West Yellowstone, MT truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in West Yellowstone: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in West Yellowstone and Gallatin County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Gallatin County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
20 of 838 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
No fatal large-truck crashes with a road name recorded here since 2015.
How Gallatin County compares with Montana
Gallatin County against Montana and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Gallatin County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Gallatin County | Montana | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 57.3 | 64.3 | 49.7 | 11% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 3.2 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 16% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.32 | 0.34 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2.3% | 2.4× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 42.2% | 39.4% | 6.2% | 1.1× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 21.2% | 22.9% | 23.7% | 7% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 22.1% | 20.6% | 13.8% | 1.1× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 49.4% | 54.3% | 41.9% | 9% below the state |
| After dark | 28.1% | 30.8% | 24.8% | 9% below the state |
Gallatin County has lower values than Montana for crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and morning rush (6–10 am). It stands out for higher garbage-truck share, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow.
Gallatin County at a glance: 1 in 44 garbage-truck share of crashes is 2.2%, against 0.9% for Montana.
Overview
Gallatin County has recorded 838 truck crashes since 2015, with 263 people injured and 26 killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 5 days.
With 0 truck crashes reported in West Yellowstone since 2015, this page uses Gallatin County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
90% of truck crash reports in Gallatin County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
The worst month is February with 11.5% of truck crashes; the quietest is July at 5.7%.
The five winter months (November to March) hold 49.4% of truck crashes, against 54.3% across Montana.
More truck crashes happen at 10–11 am than at any other hour (8.6%).
42.2% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 39.4% across Montana.
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, no fatal large-truck crashes with a location were recorded within 10 miles of West Yellowstone.
Garbage & waste trucks
20 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 2.4% share (Montana: 0.9%).
Their busiest month is December, with 20% of garbage-truck crashes.
Route planning tips for West Yellowstone fleets
- Plan February schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Gallatin County.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at December schedules: garbage-truck crashes peak then.
- Icy and snowy roads show up in 42.2% of truck crashes here, more than Montana; schedule winter checks early.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
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 Gallatin 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 (Gallatin County) |
|---|---|
| Mm5.9 Mt85 | 3 |
| Cameron Bridge Rd | 2 |
| I-90 | 2 |
| Mm313.9 I90E | 2 |
| Mm316.0 I90 | 2 |
| Mt85 (Jackrabbit Lane) | 2 |
| 63.8 Us-191 | 1 |
| E Main St | 1 |
West Yellowstone at a glance
| Population | 1,202 |
| Land area | 0.9 sq mi |
| Density | 1,324 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 59758) | $66,375 |
| Median home value (ZIP 59758) | $586,051 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Gallatin 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 | — | 1.7 |
| 2000s | 44 | +13010% | 2.5 |
| 2010s | 44 | +2% | 1.1 |
| 2020s | 81 | +83% | 3.0 |
In the 2000s about 44 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 81. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 1.8 a year in 2016–19 and 3.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about West Yellowstone
How many truck crashes happen in West Yellowstone?
838 truck crashes have been reported in Gallatin County since 2015, with 26 deaths and 263 injuries.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in West Yellowstone?
February has the most truck crashes in Gallatin County, 11.5% of the yearly total.
Are garbage truck crashes common in West Yellowstone?
Since 2015, Gallatin County has reported 20 garbage-truck crashes, or 2.4% of its truck crashes.
How does West Yellowstone compare with Montana for truck crashes?
The yearly rate is 57.3 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Gallatin County, vs 64.3 for Montana.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in West Yellowstone?
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.