STEPPS TOWING SERVICES 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 202659 inspections · 46 violations (13 OOS) · 13% of inspections had an OOS finding.
Violations by BASIC
click to filter codes
Top cited codes
score = count × severity weight
- 1393.17B2-LTSDMVehicle Maintenance6 OOS
Lighting - Turn signal - Driveaway - any missing.
36
6× · sev 6
- 2393.17A1-LSLDMWRVehicle Maintenance3 OOS
Lighting - Stop lamps - Driveaway - both missing.
18
3× · sev 6
- 3392.2-SLLTCDUnsafe Driving
State/Local Laws - Failed to obey a traffic control device - Permanent or Temporary - e.g., safety official, signal, sign, light, lane marking, other
15
3× · sev 5
- 4393.128B-CLWVVehicle Maintenance2 OOS
Light Weight Vehicles - Improper securement of automobiles, light trucks, and vans
14
2× · sev 7
- 5393.45D-BVehicle Maintenance
Air Brake - Audible air leak at a proper connection
12
3× · sev 4
- 6393.81-HVehicle Maintenance
Horn - Inoperative or defective
6
2× · sev 3
- 7396.5B-LVehicle Maintenance
Lubrication - Oil or grease leak
6
2× · sev 3
- 8393.9A-LILVehicle Maintenance
Lighting - Identification lamp(s) inoperative
4
2× · sev 2
- 9393.17B1-LDSMLVehicle Maintenance
Lighting - Driveaway, side marker lamp(s) missing on rearmost towed vehicle
4
2× · sev 2
- 10392.9A-DFSLVehicle Maintenance
Driver - Failing to properly secure load
2
2× · sev 1
Most inspected in · top 1 states
- FL30
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.
Vehicle out-of-service rate exceeds the national average
High impactVehicle OOS rate is 27.8% vs the 22% national average. Carriers above the national OOS average draw more enforcement attention (audits, roadside stops) and can see higher insurance premiums.
- Review recent inspections with out-of-service violations and fix the root causes with equipment and drivers
- Run a preventative-maintenance program; periodically inspect tires, brakes and lights
- Reinforce thorough pre-trip and post-trip inspections; retrain where needed
Lighting / lamps violations are the leading contributor to Vehicle Maintenance
Medium impactEstimated Vehicle Maintenance percentile of 76% is close to the 80% intervention line — worth getting ahead of before it crosses.
- 393.17B2-LTSDMLighting - Turn signal - Driveaway - any missing.14× · 23%
- 393.17A1-LSLDMWRLighting - Stop lamps - Driveaway - both missing.7× · 11%
- 393.9A-LBLLighting - Backup lamp inoperative5× · 7%
- 393.45D-BAir Brake - Audible air leak at a proper connection5× · 6%
- 393.53B-BAir Brake - CMV manufactured on or after 10/20/1994 has an automatic airbrake adjustment system that fails to compensate for wear3× · 3%
- 393.47B-BMBCBDDrum Brake - Mismatched brake chamber sizes on the same axle other than a steering axle1× · 1%
- 396.5B-LLubrication - Oil or grease leak4× · 3%
- 396.9D2-FTFFailing to correct the violation(s)/defect(s) noted on the roadside inspection report3× · 3%
- 393.81-HHorn - Inoperative or defective2× · 2%
- 392.8-DDriver - Failed to inspect /use emergency equipment5× · 2%
- 393.95A4-EEUSEmergency Equipment - Fire Extinguishers - unsecured6× · 2%
- 393.95A1Emergency Equipment - Fire Extinguishers - no fire extinguisher present or not properly rated.3× · 1%
- 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
A high share of violations are occurring in Hillsborough County, FL
Medium impact40 of 66 violations in the last 12 months (61%) came from inspections in Hillsborough County, FL. 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 Hillsborough County, FL to spot recurring issues
- Brief drivers running that lane; consider rerouting around the toughest enforcement corridors where practical
Following / lane / reckless violations are the leading contributor to Unsafe Driving
Low impactEstimated Unsafe Driving percentile of 8% is under the 65% line. In decent shape, but here's what's driving it.
- 392.2-SLLTCDState/Local Laws - Failed to obey a traffic control device - Permanent or Temporary - e.g., safety official, signal, sign, light, lane marking, other4× · 87%
- 392.2-SLLLRState/Local Laws - Lane restriction violation1× · 13%
- Defensive-driving refresher on following distance and lane discipline
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
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 NHTSA35 distinct vehicles seen in this carrier’s roadside inspections.
+ 5 more.
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.
Company profile
FMCSA censusPRIVATE PROPERTY
- Intrastate · <100 mi72 drivers
- Company officer
- TODD STEPP
- Operation
- Intrastate (Hazmat) · Hazmat
- Registered since
- 2003-06-12
- Last MCS-150 update
- 2026-03-27
- Census status
- Active
Fleet: 104 trucks.
Source: FMCSA Company Census File (data.transportation.gov). Fleet and driver counts are self-reported on the carrier’s most recent MCS-150 filing.
Connections
carrier graphThis carrier shares officers or emails with 4 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
2 events- 03/27/2026MCS-150 update filed
2.1M mi reported (2025)
- 06/12/2003Registered with FMCSA
PRIVATE PROPERTY
Merged from FMCSA authority, insurance, out-of-service, and census records.
Operations
Classification
- PRIVATE PROPERTY
Area served
- Intrastate (Hazmat)
FMCSA safety rating
- Rating
- Not rated
- Type
- Non-ratable review
- Rated
- —
- Last review
- 2022-05-17
MCS-150 registration
- Form date
- 2026-03-27
- Reported mileage
- 2,057,677 mi (2025)
Changes on file
FMCSA census historyMarch, 2023
- Drivers shrank to 63
November, 2022
- Moved to TAMPA, FL
May, 2022
- Moved to ,
- Fleet grew to 106 power units
- Drivers grew to 104
April, 2021
- Drivers shrank to 55
January, 2021
First on-record entry — STEPPS TOWING SERVICES INC, TAMPA, FL
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