Billings, MT truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Billings: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Billings and Yellowstone County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Yellowstone County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
14 of 668 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Yellowstone County compares with Montana
Yellowstone County against Montana and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Yellowstone County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Yellowstone County | Montana | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 33.4 | 64.3 | 49.7 | 48% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.4 | same |
| Injuries per crash | 0.37 | 0.34 | 0.49 | 1.1× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2.3% | 2.4× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 32.5% | 39.4% | 6.2% | 18% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 24.9% | 22.9% | 23.7% | 1.1× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 20.9% | 20.6% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 53.4% | 54.3% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 26.2% | 30.8% | 24.8% | 15% below the state |
Yellowstone County sits below Montana on crashes per 100k residents / yr, on snow, slush or ice and after dark. Where it is higher: injuries per crash, garbage-truck share and morning rush (6–10 am).
What stands out in Yellowstone County: 1 in 45 garbage-truck share of crashes is 2.2%, against 0.9% for Montana.
Overview
Police reported 668 crashes involving commercial trucks in Yellowstone County since 2015: 245 people were injured and 24 were killed.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 6 days.
Billings had 20 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Yellowstone County numbers.
88% of truck crash reports in Yellowstone County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in February (14.4% of the year) and are lowest in June (5.1%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 53.4% of truck crashes, vs 54.3% for Montana.
More truck crashes happen at 9–10 am than at any other hour (8.4%).
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 32.5% of truck crashes, compared with 39.4% in Montana.
Where crashes happen
Within this area, I-90 had the most fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015 (5). It is followed by SR-3 (3), CR-SOUTH Frontage Road (2) and King Ave (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 14 of the truck crashes here, or 2.1%, compared with 0.9% in Montana.
Route planning tips for Billings fleets
- Plan February schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Yellowstone County.
- Look at alternatives to I-90 at busy times: it leads this area in fatal truck crashes.
- Morning starts matter: 24.9% of truck crashes fall between 6 and 10 am, higher than Montana.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
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 Yellowstone County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 15 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-90 | 5 |
| SR-3 | 3 |
| CR-SOUTH Frontage Road | 2 |
| King Ave | 1 |
| Lake Elmo Dr | 1 |
| Lr-Laurel Road | 1 |
| Lr-South Frontage Road | 1 |
| S 72nd St W | 1 |
| Ssr-416 Blue Creek Rd | 1 |
| US-310 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Yellowstone County) |
|---|---|
| Johnson Ln | 2 |
| Mile 460.4 I-90W | 2 |
| Mm 458.2 I-90 | 2 |
| Mm455.7 I-90E | 2 |
| Mm468.5 I90W | 2 |
| Mm47.7 I-94 | 2 |
| An21317 | 1 |
| Fin6193 | 1 |
Billings at a glance
| Population | 121,483 |
| Land area | 46.1 sq mi |
| Density | 2,638 per sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Yellowstone 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 | — | 1.6 |
| 2000s | 50 | +6956% | 1.4 |
| 2010s | 53 | +5% | 1.6 |
| 2020s | 56 | +6% | 2.6 |
In the 1990s about 1 truck crash a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 56. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. NHTSA counts 1.8 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 2.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Billings
How many truck accidents are there in Billings?
668 truck crashes have been reported in Yellowstone County since 2015, with 24 deaths and 245 injuries.
What is the most dangerous road for trucks in Billings?
NHTSA data shows I-90 with 5 fatal large-truck crashes within 15 miles of Billings since 2015, the highest of any road.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Billings?
Truck crashes in Yellowstone County peak in February, with 14.4% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Billings?
Garbage trucks were involved in 14 reported crashes in Yellowstone County since 2015 (2.1% of truck crashes).
How do truck crashes in Billings compare with Montana?
Yellowstone County records 33.4 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 64.3 across Montana.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Billings?
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.