SMITHIES HOTSHOT SERVICE
Legal: BRENT D SMITH
Risk factors
Moderate 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 202628 inspections · 42 violations (10 OOS) · 17% of inspections had an OOS finding.
Violations by BASIC
click to filter codes
Top cited codes
score = count × severity weight
- 1393.45B2-B-AIRVehicle Maintenance
Air Brake - Hose/tubing damaged or not secured
20
5× · sev 4
- 2393.75A3-TAOLVehicle Maintenance2 OOS
Tires - All others, leaking or inflation less than 50% of the maximum inflation pressure on tire not equipped with ATIS
16
2× · sev 8
- 3396.17C-PIVehicle Maintenance
Operating a CMV without documentation of a periodic inspection
8
2× · sev 4
- 4393.9A-LSLIVehicle Maintenance
Lighting - Stop lamps - Any inoperative.
6
1× · sev 6
- 5395.8F1-HOSMHours-of-Service Compliance
HOS (Manner) - Driver's record of duty status not current to the time shown for last change of duty status. Date and Time:
5
1× · sev 5
- 6393.95F
Emergency Equipment - Stopped vehicle warning devices missing or improper
1
1×
- 7392.2-SLL
State/Local Laws -
1
1×
- 8392.2-SLLEWA3
State/Local Laws - Excessive weight - More than 5000 lbs over on an axle/axle groups
1
1×
- 9392.2WGNot in SMS
State/Local Laws - Excessive Weight Violations
1
1×
- 10395.8A
HOS (Form) - Paper Log/Logging Programs Form and Manner
1
1×
Most inspected in · top 5 states
- ND21
- WY4
- MT3
- NM1
- NE1
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 29.4% 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
A high share of violations are occurring in McKenzie County, ND
Medium impact13 of 16 violations in the last 12 months (81%) came from inspections in McKenzie County, ND. 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 McKenzie County, ND to spot recurring issues
- Brief drivers running that lane; consider rerouting around the toughest enforcement corridors where practical
Driver Fitness needs attention
Low impactEstimated Driver Fitness percentile of 0% is under the 75% 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 75% 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 48% is under the 75% line. In decent shape, but here's what's driving it.
- 393.45B2-B-AIRAir Brake - Hose/tubing damaged or not secured6× · 25%
- 393.43D-BBrake - Missing or inoperable breakaway braking system on a trailer(s) or converter dolly1× · 8%
- 393.55E-BAir Brake - ABS malfunction lamp defective on trailers manufactured on or after March 1, 19981× · 5%
- 393.75A3-TAOLTires - All others, leaking or inflation less than 50% of the maximum inflation pressure on tire not equipped with ATIS3× · 22%
- 393.75A2-TAOBBTires - All others, bump or bulge related to tread or sidewall separation1× · 4%
- 393.100B-CCargo - Cargo not secured to prevent leaking/spilling/blowing/falling from CMV1× · 4%
- 393.130B-CHVEHeavy Vehicles/Equipment - Improper securement of accessory equipment or articulated vehicles1× · 4%
- 393.104B-CCargo - Damaged securement devices/tiedowns1× · 1%
- 393.9A-LSLILighting - Stop lamps - Any inoperative.1× · 5%
- 393.9A-LBLLighting - Backup lamp inoperative1× · 3%
- 393.9A-LSMLLighting - Side marker lamp(s) inoperative1× · 1%
- 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.
- 393.45B2-B-AIR×3Air Brake - Hose/tubing damaged or not secured
- 396.17C-PIOperating a CMV without documentation of a periodic inspection
- 393.104B-CCargo - Damaged securement devices/tiedowns
- 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
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 NHTSA47 distinct vehicles seen in this carrier’s roadside inspections.
+ 17 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 censusAUTHORIZED FOR HIRE
- Interstate · 100+ mi23 drivers
- Intrastate · 100+ mi2 drivers
- Company officer
- BRENT SMITH
- Operation
- Interstate · Hazmat
- Registered since
- 2010-12-23
- Last MCS-150 update
- 2025-10-07
- Census status
- Active
Fleet: 27 trucks · 18 owned tractors · 29 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 graphThis carrier shares VINs or officers with 25 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
7 events- 10/07/2025MCS-150 update filed
1.0M mi reported (2022)
- 07/01/2015Insurance filed — WESTERN NATIONAL MUTUAL INSURANCE CO.
Liability (BIPD) — BMC-91X · policy CID 1078506
- 07/01/2015Insurance replaced — EMPLOYERS MUTUAL CASUALTY CO.
BIPD/Primary · policy 4E4-79-90
- 02/05/2015Insurance cancelled — EMPLOYERS MUTUAL CASUALTY CO.
BIPD/Excess · policy 4J4-79-90
- 01/06/2015Insurance replaced — EMPLOYERS MUTUAL CASUALTY CO.
BIPD/Primary · policy 4E4-79-90
- 02/14/2011MOTOR PROPERTY COMMON CARRIER — GRANTED
- 12/23/2010Registered 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
- 2019-03-19
MCS-150 registration
- Form date
- 2025-10-07
- Reported mileage
- 1,047,660 mi (2022)
Got a violation you want to contest?
Use the free AI-powered DataQs Drafter to generate a polished challenge letter — quotes the relevant 49 CFR, predicts your grant chance.