CSA
Authorized · PropertyUSDOT 230887· MC1203739· CARRIER· EIN 46-0357013
⬇ PDF report

STERN

Legal: STERN OIL COMPANY INC

27923 US HIGHWAY 81 PO BOX 218, FREEMAN, SD, 57029-6741(605) 925-7999gino.whitledge@stern.coSCOTT STERN
Vetting snapshot
Authority
Active
operating authority
Insurance
$1M BIPD
Sutton Specialty Insurance Company
Vehicle OOS
26.3%
above 22% national avg
Driver OOS
0%
below 6.7% national avg
Crashes 24mo
2
none fatal
Red flags
None
nothing flagged
96
/ 100

Risk factors

Low riskVioCodes score
2 crashes 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.

Authority & insurance

MC1203739

Operating authority and insurance on file — from FMCSA Licensing & Insurance (L&I).

Common
Active
Contract
None
Broker
None
Authorized for: Property
Liability (BIPD)
$1M on file
$5M required
Cargo
Not on file
not required
Bond / surety
Not on file
not required
Insurance filings
ON FILELiability (BIPD) — BMC-91X$1M coverageeff 09/01/2025
Sutton Specialty Insurance Company· policy ISCNB05000000387-00
ENDED 09/01/2025Liability (BIPD) — BMC-91X$3M coverageeff 09/01/2025
Sutton Specialty Insurance Company· policy ISCNN08000000026-00
ENDED 09/01/2025Liability (BIPD) — BMC-91X$1M coverageeff 02/02/2021
ZURICH AMERICAN INSURANCE COMPANY· policy BAP 2901112
Authority history (1) ▾
03/11/2021MOTOR PROPERTY COMMON CARRIERGRANTED
Insurance history3 insurers on record
Filing timeline (1)
  1. UNDERWRITERS AT LLOYDS LONDON$4MReplaced
    BIPD/Excess · eff 02/02/202109/01/2025

Source: FMCSA Licensing & Insurance (L&I), public data. This shows the carrier’s federal insurance filings (BMC-91X liability, BMC-34 cargo) — the federally-required minimums on file for operating authority — not the carrier’s full commercial policy (its actual auto combined-single-limit, general liability, cargo, or workers’ comp, which appear on the carrier’s ACORD certificate of insurance). Always confirm current coverage with a COI from the carrier’s agent before making a vetting decision.

Roadside inspection performance

Out-of-service rate vs national average. Lower is better.

Vehicle19 inspections · 26.3% OOS · National 22%
Driver38 inspections · 0% OOS · National 6.7%

CSA performance breakdown

FMCSA · Sep 2026

38 inspections · 29 violations (5 OOS) · 13% of inspections had an OOS finding.

38
Inspections
29
Violations
5
OOS violations
10
Distinct codes

Violations by BASIC

click to filter codes

17
total

Most inspected in · top 7 states

  • NE15
  • SD9
  • MO2
  • CO1
  • ND1
  • US1
  • IA1

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.

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 impact

Vehicle OOS rate is 26.3% vs the 22% 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

A high share of violations are occurring in NE

Medium impact

5 of 7 violations in the last 12 months (71%) came from inspections in NE. That can mean tougher enforcement there or simply more of your miles run through it — either way it's worth a look.

What to do
  • Review the inspections from NE to spot recurring issues
  • Brief drivers running that lane; consider rerouting around the toughest enforcement corridors where practical

Controlled Substances/Alcohol needs attention

Low impact

Estimated Controlled Substances/Alcohol percentile of 0% is under the 75% line. In decent shape, but here's what's driving it.

What to do
  • Review recent inspections with violations in this BASIC and take remedial action with drivers/equipment

Tires violations are the leading contributor to Vehicle Maintenance

Low impact

Estimated Vehicle Maintenance percentile of 66% is under the 75% line. In decent shape, but here's what's driving it.

