UNIVERSAL SCRAP METALS INC
Risk factors
Moderate 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 202621 inspections · 92 violations (14 OOS) · 27% of inspections had an OOS finding.
Violations by BASIC
click to filter codes
Top cited codes
score = count × severity weight
- 1392.2-SLLEWA2
State/Local Laws - Excessive weight - 2501-5000 lbs over on an axle/axle groups
7
7×
- 2393.9Vehicle Maintenance
Inoperable Required Lamp
6
3× · sev 2
- 3392.2-SLLEWA1
State/Local Laws - Excessive weight - 1-2500 lbs over on an axle/axle groups
4
4×
- 4393.55C1
Truck Tractor manufactured on or after March 1, 1997 not equipped with an antilock brake system
2
2×
- 5392.2-SLLEWA3
State/Local Laws - Excessive weight - More than 5000 lbs over on an axle/axle groups
2
2×
- 6393.75A32 OOS
Tire-flat and/or audible air leak
2
2×
- 7393.47E
Brake Out of Adjustment - Roto, Clamp (Short & Long), DD-3, or Bolt
2
2×
- 8396.5B
Oil and/or grease leak
1
1×
- 9396.17C
Operating a CMV without proof of a periodic inspection
1
1×
- 10393.45B2
Brake hose or tubing chafing and/or kinking
1
1×
Most inspected in · top 3 states
- IL22
- IN6
- WI2
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.
Lighting / lamps violations are the leading contributor to Vehicle Maintenance
High impactEstimated Vehicle Maintenance percentile of 97% is at/over the 80% intervention line. Carriers with a BASIC in alert are prioritized for enforcement (warning letters, audits) and inspected more often — which tends to generate still more violations.
- 393.45DLUVBrake Connections with Leaks Under Vehicle1× · 13%
- 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 combination1× · 6%
- 393.45B2-B-AIRAir Brake - Hose/tubing damaged or not secured1× · 4%
- 393.75A3-TAOLTires - All others, leaking or inflation less than 50% of the maximum inflation pressure on tire not equipped with ATIS1× · 11%
- 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
Vehicle and driver out-of-service rate exceeds the national average
High impactVehicle OOS rate is 41.7% vs the 22% national average. Driver OOS rate is 15% 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 Lake County, IL
Medium impact18 of 39 violations in the last 12 months (46%) came from inspections in Lake County, IL. 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 Lake County, IL 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 12% 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× · 25%
- 392.2-SLLS3State/Local Laws - Speeding 11-14 miles per hour over the speed limit1× · 18%
- 392.2-SLLS2State/Local Laws - Speeding 6-10 miles per hour over the speed limit1× · 10%
- 392.2-SLLMLState/Local Laws - Failure to maintain lane1× · 25%
- 392.2LVLane Restriction violation1× · 23%
- 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
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.
- 392.2-SLLEWA2×2State/Local Laws - Excessive weight - 2501-5000 lbs over on an axle/axle groups
- 393.75A3Tire-flat and/or audible air leak · OOS
- 392.2-SLLEWA1State/Local Laws - Excessive weight - 1-2500 lbs over on an axle/axle groups
- Look under the truck for shifted axles and broken/leaking suspension parts
- Include suspension in scheduled maintenance
- 392.2LVLane Restriction violation
- Coach speed and following distance — Unsafe Driving points are weighted heavily
- Hands off the phone; always belt up
- 392.2WCWheel (Mud) Flaps missing or defective
- Look for shiny/streaked lug nuts on the walk-around
- Torque wheels after service and re-torque on schedule
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 NHTSA36 distinct vehicles seen in this carrier’s roadside inspections.
+ 6 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
1
Tow-away
1
Injury
0
Fatal
0
Company profile
FMCSA censusPRIVATE PROPERTY
- Interstate · 100+ mi26 drivers
- Company officer
- DENNIS KLEIN
- Operation
- Interstate
- D-U-N-S
- 59453811
- Registered since
- 1995-03-16
- Last MCS-150 update
- 2024-08-06
- Census status
- Active
Fleet: 33 trucks · 29 owned tractors · 336 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 2 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- 08/06/2024MCS-150 update filed
1.0M mi reported (2023)
- 03/16/1995Registered 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
- 2024-08-06
- Reported mileage
- 989,000 mi (2023)
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.