WATKINS TOWING AND RECOVERY LLC
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 202631 inspections · 19 violations (3 OOS) · 10% of inspections had an OOS finding.
Violations by BASIC
click to filter codes
Top cited codes
score = count × severity weight
- 1392.16-DUnsafe Driving
Driver - Failed to use seat belt while operating a CMV
28
4× · sev 7
- 2392.2-SLLS3Unsafe Driving
State/Local Laws - Speeding 11-14 miles per hour over the speed limit
7
1× · sev 7
- 3396.17C-PIVehicle Maintenance
Operating a CMV without documentation of a periodic inspection
4
1× · sev 4
- 4391.41APCDriver Fitness2 OOS
Medical (Certificate) - Operating a property-carrying vehicle without a valid medical certificate in possession or on file with the state drivers licensing agency
2
2× · sev 1
- 5393.95A1Vehicle Maintenance
Emergency Equipment - Fire Extinguishers - no fire extinguisher present or not properly rated.
2
1× · sev 2
- 6392.2-SLLIRP
State/Local Laws - IRP apportioned tag or registration violation
1
1×
- 7393.95F
Emergency Equipment - Stopped vehicle warning devices missing or improper
1
1×
- 8385.325C-OOSO1 OOS
OOS Order - Motor carrier operating a CMV while an existing out-of-service order is in effect: New Entrant - Failure of Safety Audit
1
1×
- 9396.17C
Operating a CMV without proof of a periodic inspection
1
1×
Most inspected in · top 3 states
- GA23
- NC6
- US1
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.
A high share of violations are occurring in GA
Medium impact8 of 9 violations in the last 12 months (89%) came from inspections in GA. 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 GA to spot recurring issues
- Brief drivers running that lane; consider rerouting around the toughest enforcement corridors where practical
Seat belt violations are the leading contributor to Unsafe Driving
Low impactEstimated Unsafe Driving percentile of 36% is under the 65% line. In decent shape, but here's what's driving it.
- 392.2-SLLS3State/Local Laws - Speeding 11-14 miles per hour over the speed limit1× · 8%
- Zero-tolerance belt policy; verify with in-cab camera or spot checks
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
Inspection / repair / DVIR violations are the leading contributor to Vehicle Maintenance
Low impactEstimated Vehicle Maintenance percentile of 7% is under the 80% line. In decent shape, but here's what's driving it.
- 396.17C-PIOperating a CMV without documentation of a periodic inspection1× · 57%
- 393.95A1Emergency Equipment - Fire Extinguishers - no fire extinguisher present or not properly rated.1× · 29%
- Do — and document — a real pre-trip and post-trip DVIR
- Keep the annual inspection current and records in the truck
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 NHTSA20 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.
Crash record (US, last 24 months)
Total
1
Tow-away
1
Injury
0
Fatal
0
Company profile
FMCSA censusAUTHORIZED FOR HIRE
- Interstate · 100+ mi17 drivers
- Interstate · <100 mi4 drivers
- Company officer
- JOHN WATKINS JR.
- Operation
- Interstate · Hazmat
- Registered since
- 2023-02-21
- Last MCS-150 update
- 2026-02-12
- Census status
- Active
Fleet: 25 trucks · 2 owned tractors · 1 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 or officers with 3 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
14 events- 03/01/2026Insurance filed — CENTRAL MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY
Liability (BIPD) — BMC-91X · policy 9622061
- 03/01/2026Insurance replaced — THE CINCINNATI INSURANCE CO.
BIPD/Primary · policy EBA 074 22 20
- 02/12/2026MCS-150 update filed
1.3M mi reported (2025)
- 05/18/2025Insurance cancelled — PROGRESSIVE SOUTHEASTERN INSURANCE COMPANY
BIPD/Primary · policy CA979060606
- 04/14/2025Out-of-service order rescinded
- 04/03/2025Insurance replaced — THE CINCINNATI INSURANCE CO.
BIPD/Primary · policy EBA 074 22 20
- 04/03/2025Insurance replaced — PROGRESSIVE SOUTHEASTERN INSURANCE COMPANY
BIPD/Primary · policy CA979060606
- 03/23/2025Insurance replaced — THE CINCINNATI INSURANCE CO.
BIPD/Primary · policy EBA 074 22 20
- 03/10/2025Federal out-of-service order
New Entrant Revoked - Failure of Safety Audit
- 06/04/2024MOTOR PROPERTY COMMON CARRIER — GRANTED
- 04/21/2024Insurance cancelled — DONEGAL MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY
BIPD/Primary · policy CAS9576280
- 03/30/2023MOTOR PROPERTY COMMON CARRIER — DISMISSED
- 03/23/2023Insurance replaced — DONEGAL MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY
BIPD/Primary · policy CAS9576280
- 02/21/2023Registered with FMCSA
AUTHORIZED FOR HIRE
Merged from FMCSA authority, insurance, out-of-service, and census records.
Operations
Classification
- AUTHORIZED FOR HIRE
Area served
- Interstate
FMCSA safety rating
- Rating
- Not rated
- Type
- Non-ratable review
- Rated
- —
- Last review
- 2026-01-20
MCS-150 registration
- Form date
- 2026-02-12
- Reported mileage
- 1,270,000 mi (2025)
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.