What’s contributing23 violations · 6 OOS (24 mo)
Tires4 OOS4 viol38%
  • 393.75A3-TAOLTires - All others, leaking or inflation less than 50% of the maximum inflation pressure on tire not equipped with ATIS3× · 32%
  • 393.75A3-TAOLTISTires - All others, leaking in tread area and inflation less than 50% of the maximum inflation pressure on tire equipped with ATIS1× · 6%
Brakes1 OOS7 viol25%
  • 396.3A1-BALACBrake - Audible air leak from a brake chamber2× · 8%
  • 393.45A-BHTIJAir Brake - Improperly joined such as a splice made by sliding the hose ends over a piece of tubing and clamping the hose to the tube1× · 8%
  • 393.45D-BAir Brake - Audible air leak at a proper connection2× · 5%
Lighting / lamps1 OOS5 viol16%
  • 393.9A-LFTSILighting - Front - Turn signal - inoperative2× · 8%
  • 393.9A-LSLIWRLighting - Stop lamps - Both inoperative when required to be on1× · 5%
  • 393.11A1-CSLRRConspicuity Systems - Truck tractor, lower rear retro reflective sheeting missing on vehicle manufactured on or after July 1, 19971× · 2%
Inspection / repair / DVIR2 viol10%
  • 396.17C-PIOperating a CMV without documentation of a periodic inspection2× · 10%
What to do
  • Gauge and thump every tire on the walk-around, including inner duals
  • Replace before tread hits the limit; correct low pressure immediately
  • Prioritize the out-of-service items — they carry the heaviest weight
Projected estimatecould improve up to 33 pts in ~12 mo
nowin 12 months
Current trend 50% followed 100% followed 75% line

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.

Trending worse
2
Inspections
4
Violations
1
Out-of-service
1
Clean
Where the violations are
Vehicle Maintenance 50%Other 50%
Focus here first
1Vehicle Maintenance
2 violations · 1 OOS · 50% of recent
  • 393.75A3-TAOLTires - All others, leaking or inflation less than 50% of the maximum inflation pressure on tire not equipped with ATIS · OOS
  • 396.17C-PIOperating a CMV without documentation of a periodic inspection
Do this
  • Gauge/thump every tire on the walk-around, including inner duals
  • Replace before tread hits the limit and correct low pressure immediately
2Other
2 violations · 50% of recent
  • 390.21TC-MC×2Required CMV marking(s) not legible from 50 feet while stationary due to improper size/location/color
Do this
  • Review these violations with drivers and add the fix to your pre-trip and PM routine
Repeat offenders (same code, multiple times)
🎓
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).

62
Inspections
58
Violations
8
Out-of-service
183
CSA points
26
Crashes
6
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

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

17 truck 16 trailer 8 incomplete vehicle 2 other
2018 FREIGHTLINER Cascadiaseen 6×
3AKJGEDV1JSHW5155· PR48394 SD
2017 FREIGHTLINER Cascadiaseen 5×
3AKJGHDV6HSHU8282· PR43049 SD
2008 UTILITY TRAILER MANUFACTURER Utility Trailer Manufacturerseen 5×
1UYVS25398U383117· U161434 SD
2005 INTERNATIONAL 9200iseen 4×
2HSCESBRX5C135936· PR41513 SD
2016 FREIGHTLINER Cascadiaseen 4×
3AKJGHDV2GSGV2633· PR46456 SD
2015 KENWORTH T3 Seriesseen 4×
2NKHLJ9X0FM460592· PR52725 SD
2007 WESTERN STAR 4900seen 4×
5KKHAECV37PY25096· PR38966 SD
2014 FREIGHTLINER Cascadiaseen 3×
3AKJGEDV9ESFJ5653· PR40217 SD
2018 KENWORTH T3 Seriesseen 3×
2NKHHM7X8JM181812· 12919V SD
2010 POLAR TANK TRAILER Polar Tank Trailerseen 3×
1PMA24328A5008611· U154696 SD
2015 FREIGHTLINER M2seen 3×
3ALHCYCY3FDGN6677· PR43663 SD
2014 FREIGHTLINER Cascadiaseen 3×
3AKJGLD61ESFU9079· PR41719 SD
2014 FREIGHTLINER M2seen 2×
1FVHCYCY1EHFS6034· PR43210 SD
2009 INTERNATIONAL SF637seen 2×
1HTWNAZT79J163107· PR36381 SD
2016 POLAR TANK TRAILERseen 2×
1PMA24525G5014744· U125290 SD
FRUEHAUFseen 2×
1H4T04228ML017201· U172328 SD
2015 FREIGHTLINER Cascadiaseen 2×
3AKJGLD55FSGG6927· PR1448 SD
1996 KENWORTH T600seen 2×
1XKAD69X9TJ720010· PR49550 SD
2013 VOLVO TRUCK VNLseen 2×
4V4NC9TG5DN134820· PR39004 SD
2013 POLAR TANK TRAILER Polar Tank Trailerseen 2×
1PMA24324D5012028· U146474 SD
2004 INTERNATIONAL 9200iseen 2×
2HSCEAPR84C016185· PR16846 SD
2004 GREAT DANE TRAILERS Great Dane Trailersseen 2×
1GRAA06224T503954· U188789 SD
2010 POLAR TANK TRAILER Polar Tank Trailer
1PMA24326A6068644· U154696 TN
2013 FREIGHTLINER Cascadia
1FUJGEDV2DSBU6313· PR39375 SD
2005 INTERNATIONAL 9400i
2HSCNSCRX5C148202· PR28483 SD
FRUEHAUF
1H4T04427NL005801· U058512 SD
2016 PETERBILT 348
2NP3LJ9XXGM360473· PR43987 SD
2017 FREIGHTLINER Cascadia
3AKNGLDR8HSGV4508· PR46631 SD
2009 VANGUARD NATIONAL TRAILER CORPORATION (VNTC) VANGUARD NATIONAL TRAILER CORPORATION (VNTC)
5V8VA53299M901612· U154661 SD
1989 GREAT DANE TRAILERS Great Dane Trailers
1GRAP0620KK166251· U146474 SD

