CSA
UnknownUSDOT 1926247· CARRIER· EIN 20-8959657
⬇ PDF report

BETTER YARDS LANDSCAPING INC

2404 W HOUGHTON LAKE DR, HOUGHTON LAKE, MI, 48629(989) 620-4272JOSEPH WAGNER
Vetting snapshot
Authority
Unknown
per SAFER
Insurance
No active filing
not required
Vehicle OOS
no inspections
Driver OOS
no inspections
Crashes 24mo
1
none fatal
Red flags
1 flag
see details below
78
/ 100

Risk factors

Moderate riskVioCodes score
Possible reincarnation pattern — tied to an older inactive carrier1 crash in the last 24 months

A 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.

Vehicle0 inspections · 0% OOS · National 22%
Driver0 inspections · 0% OOS · National 6.7%

Recommendations

What’s driving each score, what to do about it, and where it could go.

Vehicle and driver out-of-service rate exceeds the national average

High impact

Vehicle OOS rate is 100% vs the 22% national average. Driver OOS rate is 100% vs the 6.7% national average. Carriers above the national OOS average draw more enforcement attention (audits, roadside stops) and can see higher insurance premiums.

What to do
  • 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

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.

1
Inspections
6
Violations
2
Out-of-service
0
Clean
Where the violations are
Other 50%Vehicle Maintenance 33%Driver Fitness 17%
Focus here first
1Other
3 violations · 50% of recent
  • 392.2-SLLDLState/Local Laws - Misc. driver's license violation
  • 392.2-SLLSRState/Local Laws - State registration/tag violation
  • 390.19B2-BIENNIALMotor Carrier failed to file biennial FMCSA registration update as required
Do this
  • Track CDL, medical card, and endorsement expirations ahead of time
  • Keep the DQ file complete and the medical card on the driver
2Vehicle Maintenance
2 violations · 1 OOS · 33% of recent
  • 393.100B-CCargo - Cargo not secured to prevent leaking/spilling/blowing/falling from CMV · OOS
  • 392.2-SLLMFState/Local Laws - Wheel (mud) flaps missing or defective
Do this
  • Carry extra straps/chains and know the working-load-limit math
  • Re-check securement in the first 50 miles and at every stop
3Driver Fitness
1 violation · 1 OOS · 17% of recent
  • 391.41APCMedical (Certificate) - Operating a property-carrying vehicle without a valid medical certificate in possession or on file with the state drivers licensing agency · OOS
Do this
  • Track CDL, medical card, and endorsement expirations ahead of time
  • Keep the DQ file complete and the medical card on the driver
🎓
Turn these into driver coaching — and prove it
FleetTrained (my companion project) makes branded, multilingual training videos for these exact violations — your driver watches and gets a completion certificate for the file.

Based on roadside inspections in the last 90 days, ranked by what recurs most. Informational, not legal advice.

Inspection & crash map

live · FMCSA MCMIS

Every inspection and crash on record — hover a point for the summary, click for full detail (codes, severity, CSA points).

6
Inspections
24
Violations
6
Out-of-service
103
CSA points
1
Crashes
1
States
cleanviolOOS

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 NHTSA

8 distinct vehicles seen in this carrier’s roadside inspections.

3 truck 3 trailer 2 incomplete vehicle
2021 FORD F-450seen 2×
1FDTF4HN9MED09733· BC81523 MI
2014 GMC Sierra
1GT02ZCG8EF162423· EEW3549 MI
2019 H & H TRAILERS H & H Trailers
5JWUT162XKN517944· E143583 MI
2002 INTERNATIONAL MA025
1HTMMAAN52H515346· BB40443 MI
2017 FORD F-250
1FT7X2B61HED28002· DF06254 MI
2008 AMERICAN MANUFACTURING OPERATIONS American Manufacturing Operations
1A9UT18A681668407· B867394 MI
2017 FORD F-250
1FTBF2B68HEC15998· DF30750 MI
2006 MORITZ INTERNATIONAL Moritz International
4WXFF162361013507· D622500 MI

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

1

Tow-away

1

Injury

1

Fatal

0

Company profile

FMCSA census

PRIVATE PROPERTY

Power units
3
on file (MCS-150)
Drivers
3
3 hold a CDL
Annual mileage
0.1M mi
reported 2008
Recordable crash rate
per million miles
How far they run · drivers by operating lane
  • Intrastate · <100 mi3 drivers
Company officer
JOSEPH WAGNER
Operation
Intrastate (Non-Hazmat)
Registered since
2009-08-14
Last MCS-150 update
2009-08-14
Census status
Active

Fleet: 3 trucks · 4 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.

Connections

carrier graph

This carrier shares addresses or officers with 9 other carriers — review the connections below as part of your vetting.

9
Connected carriers
0
Fleet-transfer links
0
Most shared VINs
8
Strong links
Possible reincarnation pattern: J W COMMERCIAL FISHING INC (USDOT 1340039, registered 2005) is inactive, shares this carrier’s officer, and predates it — worth checking whether this carrier re-registered to shed a prior record.
Strong· 8
1
AMERIBLASTS LLC
USDOT 3536298Active· BRISTOL, PA
Strong
Officer
2
COPPER CANE LLC
USDOT 2620937Active· ST HELENA, CA
Strong
Officer
3
J W COMMERCIAL FISHING INC
USDOT 1340039Inactive· OCEAN VIEW, NJ
Strong
Officer
4
JOE'S TOWING INC
USDOT 800178Active· CHESTERTON, IN
Strong
Officer
5
JOSEPH WAGNER
USDOT 1233852Inactive· GIBSONBURG, OH
Strong
Officer
6
JOSEPH WAGNER
USDOT 1722993Active· MILFORD, MI
Strong
Officer
7
MAXX TRANSPORT LLC
USDOT 4172434Active· THORNTON, CO
Strong
Officer
8
WAGZ TRUCKING LLC
USDOT 2075282Inactive· LEVITTOWN, PA
Strong
Officer
Medium· 1
NORTHWOODS RESTORATION
USDOT 1929466Active· HOUGHTON LAKE, MI
Medium
MailingAddress

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
  1. 08/14/2009Registered with FMCSA

    PRIVATE PROPERTY

  2. 08/14/2009MCS-150 update filed

    0.1M mi reported (2008)

Merged from FMCSA authority, insurance, out-of-service, and census records.

🚛

Operations

Classification

  • PRIVATE PROPERTY

Area served

  • Intrastate (Non-Hazmat)

FMCSA safety rating

Rating
Not rated
Type
Rated
Last review
📄

MCS-150 registration

Form date
2009-08-14
Reported mileage
75,000 mi (2008)
📜

Changes on file

FMCSA census history
  1. January, 2021

    First on-record entry — BETTER YARDS LANDSCAPING INC, ,

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Data sourced from public FMCSA records via safer.fmcsa.dot.gov · Latest FMCSA update: Sep 2026 · Page refreshed: Sep 24, 2026, 5:45 AM. VioCodes is not affiliated with FMCSA. To dispute incorrect data, file a DataQs Request for Data Review.