Vale, OR truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Vale: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Vale and Malheur County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Malheur County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
3 of 657 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Malheur County compares with Oregon
Malheur County against Oregon and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Malheur County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Malheur County | Oregon | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 173.9 | 41.0 | 49.7 | 4.2× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 4.2 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 1.1× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.33 | 0.35 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 0.5% | 2.0% | 2.3% | 76% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 16.7% | 13.3% | 6.2% | 1.3× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 22.8% | 24.2% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 10.2% | 18.8% | 13.8% | 46% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 41.9% | 45.1% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 37.1% | 25.3% | 24.8% | 1.5× the state |
Malheur County has lower values than Oregon for garbage-truck share and in rain, sleet or snow. It stands out for higher crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and on snow, slush or ice.
What stands out in Malheur County: 1 in 204 garbage-truck share of crashes is 0.5%, against 2.0% for Oregon.
Overview
Since 2015, 657 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Malheur County. They injured 216 people and killed 27.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 6 days.
Vale had 8 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Malheur County numbers.
When crashes happen
The worst month is January with 10.8% of truck crashes; the quietest is April at 5.6%.
The five winter months (November to March) hold 41.9% of truck crashes, against 45.1% across Oregon.
More truck crashes happen at 6–7 am than at any other hour (6.2%).
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 16.7% of truck crashes, compared with 13.3% in Oregon.
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Vale happened on US-20 (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 3 of the truck crashes here, or 0.5%, compared with 2.0% in Oregon.
Route planning tips for Vale fleets
- Review driver schedules for January, the month with the most truck crashes.
- With 16.7% of truck crashes on snow, slush or ice (above Oregon), plan winter equipment checks early.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
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 Malheur County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-20 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Malheur County) |
|---|---|
| Hwy 95 1.02 S Danner Loop Rd | 6 |
| I-84 .84 W Hwy 30 Exit | 5 |
| Hwy 95 1.08 S Sheaville Rd | 4 |
| Hwy 95 4.02 S Old Ion Hwy | 4 |
| E Idaho Ave & Ne 4Th St | 3 |
| Hwy 20 .34 W Harper Dam Rd | 3 |
| Hwy 201 & Nw 4Th Ave | 3 |
| Hwy 201 & Sw 18Th Ave | 3 |
Vale at a glance
| Population | 2,057 |
| Land area | 1.2 sq mi |
| Density | 1,755 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 97918) | $63,342 |
| Median home value (ZIP 97918) | $277,816 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Malheur 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 | 17 | — | 1.5 |
| 2000s | 30 | +74% | 0.9 |
| 2010s | 44 | +47% | 1.3 |
| 2020s | 62 | +40% | 2.2 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 17 to 62. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. Fatal large-truck crashes: 1.5 a year in 2016–19, 2.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Vale
How common are truck crashes in Vale?
Since 2015, 657 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Malheur County (216 injured, 27 killed).
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Vale?
Truck crashes in Malheur County peak in January, with 10.8% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Vale?
3 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Malheur County since 2015, 0.5% of all truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Vale compared with Oregon?
The yearly rate is 173.9 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Malheur County, vs 41.0 for Oregon.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Vale?
Use the free Route Planner: enter your stops to get a risk score, safer alternatives and the low bridges on your route.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.