MORTON'S TOWING & RECOVERY INC
Risk factors
Low riskVioCodes scoreA weighted read of the public FMCSA signals below — authority, insurance, out-of-service, crashes, roadside OOS rates, and carrier connections. A starting point for vetting, not a guarantee.
Roadside inspection performance
Out-of-service rate vs national average. Lower is better.
CSA performance breakdown
FMCSA · Sep 202693 inspections · 18 violations (7 OOS) · 7% of inspections had an OOS finding.
Violations by BASIC
click to filter codes
Top cited codes
score = count × severity weight
- 1393.11A1-LTSMVehicle Maintenance2 OOS
Lighting - Turn signal - Any missing on the rearmost vehicle.
12
2× · sev 6
- 2392.2-SLLS3Unsafe Driving
State/Local Laws - Speeding 11-14 miles per hour over the speed limit
7
1× · sev 7
- 3393.9A-LFTSIVehicle Maintenance
Lighting - Front - Turn signal - inoperative
6
1× · sev 6
- 4393.17B2-LDILVehicle Maintenance
Lighting - Driveaway, identification lamp(s) missing on rear of the rearmost towed vehicle
6
1× · sev 6
- 5393.53B-BVehicle Maintenance
Air Brake - CMV manufactured on or after 10/20/1994 has an automatic airbrake adjustment system that fails to compensate for wear
4
1× · sev 4
- 6393.55D1-BVehicle Maintenance
Air Brake - ABS malfunction lamp defective on truck-tractor manufactured on or after March 1, 1997 and each single unit CMV on or after 1998.
4
1× · sev 4
- 7393.9A-LSMLVehicle Maintenance
Lighting - Side marker lamp(s) inoperative
2
1× · sev 2
- 8393.9A-LLPLVehicle Maintenance
Lighting - License plate lamp inoperative
2
1× · sev 2
- 9393.17B2-LDCLVehicle Maintenance
Lighting - Driveaway, clearance lamp(s) missing on rear of rearmost towed vehicle
2
1× · sev 2
- 10393.47E
Brake Out of Adjustment - Roto, Clamp (Short & Long), DD-3, or Bolt
1
1×
Most inspected in · top 1 states
- MD30
Latest FMCSA SMS snapshot. Codes link to the lookup — severity weighting, contest angles, and the DataQs Drafter for each. Click a BASIC to filter the codes.
Safety trends & next-run projection
Where each BASIC sits today, how it ranks against peers, and where it’s heading at the next monthly SMS run.
FMCSA keeps the Crash Indicator percentile private, and its measure needs a power-unit history public data doesn’t expose — so it can’t be estimated yet. VioCodes now records power units monthly, so a calibrated Crash estimate should light up over time. These are the public crash facts (all state-reportable crashes count, regardless of fault).
“Projected” estimates the next monthly SMS run from inspections on record now. FMCSA marks the BASIC percentile itself “Not Public,” so the percentile shown is a VioCodes estimate of how the carrier ranks against its peers, presented as a likely range (shaded on the gauge) and calibrated against real carriers. Crash Indicator has no public estimate — FMCSA keeps its measures fully private. Estimates, not official FMCSA figures. Not affiliated with FMCSA.
Recommendations
What’s driving each score, what to do about it, and where it could go.
A high share of violations are occurring in Montgomery County, MD
Medium impact13 of 14 violations in the last 12 months (93%) came from inspections in Montgomery County, MD. That can mean tougher enforcement there or simply more of your miles run through it — either way it's worth a look.
- Review the inspections from Montgomery County, MD to spot recurring issues
- Brief drivers running that lane; consider rerouting around the toughest enforcement corridors where practical
Speeding violations are the leading contributor to Unsafe Driving
Low impactEstimated Unsafe Driving percentile of 18% is under the 65% line. In decent shape, but here's what's driving it.
- 392.2-SLLS3State/Local Laws - Speeding 11-14 miles per hour over the speed limit1× · 64%
- 392.2-SLLTCDState/Local Laws - Failed to obey a traffic control device - Permanent or Temporary - e.g., safety official, signal, sign, light, lane marking, other1× · 23%
- 392.2-SLLLRState/Local Laws - Lane restriction violation1× · 14%
- Coach the drivers with speeding violations directly — Unsafe Driving points are weighted heavily
- Set and enforce a governed road speed; review telematics/dashcam speed events weekly
Hours-of-Service Compliance needs attention
Low impactEstimated Hours-of-Service Compliance percentile of 0% is under the 65% line. In decent shape, but here's what's driving it.
- Review recent inspections with violations in this BASIC and take remedial action with drivers/equipment
Driver Fitness needs attention
Low impactEstimated Driver Fitness percentile of 0% is under the 80% line. In decent shape, but here's what's driving it.
- Review recent inspections with violations in this BASIC and take remedial action with drivers/equipment
Controlled Substances/Alcohol needs attention
Low impactEstimated Controlled Substances/Alcohol percentile of 0% is under the 80% line. In decent shape, but here's what's driving it.
- Review recent inspections with violations in this BASIC and take remedial action with drivers/equipment
Lighting / lamps violations are the leading contributor to Vehicle Maintenance
Low impactEstimated Vehicle Maintenance percentile of 17% is under the 80% line. In decent shape, but here's what's driving it.
