Montana, WI truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Montana: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Montana and Buffalo County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Buffalo County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
0 of 67 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Buffalo County compares with Wisconsin
Buffalo County against Wisconsin and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Buffalo County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Buffalo County | Wisconsin | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 43.2 | 42.6 | 49.7 | same |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 6.2 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 1.8× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.44 | 0.46 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 0.0% | 2.7% | 2.3% | 100% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 10.9% | 13.4% | 6.2% | 18% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 18.8% | 26.9% | 23.7% | 30% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 14.1% | 16.5% | 13.8% | 15% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 42.2% | 44.9% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 14.1% | 20.9% | 24.8% | 33% below the state |
Buffalo County has lower values than Wisconsin for garbage-truck share, on snow, slush or ice and morning rush (6–10 am). Where it is higher: deaths per 100 crashes.
What stands out in Buffalo County: September worst month: 19.4% of truck crashes, vs 8.3% in an average month.
Overview
Since 2015, 67 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Buffalo County. They injured 29 people and killed 4.
That averages about one truck crash every 63 days in fully reported years.
Montana had 1 reported truck crash since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Buffalo County numbers.
When crashes happen
September has the most truck crashes, 19.4% of the yearly total, while February has the fewest (4.5%).
November through March accounts for 42.2% of truck crashes here, compared with 44.9% in Wisconsin.
By time of day, 11 am–12 pm stands out with 16.4% of truck crashes.
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 10.9% of truck crashes, compared with 13.4% in Wisconsin.
Where crashes happen
Fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Montana since 2015 were spread across roads: SR-93 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Since 2015, no garbage-truck crashes were reported for Buffalo County.
Route planning tips for Montana fleets
- Review driver schedules for September, the month with the most truck crashes.
- 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 Buffalo County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-93 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Buffalo County) |
|---|---|
| Sth 035 | 12 |
| Sth 025 | 10 |
| Sth 037 | 5 |
| Cth D | 3 |
| SR-035 | 3 |
| Ush 010 | 3 |
| Cth U | 2 |
| Parking Lot | 2 |
Montana at a glance
| Population | 274 |
| Land area | 47.2 sq mi |
| Density | 6 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 54747) | $70,820 |
| Median home value (ZIP 54747) | $195,745 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Buffalo 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 | 6 | — | 0.1 |
| 2000s | 6 | -2% | 0.2 |
| 2010s | 7 | +13% | 0.3 |
| 2020s | 5 | -26% | 0.0 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 6 to 5. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. NHTSA counts 0.2 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 0.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Montana
How common are truck crashes in Montana?
67 truck crashes have been reported in Buffalo County since 2015, with 4 deaths and 29 injuries.
When do most truck crashes happen in Montana?
Truck crashes in Buffalo County peak in September, with 19.4% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Montana?
0 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Buffalo County since 2015, 0.0% of all truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Montana compare with Wisconsin?
The yearly rate is 43.2 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Buffalo County, vs 42.6 for Wisconsin.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Montana?
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.