Shepherd, MT truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Shepherd: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Shepherd 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
No fatal large-truck crashes with a road name recorded here since 2015.
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 |
Compared with Montana, Yellowstone County is lower on crashes per 100k residents / yr, on snow, slush or ice and after dark. It stands out for higher injuries per crash, garbage-truck share and morning rush (6–10 am).
Yellowstone County at a glance: 1 in 45 of truck crashes here involve garbage trucks: 2.2%, vs 0.9% in Montana.
Overview
Since 2015, 668 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Yellowstone County. They injured 245 people and killed 24.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 6 days.
With 0 truck crashes reported in Shepherd since 2015, this page uses Yellowstone County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
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%).
Road surface: 32.5% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Montana: 39.4%).
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, no fatal large-truck crashes with a location were recorded within 10 miles of Shepherd.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 14 crashes, 2.1% of the total, against 0.9% across Montana.
Route planning tips for Shepherd fleets
- Plan February schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Yellowstone County.
- 24.9% of truck crashes happen between 6 and 10 am, above Montana; consider earlier or later starts where possible.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
About the data
Sources: the FMCSA crash file for all reported truck crashes and NHTSA FARS for fatal crashes with a large truck. Every statement here comes straight from those numbers.
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
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 (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 |
Shepherd at a glance
| Land area | 2.2 sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 59079) | $68,047 |
| Median home value (ZIP 59079) | $365,156 |
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 Shepherd
How many truck accidents are there in Shepherd?
Yellowstone County has had 668 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 245 people and killing 24.
When do most truck crashes happen in Shepherd?
Truck crashes in Yellowstone County peak in February, with 14.4% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Shepherd?
Since 2015, Yellowstone County has reported 14 garbage-truck crashes, or 2.1% of its truck crashes.
How does Shepherd compare with Montana for truck crashes?
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 Shepherd?
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.