Salado, TX truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Salado: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Salado and Bell County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Bell County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
12.5 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 3.8 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Bell County compares with Texas
Bell County against Texas and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Bell County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Bell County | Texas | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 54.8 | 62.9 | 49.7 | 13% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 3.8 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 7% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.57 | 0.58 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.0% | 1.1% | 2.3% | 9% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 1.7% | 1.7% | 6.2% | same |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 21.9% | 22.6% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 15.3% | 11.3% | 13.8% | 1.4× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 42.3% | 40.8% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 30.4% | 27.0% | 24.8% | 1.1× the state |
Bell County has lower values than Texas for crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and garbage-truck share. It stands out for higher in rain, sleet or snow and after dark.
Salado at a glance: I-35 11 fatal truck crashes since 2015, more than any other road within 10 miles of Salado.
Overview
Police reported 2,599 crashes involving commercial trucks in Bell County since 2015: 1,540 people were injured and 99 were killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 2 days.
Salado had 84 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Bell County numbers.
When crashes happen
The worst month is July with 9.3% of truck crashes; the quietest is December at 7.1%.
November through March accounts for 42.3% of truck crashes here, compared with 40.8% in Texas.
The busiest hour is 1–2 pm, with 6.9% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 1.7% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Texas: 1.7%).
Where crashes happen
The deadliest road for trucks within 10 miles of Salado is I-35, with 11 fatal large-truck crashes since 2015. It is followed by Fm 2484 (3), Fm 2843 (2) and I-14 (2).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 26 of the truck crashes here, or 1.0%, compared with 1.1% in Texas.
Their busiest month is May, with 15% of garbage-truck crashes.
They recorded 12.5 deaths per 100 crashes, against 3.8 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Salado fleets
- Review driver schedules for July, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Look at alternatives to I-35 at busy times: it leads this area in fatal truck crashes.
- Waste haulers: May is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Bell County.
- 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 Bell County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-35 | 11 |
| Fm 2484 | 3 |
| Fm 2843 | 2 |
| I-14 | 2 |
| Fm 93 | 1 |
| Fm 93 Nolan Valley Rd | 1 |
| SR-121 | 1 |
| SR-95 | 1 |
| US-190 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Bell County) |
|---|---|
| I-35 | 103 |
| I-14 | 18 |
| Airport Rd | 18 |
| Chaparral Rd | 15 |
| Wendland Rd | 14 |
| Industrial Blvd | 10 |
| Clear Creek Rd | 10 |
| US-190 | 9 |
Salado at a glance
| Population | 2,483 |
| Land area | 3.1 sq mi |
| Density | 801 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 76571) | $111,863 |
| Median home value (ZIP 76571) | $441,195 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Bell 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 | 109 | — | 2.6 |
| 2000s | 132 | +21% | 4.6 |
| 2010s | 181 | +37% | 3.8 |
| 2020s | 219 | +21% | 7.6 |
In the 1990s about 109 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 219. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 5.0 a year in 2016–19 and 7.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Salado
How many truck accidents are there in Salado?
2,599 truck crashes have been reported in Bell County since 2015, with 99 deaths and 1,540 injuries.
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in Salado?
I-35 had 11 fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Salado since 2015, more than any other road.
When do most truck crashes happen in Salado?
Truck crashes in Bell County peak in July, with 9.3% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Salado?
Since 2015, Bell County has reported 26 garbage-truck crashes, or 1.0% of its truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Salado compared with Texas?
Per 100,000 residents, Bell County has 54.8 truck crashes a year; Texas has 62.9.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Salado?
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.