JAMES DOWNS LLC
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 202620 inspections · 54 violations (2 OOS) · 8% of inspections had an OOS finding.
Violations by BASIC
click to filter codes
Top cited codes
score = count × severity weight
- 1392.2-SLLS2Unsafe Driving
State/Local Laws - Speeding 6-10 miles per hour over the speed limit
12
3× · sev 4
- 2393.9TVehicle Maintenance
Inoperable tail lamp
12
2× · sev 6
- 3393.75A3-TAOLVehicle Maintenance1 OOS
Tires - All others, leaking or inflation less than 50% of the maximum inflation pressure on tire not equipped with ATIS
8
1× · sev 8
- 4393.9HVehicle Maintenance
Inoperable head lamps
6
1× · sev 6
- 5393.9TSVehicle Maintenance
Inoperative turn signal
6
1× · sev 6
- 6393.9A-LSLIVehicle Maintenance
Lighting - Stop lamps - Any inoperative.
6
1× · sev 6
- 7392.2RGNot in SMS
State vehicle registration or License Plate violation
2
2×
- 8393.9A-LTSIR
Lighting - Turn signal -Any inoperative on a unit that is not the rearmost unit
2
2×
- 9396.17C
Operating a CMV without proof of a periodic inspection
2
2×
- 10393.9Vehicle Maintenance
Inoperable Required Lamp
2
1× · sev 2
Most inspected in · top 4 states
- IA19
- MO5
- NE1
- AR1
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.
Speeding violations are the leading contributor to Unsafe Driving
High impactEstimated Unsafe Driving percentile of 78% is at/over the 65% intervention line. Carriers with a BASIC in alert are prioritized for enforcement (warning letters, audits) and inspected more often — which tends to generate still more violations.
- 392.2-SLLS2State/Local Laws - Speeding 6-10 miles per hour over the speed limit8× · 79%
- 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
Lighting / lamps violations are the leading contributor to Vehicle Maintenance
High impactEstimated Vehicle Maintenance percentile of 92% is at/over the 80% intervention line. Carriers with a BASIC in alert are prioritized for enforcement (warning letters, audits) and inspected more often — which tends to generate still more violations.
- 393.9TInoperable tail lamp2× · 33%
- 393.9A-LSLILighting - Stop lamps - Any inoperative.1× · 17%
- 393.9A-LRLILighting - Tail lamp - Any inoperative1× · 17%
- 393.75A3-TAOLTires - All others, leaking or inflation less than 50% of the maximum inflation pressure on tire not equipped with ATIS1× · 14%
- 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
Vehicle out-of-service rate exceeds the national average
High impactVehicle OOS rate is 33.3% vs the 22% national average. Carriers above the national OOS average draw more enforcement attention (audits, roadside stops) and can see higher insurance premiums.
- 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
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 NHTSA16 distinct vehicles seen in this carrier’s roadside inspections.
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;AUTHORIZED FOR HIRE;EXEMPT FOR HIRE
- Interstate · 100+ mi6 drivers
- Company officer
- JAMES DOWNS
- Operation
- Interstate
- Registered since
- 2015-05-06
- Last MCS-150 update
- 2025-06-10
- Census status
- Active
Fleet: 9 trucks · 9 owned tractors · 9 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, addresses or officers with 46 other carriers — review the connections below as part of your vetting.
This carrier’s phone is shared by many carriers (likely a dispatch/registration service), so phone links are omitted. 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
17 events- 06/10/2025MCS-150 update filed
0.7M mi reported (2024)
- 12/11/2023Insurance cancelled — GREAT WEST CASUALTY CO.
BIPD/Primary · policy MCP77199A
- 11/04/2023Insurance filed — SHELTER GENERAL INSURANCE COMPANY
Liability (BIPD) — BMC-91X · policy 01-C-11135308
- 11/04/2023Insurance replaced — GREAT WEST CASUALTY CO.
BIPD/Primary · policy MCP77199A
- 09/08/2022MOTOR PROPERTY COMMON CARRIER — REINSTATED
- 10/16/2021Insurance cancelled — CANAL INSURANCE CO.
BIPD/Primary · policy 83984001
- 03/26/2021Insurance replaced — GRINNELL MUTUAL REINSURANCE CO.
BIPD/Primary · policy 0000841523
- 11/30/2017MOTOR PROPERTY COMMON CARRIER — REINSTATED
REVOKED (09/28/2021)
- 08/13/2017Insurance cancelled — AUTO OWNERS INSURANCE COMPANY
BIPD/Primary · policy 51-187131-00
- 05/02/2017Insurance cancelled — NATIONAL INDEMNITY COMPANY
BIPD/Primary · policy 70TRS064921
- 04/05/2017COMMON — INVOLUNTARY REVOCATION
DISCONTINUED REVOCATION (05/03/2017)
- 11/02/2016Insurance cancelled — NATIONAL INDEMNITY COMPANY
BIPD/Primary · policy 70TRS064921
- 10/06/2016COMMON — INVOLUNTARY REVOCATION
DISCONTINUED REVOCATION (11/07/2016)
- 06/04/2016Insurance cancelled — HALLMARK INSURANCE COMPANY
BIPD/Primary · policy A24700087
- 05/09/2016COMMON — INVOLUNTARY REVOCATION
DISCONTINUED REVOCATION (06/07/2016)
- 06/11/2015MOTOR PROPERTY COMMON CARRIER — GRANTED
REVOKED (08/21/2017)
- 05/06/2015Registered with FMCSA
PRIVATE PROPERTY;AUTHORIZED FOR HIRE;EXEMPT FOR HIRE
Merged from FMCSA authority, insurance, out-of-service, and census records.
Operations
Classification
- PRIVATE PROPERTY;AUTHORIZED FOR HIRE;EXEMPT FOR HIRE
Area served
- Interstate
FMCSA safety rating
- Rating
- Not rated
- Type
- Non-ratable review
- Rated
- —
- Last review
- 2025-05-07
MCS-150 registration
- Form date
- 2025-06-10
- Reported mileage
- 670,000 mi (2024)
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