JAMES SMITH LLC
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 202616 inspections · 23 violations (2 OOS) · 11% of inspections had an OOS finding.
Violations by BASIC
click to filter codes
Top cited codes
score = count × severity weight
- 1383.95A-LCDLDriver Fitness1 OOS
Restriction - (CDL) - Operate a CMV in violation of a restriction
8
1× · sev 8
- 2393.9A-HLLHVehicle Maintenance
Lighting - Headlamp(s) fail to operate on low and high beam
6
1× · sev 6
- 3393.9A-LILVehicle Maintenance
Lighting - Identification lamp(s) inoperative
4
2× · sev 2
- 4392.2-SLLIFTA
State/Local Laws - State tax/International Fuel Tax (IFTA) violation
2
2×
- 5392.2-SLLEWA2
State/Local Laws - Excessive weight - 2501-5000 lbs over on an axle/axle groups
2
2×
- 6392.2Not in SMS
Violation of Local Laws - Explain
1
1×
- 7393.60D
Windshield / Windows - Tinting permits less than 70% of light transmittance
1
1×
- 8392.9BA-NOREGINTER
Operating a commercial motor vehicle with no USDOT number when required.
1
1×
- 9393.95F
Emergency Equipment - Stopped vehicle warning devices missing or improper
1
1×
- 10392.2-SLLUCR
State/Local Laws - Failure to pay UCR fee
1
1×
Most inspected in · top 3 states
- KY15
- WV2
- IN1
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 Clark County, IN
Medium impact7 of 22 violations in the last 12 months (32%) came from inspections in Clark County, IN. 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 Clark County, IN to spot recurring issues
- Brief drivers running that lane; consider rerouting around the toughest enforcement corridors where practical
Unsafe Driving needs attention
Low impactEstimated Unsafe Driving 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
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
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.
- 393.9A-LRLILighting - Tail lamp - Any inoperative
- 393.9A-LILLighting - Identification lamp(s) inoperative
- 393.11A1-LILLighting - Identification lamp(s) missing
- Walk the lights every pre-trip and carry spare bulbs/fuses
- Clean lenses and check the trailer plug for corrosion
- 392.2-SLLEWA2State/Local Laws - Excessive weight - 2501-5000 lbs over on an axle/axle groups
- 392.2-SLLIFTAState/Local Laws - State tax/International Fuel Tax (IFTA) violation
- Look under the truck for shifted axles and broken/leaking suspension parts
- Include suspension in scheduled maintenance
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 NHTSA10 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+ mi8 drivers
- Company officer
- JAMES S SMITH
- Operation
- Interstate
- Registered since
- 2024-04-05
- Last MCS-150 update
- 2026-09-02
- Census status
- Active
Fleet: 9 trucks · 1 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, addresses, phone numbers or officers with 7 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- 09/02/2026MCS-150 update filed
0.5M mi reported (2026)
- 04/05/2024Registered 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
- —
- Rated
- —
- Last review
- —
MCS-150 registration
- Form date
- 2026-09-02
- Reported mileage
- 519,846 mi (2026)
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.