R & F METALS & BETTER THAN WOOD
Legal: R & F METALS 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 202629 inspections · 29 violations (7 OOS) · 23% of inspections had an OOS finding.
Violations by BASIC
click to filter codes
Top cited codes
score = count × severity weight
- 1393.100B-CVehicle Maintenance1 OOS
Cargo - Cargo not secured to prevent leaking/spilling/blowing/falling from CMV
7
1× · sev 7
- 2393.9A-HLLHVehicle Maintenance
Lighting - Headlamp(s) fail to operate on low and high beam
6
1× · sev 6
- 3392.2-SLLTCDUnsafe Driving
State/Local Laws - Failed to obey a traffic control device - Permanent or Temporary - e.g., safety official, signal, sign, light, lane marking, other
5
1× · sev 5
- 4393.87A-FPLRVehicle Maintenance2 OOS
Flag - Required rear flag - no flag on the rear of a projecting load - when load is longer than 4 feet.
2
2× · sev 1
- 5393.95A4-EEUSVehicle Maintenance
Emergency Equipment - Fire Extinguishers - unsecured
2
1× · sev 2
- 6393.9A-LSMLVehicle Maintenance
Lighting - Side marker lamp(s) inoperative
2
1× · sev 2
- 7393.205C-WRAWFLMIBVehicle Maintenance
Wheel/Rim - Any wheel fasteners loose/missing/ineffective/broken.
2
1× · sev 2
- 8392.2-SLLTL
State/Local Laws - Misc. traffic law violation
1
1×
- 9393.60C
Windshield - Damaged or Discolored
1
1×
- 10392.2-SLLEQP
State/Local Laws - Violation of state and local law - Equipment violation.
1
1×
Most inspected in · top 3 states
- MD27
- VA2
- WV1
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 out-of-service rate exceeds the national average
High impactDriver OOS rate is 6.9% 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
A high share of violations are occurring in Montgomery County, MD
Medium impact6 of 10 violations in the last 12 months (60%) came from inspections in Montgomery County, MD. 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 Montgomery County, MD 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 32% is under the 65% line. In decent shape, but here's what's driving it.
- 392.2-SLLS4State/Local Laws - Speeding 15 or more miles per hour over the speed limit1× · 67%
- 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× · 33%
- 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
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
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
Load securement violations are the leading contributor to Vehicle Maintenance
Low impactEstimated Vehicle Maintenance percentile of 20% is under the 80% line. In decent shape, but here's what's driving it.
- 393.100B-CCargo - Cargo not secured to prevent leaking/spilling/blowing/falling from CMV2× · 27%
- 393.87A-FPLRFlag - Required rear flag - no flag on the rear of a projecting load - when load is longer than 4 feet.3× · 12%
- 393.9A-HLLHLighting - Headlamp(s) fail to operate on low and high beam1× · 12%
- 393.9A-LRLILighting - Tail lamp - Any inoperative1× · 6%
- 393.9A-LHLILighting - Headlamp(s) - Any inoperative1× · 6%
- 396.17C-PIOperating a CMV without documentation of a periodic inspection1× · 12%
- Carry extra straps/chains and know the working-load-limit math; re-check in the first 50 miles
- 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.
- 396.17C-PIOperating a CMV without documentation of a periodic inspection
- Do — and document — a real pre-trip and post-trip DVIR
- Keep the annual inspection current and records in the truck
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 NHTSA27 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
- Interstate · <100 mi28 drivers
- Company officer
- HEATHER LATHAM
- Operation
- Interstate
- D-U-N-S
- 82351198
- Registered since
- 1990-03-14
- Last MCS-150 update
- 2025-08-04
- Census status
- Active
Fleet: 26 trucks · 3 owned tractors · 7 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 phone numbers, 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- 08/04/2025MCS-150 update filed
0.7M mi reported (2024)
- 03/14/1990Registered 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
- Satisfactory
- Type
- Non-ratable review
- Rated
- 1992-06-18
- Last review
- 2012-04-19
MCS-150 registration
- Form date
- 2025-08-04
- Reported mileage
- 705,818 mi (2024)
Got a violation you want to contest?
Use the free AI-powered DataQs Drafter to generate a polished challenge letter — quotes the relevant 49 CFR, predicts your grant chance.