butte at a glance
| Land area | 0.3 sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 59446) | $53,750 |
Historical data: truck crashes in Chouteau 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 | — | — | 0.4 |
| 2000s | 4 | — | 0.5 |
| 2010s | 4 | +9% | 0.3 |
| 2020s | 6 | +46% | 0.4 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 4 a year in the 2000s and 6 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 0.0 a year in 2016–19 and 0.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Square Butte
How many truck accidents are there in Square Butte?
Chouteau County has had 65 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 24 people and killing 9.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Square Butte?
July has the most truck crashes in Chouteau County, 13.8% of the yearly total.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Square Butte?
Garbage trucks were involved in 0 reported crashes in Chouteau County since 2015 (0.0% of truck crashes).
How does Square Butte compare with Montana for truck crashes?
The yearly rate is 86.6 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Chouteau County, vs 64.3 for Montana.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Square Butte?
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.