- 393.11A1-LTSMLighting - Turn signal - Any missing on the rearmost vehicle.2× · 21%
- 393.17B2-LTSDMLighting - Turn signal - Driveaway - any missing.1× · 16%
- 393.17A1-LSLDMWRLighting - Stop lamps - Driveaway - both missing.1× · 10%
- 393.55D1-BAir Brake - ABS malfunction lamp defective on truck-tractor manufactured on or after March 1, 1997 and each single unit CMV on or after 1998.1× · 5%
- 393.53B-BAir Brake - CMV manufactured on or after 10/20/1994 has an automatic airbrake adjustment system that fails to compensate for wear1× · 5%
- 393.55D2-BAir Brake - ABS malfunction lamp defective on truck-tractor manufactured on or after March 1, 2001 for towed vehicle.1× · 3%
- 393.71H10-CDDSDMCoupling - Driveaway, safety devices missing1× · 6%
- Walk the lights every pre-trip and carry spare bulbs/fuses; clean lenses and check the trailer plug
- Prioritize the out-of-service items — they carry the heaviest weight
Recommendations are generated from the carrier’s public FMCSA roadside-inspection record. Percentiles and projections are VioCodes estimates, not official FMCSA figures. Informational, not legal advice.
90-day safety improvement plan
What this carrier has struggled with most in the last 90 days — where to focus now.
Inspection & crash map
live · FMCSA MCMISEvery inspection and crash on record — hover a point for the summary, click for full detail (codes, severity, CSA points).
CSA points = violation severity weight × FMCSA time weight (3× in the last 6 months, 2× at 6–12, 1× at 12–24). Points are spread within each state — FMCSA records the inspection state, not an exact location. Source: FMCSA MCMIS.
Equipment
VINs via NHTSA25 distinct vehicles seen in this carrier’s roadside inspections.
Equipment is inferred from VINs recorded on roadside inspections (FMCSA MCMIS), decoded via the NHTSA vPIC API — it reflects vehicles inspected, not a current fleet roster.
Crash record (US, last 24 months)
Total
2
Tow-away
1
Injury
1
Fatal
0
Company profile
FMCSA censusAUTHORIZED FOR HIRE
- Interstate · 100+ mi6 drivers
- Company officer
- DAVID EDWARD MORTON
- Operation
- Interstate · Hazmat
- Registered since
- 2002-10-21
- Last MCS-150 update
- 2026-02-19
- Census status
- Active
Fleet: 26 trucks · 1 owned tractors · 2 owned trailers.
Source: FMCSA Company Census File (data.transportation.gov). Fleet and driver counts are self-reported on the carrier’s most recent MCS-150 filing.
Data change history
Every FMCSA record change we’ve detected — address, fleet size, contacts, MCS-150 — newest first.
Connections
carrier graphThis carrier shares VINs with 3 other carriers — review the connections below as part of your vetting.
Shared VINs come from FMCSA roadside-inspection records — a vehicle inspected under more than one carrier, often a fleet transfer or trailer interchange. Other links come from the FMCSA census. Shared identifiers are common and often legitimate — treat these as leads to investigate, not proof of wrongdoing.
Activity history
13 events- 02/19/2026MCS-150 update filed
0.6M mi reported (2025)
- 11/15/2020Insurance cancelled — THE PENINSULA INSURANCE COMPANY
CARGO · policy CPM8950409
- 11/12/2020Insurance filed — THE PENINSULA INSURANCE COMPANY
Liability (BIPD) — BMC-91X · policy GPM9250689
- 11/12/2020Insurance cancelled — THE PENINSULA INSURANCE COMPANY
BIPD/Primary · policy GPM9250689
- 11/08/2020Insurance cancelled — THE PENINSULA INSURANCE COMPANY
BIPD/Primary · policy GPM8950409
- 10/13/2020COMMON — INVOLUNTARY REVOCATION
DISCONTINUED REVOCATION (10/21/2020)
- 10/04/2020Insurance filed — THE PENINSULA INSURANCE COMPANY
Cargo — BMC-34 · policy CPM9250689
- 10/04/2020Insurance replaced — THE PENINSULA INSURANCE COMPANY
BIPD/Primary · policy GPM8950409
- 10/04/2019Insurance cancelled — THE PENINSULA INSURANCE COMPANY
BIPD/Primary · policy GPM8950409
- 09/09/2019COMMON — INVOLUNTARY REVOCATION
DISCONTINUED REVOCATION (10/02/2019)
- 10/04/2016Insurance replaced — GENERAL INSURANCE COMPANY OF AMERICA
BIPD/Primary · policy 24 CC 313702 20
- 04/13/2016MOTOR PROPERTY COMMON CARRIER — GRANTED
- 10/21/2002Registered with FMCSA
AUTHORIZED FOR HIRE
Merged from FMCSA authority, insurance, out-of-service, and census records.
Operations
Classification
- AUTHORIZED FOR HIRE
Area served
- Interstate
FMCSA safety rating
- Rating
- Not rated
- Type
- Non-ratable review
- Rated
- —
- Last review
- 2022-02-01
MCS-150 registration
- Form date
- 2026-02-19
- Reported mileage
- 585,090 mi (2025)
Changes on file
FMCSA census historyOctober, 2024
- Drivers shrank to 6
January, 2022
- Fleet grew to 27 power units
January, 2021
First on-record entry — MORTON'S TOWING & RECOVERY INC, CLARKSBURG, MD
Got a violation you want to contest?
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