Kalispell, MT truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Kalispell: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Kalispell and Flathead County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Flathead County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
9 of 379 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Flathead County compares with Montana
Flathead County against Montana and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Flathead County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Flathead County | Montana | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 27.5 | 64.3 | 49.7 | 57% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 6.4 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 1.7× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.40 | 0.34 | 0.49 | 1.2× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 2.6% | 0.9% | 2.3% | 2.8× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 20.2% | 39.4% | 6.2% | 49% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 27.2% | 22.9% | 23.7% | 1.2× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 13.6% | 20.6% | 13.8% | 34% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 37.3% | 54.3% | 41.9% | 31% below the state |
| After dark | 16.2% | 30.8% | 24.8% | 47% below the state |
Flathead County sits below Montana on crashes per 100k residents / yr, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow. Where it is higher: deaths per 100 crashes, injuries per crash and garbage-truck share.
The headline for Flathead County: 1 in 38 garbage-truck share of crashes is 2.6%, against 0.9% for Montana.
Overview
Since 2015, 379 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Flathead County. They injured 152 people and killed 23.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 12 days.
Only 2 truck crashes were reported in Kalispell since 2015; patterns below come from Flathead County as a whole.
84% of truck crash reports in Flathead County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
July has the most truck crashes, 11.9% of the yearly total, while February has the fewest (4.7%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 37.3% of truck crashes, vs 54.3% for Montana.
More truck crashes happen at 10–11 am than at any other hour (9.8%).
20.2% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 39.4% across Montana.
Where crashes happen
The deadliest road for trucks within 10 miles of Kalispell is US-2, with 3 fatal large-truck crashes since 2015. It is followed by SR-35 (2), US-93 (2) and US-2E (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 9 crashes, 2.4% of the total, against 0.9% across Montana.
Route planning tips for Kalispell fleets
- Build extra time into July routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Look at alternatives to US-2 at busy times: it leads this area in fatal truck crashes.
- Morning starts matter: 27.2% 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 Flathead County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-2 | 3 |
| SR-35 | 2 |
| US-93 | 2 |
| US-2E | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Flathead County) |
|---|---|
| US-2 | 4 |
| Church Dr | 2 |
| Helena Flats Rd | 2 |
| Truck Route 9Th St | 2 |
| 1St Ave E / 11Th St | 1 |
| Blacktail Heights | 1 |
| Blacktail Rd | 1 |
| Glenwood Dr | 1 |
Kalispell at a glance
| Population | 31,296 |
| Land area | 12.9 sq mi |
| Density | 2,425 per sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Flathead 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 | — | — | 1.4 |
| 2000s | 39 | — | 1.3 |
| 2010s | 27 | -30% | 1.6 |
| 2020s | 33 | +22% | 2.4 |
In the 2000s about 39 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 33. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal large-truck crashes: 2.8 a year in 2016–19, 2.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Kalispell
How many truck accidents are there in Kalispell?
Flathead County has had 379 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 152 people and killing 23.
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in Kalispell?
Since 2015, US-2 has had the most fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Kalispell: 3.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Kalispell?
Truck crashes in Flathead County peak in July, with 11.9% of the year's crashes.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Kalispell?
Garbage trucks were involved in 9 reported crashes in Flathead County since 2015 (2.4% of truck crashes).
How does Kalispell compare with Montana for truck crashes?
The yearly rate is 27.5 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Flathead County, vs 64.3 for Montana.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Kalispell?
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.