Wells, SD truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Wells: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Wells and Perkins County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Perkins County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
1 of 21 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
No fatal large-truck crashes with a road name recorded here since 2015.
How Perkins County compares with South Dakota
Perkins County against South Dakota and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Perkins County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Perkins County | South Dakota | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 67.4 | 42.0 | 49.7 | 1.6× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 0.0 | 5.2 | 3.4 | 100% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.05 | 0.13 | 0.49 | 62% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 4.8% | 1.6% | 2.3% | 3.0× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 23.8% | 28.6% | 6.2% | 17% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 19.1% | 22.2% | 23.7% | 14% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 23.8% | 17.5% | 13.8% | 1.4× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 47.6% | 48.8% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 14.3% | 22.8% | 24.8% | 37% below the state |
Perkins County has lower values than South Dakota for deaths per 100 crashes, injuries per crash and on snow, slush or ice. It stands out for higher crashes per 100k residents / yr, garbage-truck share and in rain, sleet or snow.
The headline for Perkins County: 1 in 21 of truck crashes here involve garbage trucks: 4.8%, vs 1.6% in South Dakota.
Overview
Since 2015, 21 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Perkins County. They injured 1 people and killed 0.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 191 days.
Wells had 0 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Perkins County numbers.
When crashes happen
September has the most truck crashes, 19.0% of the yearly total, while January has the fewest (0.0%).
November through March accounts for 47.6% of truck crashes here, compared with 48.8% in South Dakota.
More truck crashes happen at 2–3 pm than at any other hour (23.8%).
23.8% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 28.6% across South Dakota.
Where crashes happen
NHTSA lists no located fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Wells since 2015.
Garbage & waste trucks
1 crash involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 4.8% share (South Dakota: 1.6%).
Route planning tips for Wells fleets
- Plan September schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Perkins County.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
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 Perkins 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 (Perkins County) |
|---|---|
| Sd Hwy 73 | 7 |
| Bixby Rd | 4 |
| Sd Hwy 75 | 3 |
| US-12 | 3 |
| Ave | 2 |
| Sd Hwy 20 | 2 |
Wells at a glance
| Population | 22 |
| Land area | 34.9 sq mi |
| Density | 1 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 57649) | $84,500 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Perkins 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 | 5 | — | 0.4 |
| 2000s | 2 | -66% | 0.1 |
| 2010s | 4 | +111% | 0.0 |
| 2020s | 1 | -74% | 0.0 |
In the 1990s about 5 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 1. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Wells
How common are truck crashes in Wells?
Since 2015, 21 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Perkins County (1 injured, 0 killed).
When do most truck crashes happen in Wells?
September has the most truck crashes in Perkins County, 19.0% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Wells?
1 crash involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Perkins County since 2015, 4.8% of all truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Wells compared with South Dakota?
Per 100,000 residents, Perkins County has 67.4 truck crashes a year; South Dakota has 42.0.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Wells?
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.