ALWAYS UNDERGROUND INC
Risk factors
High 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 · 124 violations (29 OOS) · 55% of inspections had an OOS finding.
Violations by BASIC
click to filter codes
Top cited codes
score = count × severity weight
- 1396.17C-PIVehicle Maintenance
Operating a CMV without documentation of a periodic inspection
20
5× · sev 4
- 2393.48A-BIHEVehicle Maintenance
Hydraulic/Electric Brake - Inoperative other than a steering axle.
16
4× · sev 4
- 3393.75A1-TFBMFVehicle Maintenance2 OOS
Tires - Front, belt material/casing ply showing in tread area
16
2× · sev 8
- 4396.9D2-FTFVehicle Maintenance
Failing to correct the violation(s)/defect(s) noted on the roadside inspection report
8
2× · sev 4
- 5393.43DBMAVehicle Maintenance2 OOS
Brake - Breakaway not attached to the towing vehicle
8
2× · sev 4
- 6392.16-DUnsafe Driving
Driver - Failed to use seat belt while operating a CMV
7
1× · sev 7
- 7392.2-SLLTL
State/Local Laws - Misc. traffic law violation
4
4×
- 8392.2-SLLIFTA
State/Local Laws - State tax/International Fuel Tax (IFTA) violation
4
4×
- 9390.21TB2-DOT
Operate a CMV without USDOT number displayed. Must be preceded by the letters USDOT
4
4×
- 10392.2-SLLSR
State/Local Laws - State registration/tag violation
3
3×
Most inspected in · top 5 states
- MI11
- IL9
- IN7
- OH1
- WI1
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.
Driver qualification / CDL / medical violations are the leading contributor to Driver Fitness
High impactEstimated Driver Fitness percentile of 100% 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.
- 383.23A2-LCDLNLicense (CDL) - Operate a CMV and does not possess a valid CDL3× · 56%
- 391.11B5-DNLDriver does not have a valid operator's license for the CMV being operated1× · 22%
- 391.41APCMedical (Certificate) - Operating a property-carrying vehicle without a valid medical certificate in possession or on file with the state drivers licensing agency1× · 10%
- Run a credential-expiration tracker; keep DQ files complete and the medical card on the driver
- Prioritize the out-of-service items — they carry the heaviest weight
Vehicle and driver out-of-service rate exceeds the national average
High impactVehicle OOS rate is 44.4% vs the 22% national average. Driver OOS rate is 27.3% 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.
- 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
Brakes violations are the leading contributor to Vehicle Maintenance
Medium impactEstimated Vehicle Maintenance percentile of 76% is close to the 80% intervention line — worth getting ahead of before it crosses.
- 393.43DBMABrake - Breakaway not attached to the towing vehicle3× · 14%
- 393.48A-BIHEHydraulic/Electric Brake - Inoperative other than a steering axle.4× · 11%
- 393.43D-BBrake - Missing or inoperable breakaway braking system on a trailer(s) or converter dolly1× · 6%
- 393.75A1-TFBMFTires - Front, belt material/casing ply showing in tread area2× · 20%
- 396.17C-PIOperating a CMV without documentation of a periodic inspection6× · 17%
- 393.9A-LHLILighting - Headlamp(s) - Any inoperative1× · 6%
- 393.9A-LBLLighting - Backup lamp inoperative1× · 4%
- 393.9Inoperable Required Lamp2× · 2%
- 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
A high share of violations are occurring in Berrien County, MI
Medium impact26 of 65 violations in the last 12 months (40%) came from inspections in Berrien County, MI. 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 Berrien County, MI to spot recurring issues
- Brief drivers running that lane; consider rerouting around the toughest enforcement corridors where practical
Drugs / alcohol violations are the leading contributor to Controlled Substances/Alcohol
Low impactEstimated Controlled Substances/Alcohol percentile of 62% is under the 80% line. In decent shape, but here's what's driving it.
- 392.4A-DOSUDrugs/Other Substances - Operate a CMV while under the influence or evidence of use within the past 24 hours.1× · 50%
- 392.4A-DOSPDrugs/Other Substances - Operate a CMV while in possession.1× · 50%
- Reinforce the testing program and zero-tolerance policy
- 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.
- 393.75A1-TFBMF×2Tires - Front, belt material/casing ply showing in tread area · OOS
- 396.17C-PI×2Operating a CMV without documentation of a periodic inspection
- 393.9A-LHLILighting - Headlamp(s) - Any inoperative
- Gauge/thump every tire on the walk-around, including inner duals
- Replace before tread hits the limit and correct low pressure immediately
- 392.2-SLLIFTA×2State/Local Laws - State tax/International Fuel Tax (IFTA) violation
- 392.2-LCDLRRestriction - (CDL) - Operate a CMV in violation of a restriction. · OOS
- 390.21TB2-DOTOperate a CMV without USDOT number displayed. Must be preceded by the letters USDOT
- Review these violations with drivers and add the fix to your pre-trip and PM routine
- 392.4A-DOSUDrugs/Other Substances - Operate a CMV while under the influence or evidence of use within the past 24 hours. · OOS
- 392.4A-DOSPDrugs/Other Substances - Operate a CMV while in possession. · OOS
- Reinforce zero tolerance on duty and the testing policy
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 NHTSA42 distinct vehicles seen in this carrier’s roadside inspections.
+ 12 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
3
Tow-away
3
Injury
0
Fatal
0
Company profile
FMCSA censusPRIVATE PROPERTY
- Interstate · <100 mi50 drivers
- Intrastate · <100 mi40 drivers
- Company officer
- DAVID PAULIN
- Operation
- Interstate · Hazmat
- Registered since
- 2016-11-09
- Last MCS-150 update
- 2025-12-10
- Census status
- Active
Fleet: 93 trucks · 3 owned tractors · 2 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 with 2 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- 12/10/2025MCS-150 update filed
0.0M mi reported (2023)
- 11/09/2016Registered 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
- —
- Rated
- —
- Last review
- —
MCS-150 registration
- Form date
- 2025-12-10
- Reported mileage
- 10,000 mi (2023)
Got a violation you want to contest?
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