NORTHERN POWERLINE CONSTRUCTORS
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 202622 inspections · 32 violations (6 OOS) · 17% of inspections had an OOS finding.
Violations by BASIC
click to filter codes
Top cited codes
score = count × severity weight
- 1393.9A-LSLIWRVehicle Maintenance1 OOS
Lighting - Stop lamps - Both inoperative when required to be on
6
1× · sev 6
- 2393.9A-LHLIVehicle Maintenance
Lighting - Headlamp(s) - Any inoperative
6
1× · sev 6
- 3393.45B2-B-AIRVehicle Maintenance
Air Brake - Hose/tubing damaged or not secured
4
1× · sev 4
- 4393.60C
Windshield - Damaged or Discolored
2
2×
- 5395.8A
HOS (Form) - Paper Log/Logging Programs Form and Manner
2
2×
- 6393.9A-LCLVehicle Maintenance
Lighting - Clearance lamp(s) inoperative
2
1× · sev 2
- 7393.9A-LSMLVehicle Maintenance
Lighting - Side marker lamp(s) inoperative
2
1× · sev 2
- 8392.2WGNot in SMS
State/Local Laws - Excessive Weight Violations
1
1×
- 9393.126C-CIMVehicle Maintenance1 OOS
Intermodal Containers - Improper securement of loaded intermodal containers transported on vehicles other than container chassis vehicle(s)
1
1× · sev 1
- 10392.2-SLLSR
State/Local Laws - State registration/tag violation
1
1×
Most inspected in · top 1 states
- AK30
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 41.7% 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
Speeding violations are the leading contributor to Unsafe Driving
Low impactEstimated Unsafe Driving percentile of 0% is under the 65% line. In decent shape, but here's what's driving it.
- 392.2-SLTFCState/Local Laws - Speeding basic rule/speed too fast for conditions1× · 100%
- 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
Brakes violations are the leading contributor to Vehicle Maintenance
Low impactEstimated Vehicle Maintenance percentile of 37% is under the 80% line. In decent shape, but here's what's driving it.
- 393.43D-BBrake - Missing or inoperable breakaway braking system on a trailer(s) or converter dolly1× · 21%
- 393.43DBMABrake - Breakaway not attached to the towing vehicle1× · 7%
- 393.45B2-B-AIRAir Brake - Hose/tubing damaged or not secured1× · 5%
- 393.9A-LSLIWRLighting - Stop lamps - Both inoperative when required to be on1× · 9%
- 393.9A-LILLighting - Identification lamp(s) inoperative1× · 7%
- 393.9A-LSMLLighting - Side marker lamp(s) inoperative1× · 7%
- 393.75A3-TAOLTires - All others, leaking or inflation less than 50% of the maximum inflation pressure on tire not equipped with ATIS2× · 24%
- 393.126C-CIMIntermodal Containers - Improper securement of loaded intermodal containers transported on vehicles other than container chassis vehicle(s)1× · 11%
- Check brake adjustment and listen for air leaks every pre-trip; put brakes on the PM schedule
- Fix air-loss and warning-light faults before dispatch — don’t “drive it in”
- 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.
- 393.43D-BBrake - Missing or inoperable breakaway braking system on a trailer(s) or converter dolly · OOS
- 393.9A-LILLighting - Identification lamp(s) inoperative
- 393.9A-LSMLLighting - Side marker lamp(s) inoperative
- Check brake adjustment and listen for air leaks every pre-trip
- Fix air-loss and warning-light faults before dispatch; put brakes on the PM schedule
- 395.8A×2HOS (Form) - Paper Log/Logging Programs Form and Manner
- 392.2-SLLSRState/Local Laws - State registration/tag violation
- Log in and annotate the ELD correctly every day; fix edits promptly
- Plan trips around available hours — never falsify a log
- 392.2-SLTFCState/Local Laws - Speeding basic rule/speed too fast for conditions
- Coach speed and following distance — Unsafe Driving points are weighted heavily
- Hands off the phone; always belt up
Based on roadside inspections in the last 90 days, ranked by what recurs most. Informational, not legal advice.
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 NHTSA43 distinct vehicles seen in this carrier’s roadside inspections.
+ 13 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
- Interstate · 100+ mi1 drivers
- Intrastate · 100+ mi24 drivers
- Company officer
- JAMES ZEHNDER
- Operation
- Interstate
- Registered since
- 2007-09-12
- Last MCS-150 update
- 2026-02-13
- Census status
- Active
Fleet: 49 trucks · 9 owned tractors · 12 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 or emails 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
2 events- 02/13/2026MCS-150 update filed
0.1M mi reported (2024)
- 09/12/2007Registered with FMCSA
PRIVATE PROPERTY
Merged from FMCSA authority, insurance, out-of-service, and census records.
Operations
Classification
- PRIVATE PROPERTY
Area served
- Interstate
FMCSA safety rating
- Rating
- Not rated
- Type
- Non-ratable review
- Rated
- —
- Last review
- 2025-02-26
MCS-150 registration
- Form date
- 2026-02-13
- Reported mileage
- 98,000 mi (2024)
Changes on file
FMCSA census historyJanuary, 2021
First on-record entry — NORTHERN POWERLINE CONSTRUCTORS, ,
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