MICHELS UTILITY SERVICES INC
Risk factors
Low 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 202627 inspections · 28 violations (5 OOS) · 17% of inspections had an OOS finding.
Violations by BASIC
click to filter codes
Top cited codes
score = count × severity weight
- 1393.75A3-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
- 2392.2-SLLS2Unsafe Driving
State/Local Laws - Speeding 6-10 miles per hour over the speed limit
12
3× · sev 4
- 3393.130B-CHVEVehicle Maintenance1 OOS
Heavy Vehicles/Equipment - Improper securement of accessory equipment or articulated vehicles
7
1× · sev 7
- 4393.45B2-B-AIRVehicle Maintenance
Air Brake - Hose/tubing damaged or not secured
4
1× · sev 4
- 5396.3A1-BALACVehicle Maintenance
Brake - Audible air leak from a brake chamber
4
1× · sev 4
- 6393.43DBMAVehicle Maintenance1 OOS
Brake - Breakaway not attached to the towing vehicle
4
1× · sev 4
- 7392.2-SLL
State/Local Laws -
2
2×
- 8392.2-SLLEWA2
State/Local Laws - Excessive weight - 2501-5000 lbs over on an axle/axle groups
1
1×
- 9392.2-SLLEWA1
State/Local Laws - Excessive weight - 1-2500 lbs over on an axle/axle groups
1
1×
- 10395.24Hours-of-Service Compliance
HOS (ELD) - ELD Form and Manner
1
1× · sev 1
Most inspected in · top 7 states
- MN18
- IA6
- WA2
- MT1
- WI1
- MI1
- KS1
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 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
A high share of violations are occurring in MN
Medium impact12 of 15 violations in the last 12 months (80%) came from inspections in MN. 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 MN to spot recurring issues
- Brief drivers running that lane; consider rerouting around the toughest enforcement corridors where practical
Speeding violations are the leading contributor to Unsafe Driving
Low impactEstimated Unsafe Driving percentile of 2% is under the 60% line. In decent shape, but here's what's driving it.
- 392.2-SLLS2State/Local Laws - Speeding 6-10 miles per hour over the speed limit5× · 63%
- 392.2-SLLS3State/Local Laws - Speeding 11-14 miles per hour over the speed limit2× · 25%
- 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
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
Tires violations are the leading contributor to Vehicle Maintenance
Low impactEstimated Vehicle Maintenance percentile of 44% is under the 75% line. In decent shape, but here's what's driving it.
- 393.75A3-TAOLTires - All others, leaking or inflation less than 50% of the maximum inflation pressure on tire not equipped with ATIS2× · 49%
- 393.43DBMABrake - Breakaway not attached to the towing vehicle1× · 17%
- 393.45B2-B-AIRAir Brake - Hose/tubing damaged or not secured1× · 8%
- 396.3A1-BALACBrake - Audible air leak from a brake chamber1× · 8%
- 393.130B-CHVEHeavy Vehicles/Equipment - Improper securement of accessory equipment or articulated vehicles1× · 17%
- 393.112-CCargo - Tiedown not adjustable1× · 1%
- 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
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.
- 393.75A3-TAOLTires - All others, leaking or inflation less than 50% of the maximum inflation pressure on tire not equipped with ATIS · OOS
- 393.43DBMABrake - Breakaway not attached to the towing vehicle · OOS
- Gauge/thump every tire on the walk-around, including inner duals
- Replace before tread hits the limit and correct low pressure immediately
- 392.2-SLLS2State/Local Laws - Speeding 6-10 miles per hour over the speed limit
- Coach speed and following distance — Unsafe Driving points are weighted heavily
- Hands off the phone; always belt up
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 NHTSA55 distinct vehicles seen in this carrier’s roadside inspections.
+ 25 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
4
Tow-away
3
Injury
1
Fatal
0
Company profile
FMCSA censusPRIVATE PROPERTY
- Interstate · 100+ mi544 drivers
- Intrastate · 100+ mi23 drivers
- Company officer
- KELLY BENIKE
- Operation
- Interstate · Hazmat
- Registered since
- 2020-09-22
- Last MCS-150 update
- 2026-01-06
- Census status
- Active
Fleet: 499 trucks · 2 owned tractors · 318 owned trailers · 13 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 graphThis carrier shares VINs, addresses, phone numbers, officers or emails with 15 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- 01/06/2026MCS-150 update filed
7.0M mi reported (2025)
- 09/22/2020Registered 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
- 2026-01-06
- Reported mileage
- 7,023,781 mi (2025)
Got a violation you want to contest?
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