CAROLINA TREE CARE INC
Legal: LEWIS TREE SERVICE 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 2026100 inspections · 44 violations (13 OOS) · 30% of inspections had an OOS finding.
Violations by BASIC
click to filter codes
Top cited codes
score = count × severity weight
- 1393.9A-LTSIVehicle Maintenance4 OOS
Lighting - Turn signal - Any inoperative on the rearmost vehicle.
24
4× · sev 6
- 2393.9A-LSLIVehicle Maintenance
Lighting - Stop lamps - Any inoperative.
18
3× · sev 6
- 3393.9A-LHWSVehicle Maintenance
Lighting - Hazard warning signal(s) inoperative
18
3× · sev 6
- 4393.43DBMAVehicle Maintenance2 OOS
Brake - Breakaway not attached to the towing vehicle
8
2× · sev 4
- 5393.48A
Inoperative/defective brakes
4
4×
- 6392.2-SLLTL
State/Local Laws - Misc. traffic law violation
2
2×
- 7393.9Vehicle Maintenance
Inoperable Required Lamp
2
1× · sev 2
- 8383.23A21 OOS
Operating a CMV without a CDL
1
1×
- 9393.43D1 OOS
No or defective automatic trailer brake
1
1×
- 10396.3A1BOSVehicle Maintenance2 OOS
BRAKES OUT OF SERVICE: The number of defective brakes is equal to or greater than 20 percent of the service brakes on the vehicle or combination
0
2× · sev 0
Most inspected in · top 8 states
- NY8
- MD3
- CT3
- SC2
- NC2
- MI2
- GA2
- FL2
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 28.4% 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
Driver qualification / CDL / medical violations are the leading contributor to Driver Fitness
Medium impactEstimated Driver Fitness percentile of 72% is close to the 75% intervention line — worth getting ahead of before it crosses.
- 383.95A-LCDLRestriction - (CDL) - Operate a CMV in violation of a restriction1× · 51%
- 391.11B5-LNCDLNVELicense - Endorsement - Operate a CMV without proper endorsement1× · 41%
- 391.41A-MCPVIMedical (Certificate) - Operating a passenger-carrying vehicle without a valid medical certificate in possession or on file with the state drivers licensing agenc1× · 8%
- 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
A high share of violations are occurring in Ellis County, TX
Medium impact10 of 49 violations in the last 12 months (20%) came from inspections in Ellis County, TX. 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 Ellis County, TX to spot recurring issues
- Brief drivers running that lane; consider rerouting around the toughest enforcement corridors where practical
Following / lane / reckless violations are the leading contributor to Unsafe Driving
Low impactEstimated Unsafe Driving percentile of 0% is under the 60% line. In decent shape, but here's what's driving it.
- 392.2-SLLTCDState/Local Laws - Failed to obey a traffic control device - Permanent or Temporary - e.g., safety official, signal, sign, light, lane marking, other2× · 31%
- 392.2-SLLITState/Local Laws - Improper turns1× · 16%
- 392.2-SLLLRState/Local Laws - Lane restriction violation1× · 9%
- 392.16B-CPASSCo-Driver - Failed to use seat belt while riding in a property-carrying CMV.2× · 44%
- Defensive-driving refresher on following distance and lane discipline
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
Lighting / lamps violations are the leading contributor to Vehicle Maintenance
Low impactEstimated Vehicle Maintenance percentile of 64% is under the 75% line. In decent shape, but here's what's driving it.
- 393.9A-LTSILighting - Turn signal - Any inoperative on the rearmost vehicle.7× · 22%
- 393.9A-LSLILighting - Stop lamps - Any inoperative.6× · 13%
- 393.9A-LHWSLighting - Hazard warning signal(s) inoperative3× · 10%
- 393.43DBMABrake - Breakaway not attached to the towing vehicle2× · 6%
- 396.3A1BOSBRAKES OUT OF SERVICE: The number of defective brakes is equal to or greater than 20 percent of the service brakes on the vehicle or combination4× · 3%
- 396.3A1E-PNCNBBrakes - Electric brakes on trailer inoperative due to electrical cable unplugged1× · 3%
- 396.3A1-HCMHubs - Bearing cap, plug or filler plug missing or broken1× · 3%
- 393.205C-WRAWFLMIBWheel/Rim - Any wheel fasteners loose/missing/ineffective/broken.1× · 1%
- 392.2-SLLMFState/Local Laws - Wheel (mud) flaps missing or defective1× · 0%
- 396.17C-PIOperating a CMV without documentation of a periodic inspection3× · 3%
- 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
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.
- 393.11A1-LSLMLighting - Stop lamps - Any missing.
- 393.9A-LTSILighting - Turn signal - Any inoperative on the rearmost vehicle. · OOS
- Walk the lights every pre-trip and carry spare bulbs/fuses
- Clean lenses and check the trailer plug for corrosion
- 392.2-SLLTLState/Local Laws - Misc. traffic law violation
- Review these violations with drivers and add the fix to your pre-trip and PM routine
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 NHTSA84 distinct vehicles seen in this carrier’s roadside inspections.
+ 54 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
30
Tow-away
30
Injury
8
Fatal
4
Company profile
FMCSA censusPRIVATE PROPERTY
- Interstate · 100+ mi1,762 drivers
- Interstate · <100 mi351 drivers
- Intrastate · 100+ mi115 drivers
- Intrastate · <100 mi122 drivers
- Company officer
- CHAD FAY
- Operation
- Interstate · Hazmat
- D-U-N-S
- 67921775
- Registered since
- 1988-08-08
- Last MCS-150 update
- 2025-01-29
- Census status
- Active
Fleet: 2,525 trucks · 3 owned tractors · 882 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 officers or emails with 1 other carrier — 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- 01/29/2025MCS-150 update filed
28.5M mi reported (2022)
- 08/08/1988Registered 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
- Conditional
- Type
- Non-ratable review
- Rated
- 2015-02-09
- Last review
- 2023-04-05
MCS-150 registration
- Form date
- 2025-01-29
- Reported mileage
- 28,500,000 mi (2022)
Got a violation you want to contest?
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