+ 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.

Crash record (US, last 24 months)

Total

2

Tow-away

2

Injury

0

Fatal

0

Company profile

FMCSA census

PRIVATE PROPERTY;AUTHORIZED FOR HIRE

Power units
45
on file (MCS-150)
Drivers
33
33 hold a CDL
Annual mileage
2.6M mi
reported 2026
Recordable crash rate
per million miles
How far they run · drivers by operating lane
  • Interstate · 100+ mi33 drivers
Company officer
SCOTT STERN
Operation
Interstate
Registered since
1983-04-28
Last MCS-150 update
2026-09-09
Census status
Active

Fleet: 30 trucks · 20 owned tractors · 14 owned trailers · 1 leased/term tractors.

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 VINs, phone numbers or officers with 3 other carriers — review the connections below as part of your vetting.

3
Connected carriers
1
Fleet-transfer links
1
Most shared VINs
2
Strong links
Strong· 2
1
DAKOTA PROTEIN LOGISTICS LLC
USDOT 4238496Inactive· FREEMAN, SD
Strong
Officer
2
STERN OIL COMPANY
USDOT 3333235Inactive· FREEMAN, SD
Strong
OfficerPhone

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

8 events
  1. 09/09/2026MCS-150 update filed

    2.6M mi reported (2026)

  2. 09/01/2025Insurance filed — Sutton Specialty Insurance Company

    Liability (BIPD) — BMC-91X · policy ISCNB05000000387-00

  3. 09/01/2025Insurance ended — Sutton Specialty Insurance Company

    policy ISCNN08000000026-00

  4. 09/01/2025Insurance ended — ZURICH AMERICAN INSURANCE COMPANY

    policy BAP 2901112

  5. 09/01/2025Insurance replaced — UNDERWRITERS AT LLOYDS LONDON

    BIPD/Excess · policy 1084PSM2100055-300040

  6. 03/11/2021MOTOR PROPERTY COMMON CARRIER — GRANTED
  7. 02/02/2021Insurance filed — ZURICH AMERICAN INSURANCE COMPANY

    Liability (BIPD) — BMC-91X · policy BAP 2901112

  8. 04/28/1983Registered with FMCSA

    PRIVATE PROPERTY;AUTHORIZED FOR HIRE

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

🚛

Operations

Classification

  • PRIVATE PROPERTY;AUTHORIZED FOR HIRE

Area served

  • Interstate

FMCSA safety rating

Rating
Satisfactory
Type
Compliance review
Rated
1996-04-30
Last review
1996-04-23
📄

MCS-150 registration

Form date
2026-09-09
Reported mileage
2,649,310 mi (2026)

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Data sourced from public FMCSA records via safer.fmcsa.dot.gov · Latest FMCSA update: Sep 2026 · Page refreshed: Sep 21, 2026, 5:49 AM. VioCodes is not affiliated with FMCSA. To dispute incorrect data, file a DataQs Request for Data Review.