South Wenatchee, WA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in South Wenatchee: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in South Wenatchee and Chelan County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Chelan County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
3 of 230 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Chelan County compares with Washington
Chelan County against Washington and the US, 2015–2023 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Chelan County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2023) | Chelan County | Washington | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 26.3 | 25.8 | 49.7 | same |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 1.6 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 53% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.16 | 0.18 | 0.49 | 11% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.6% | 2.2% | 2.3% | 29% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 38.5% | 9.7% | 6.2% | 4.0× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 31.2% | 24.8% | 23.7% | 1.3× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 26.6% | 20.2% | 13.8% | 1.3× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 57.8% | 43.8% | 41.9% | 1.3× the state |
| After dark | 25.5% | 25.2% | 24.8% | same |
Chelan County has lower values than Washington for deaths per 100 crashes, injuries per crash and garbage-truck share. It stands out for higher on snow, slush or ice, morning rush (6–10 am) and in rain, sleet or snow.
The headline for Chelan County: 38.5% on snowy, slushy or icy roads, against 9.7% across Washington.
Overview
Since 2015, 230 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Chelan County. They injured 39 people and killed 3.
That averages about one truck crash every 17 days in fully reported years.
Only 0 truck crashes were reported in South Wenatchee since 2015; patterns below come from Chelan County as a whole.
When crashes happen
January has the most truck crashes, 14.3% of the yearly total, while April has the fewest (2.6%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 57.8% of truck crashes, against 43.8% across Washington.
More truck crashes happen at 11 am–12 pm than at any other hour (11.7%).
38.5% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 9.7% across Washington.
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of South Wenatchee happened on SR-28 (1) and Skyline Dr (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 3 of the truck crashes here, or 1.3%, compared with 2.2% in Washington.
Route planning tips for South Wenatchee fleets
- Review driver schedules for January, the month with the most truck crashes.
- The morning rush (6–10 am) holds 31.2% of truck crashes here, more than Washington; adjust start times where you can.
- Icy and snowy roads show up in 38.5% of truck crashes here, more than Washington; schedule winter checks early.
- Use the free Route Planner to score your route and spot low bridges before drivers head out.
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.
Reporting was incomplete in 2024 and 2025, so those years are greyed out and left out of rates and comparisons.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Chelan County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-28 | 1 |
| Skyline Dr | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Chelan County) |
|---|---|
| Sr-97*176.00 | 6 |
| Sr-2*110.00 | 4 |
| Sr-97*164.00 | 4 |
| Sr-2 Mp 096.20 | 3 |
| Sr-2*077.00 | 3 |
| Sr-2*115.00 | 3 |
| Sr-97*165.00 | 3 |
| Sr-97*170.00 | 3 |
South Wenatchee at a glance
| Land area | 1.2 sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Chelan 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 | 16 | — | 0.9 |
| 2000s | 16 | +1% | 1.0 |
| 2010s | 19 | +17% | 0.3 |
| 2020s | 21 | +12% | 0.6 |
In the 1990s about 16 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 21. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. NHTSA counts 0.2 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 0.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about South Wenatchee
How many truck crashes happen in South Wenatchee?
Chelan County has had 230 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 39 people and killing 3.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in South Wenatchee?
The worst month is January: 14.3% of truck crashes in Chelan County happen then.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in South Wenatchee?
Garbage trucks were involved in 3 reported crashes in Chelan County since 2015 (1.3% of truck crashes).
What is the truck crash rate in South Wenatchee compared with Washington?
Per 100,000 residents, Chelan County has 26.3 truck crashes a year; Washington has 25.8.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in South Wenatchee?
Paste your stops into the free CurbWaste Route Planner: it scores your route against fatal-crash locations, suggests safer alternatives and flags low bridges.
Crash reporting to FMCSA was incomplete in 2024 and 2025; those years are greyed out and left out of rates. 2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.