CSA
Authorized · PropertyUSDOT 687044· MC1778095· CARRIER· EIN 10327414
⬇ PDF report

WILLIAM T GARDNER & SONS INC

16 ACCESS RD, CHESTER, ME, 04457(207) 794-2303accounts.payable@gardcos.comTHOMAS GARDNER
Vetting snapshot
Authority
Active
operating authority
Insurance
$750K BIPD
FIREMEN'S INSURANCE CO. OF WASHINGTON DC
Vehicle OOS
40.5%
above 22% national avg
Driver OOS
0%
below 6.7% national avg
Crashes 24mo
3
none fatal
Red flags
None
nothing flagged
69
/ 100

Risk factors

Moderate riskVioCodes score
Vehicle OOS 40.5% — well above the 22% national average3 crashes in the last 24 months

A 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.

Authority & insurance

MC1778095

Operating authority and insurance on file — from FMCSA Licensing & Insurance (L&I).

Common
Active
Contract
None
Broker
None
Authorized for: Property
Liability (BIPD)
$750K on file
$750K required
Cargo
Not on file
not required
Bond / surety
Not on file
not required
Insurance filings
ON FILELiability (BIPD) — BMC-91X$750K coverageeff 11/18/2025
FIREMEN'S INSURANCE CO. OF WASHINGTON DC· policy CAA 0364211
Authority history (1) ▾
12/11/2025MOTOR PROPERTY COMMON CARRIERGRANTED

Source: FMCSA Licensing & Insurance (L&I), public data. This shows the carrier’s federal insurance filings (BMC-91X liability, BMC-34 cargo) — the federally-required minimums on file for operating authority — not the carrier’s full commercial policy (its actual auto combined-single-limit, general liability, cargo, or workers’ comp, which appear on the carrier’s ACORD certificate of insurance). Always confirm current coverage with a COI from the carrier’s agent before making a vetting decision.

Roadside inspection performance

Out-of-service rate vs national average. Lower is better.

Vehicle37 inspections · 40.5% OOS · National 22%
Driver60 inspections · 0% OOS · National 6.7%

CSA performance breakdown

FMCSA · Sep 2026

60 inspections · 37 violations (9 OOS) · 23% of inspections had an OOS finding.

60
Inspections
37
Violations
9
OOS violations
10
Distinct codes

Violations by BASIC

click to filter codes

20
total

Most inspected in · top 1 states

  • ME30

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.

Recommendations

What’s driving each score, what to do about it, and where it could go.

Brakes violations are the leading contributor to Vehicle Maintenance

High impact

Estimated Vehicle Maintenance percentile of 84% is at/over the 75% 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.

What’s contributing52 violations · 17 OOS (24 mo)
Brakes6 OOS24 viol43%
  • 393.45B2-BHTDAir Brake - Hose/tubing damage into the outer reinforcement ply.3× · 10%
  • 393.48A-BIBDDrum Brake - Inoperative other than a steering axle4× · 9%
  • 393.45B2-B-AIRAir Brake - Hose/tubing damaged or not secured6× · 9%
Tires10 OOS13 viol38%
  • 393.75A3-TAOLTires - All others, leaking or inflation less than 50% of the maximum inflation pressure on tire not equipped with ATIS10× · 29%
  • 393.75C-TAOTD-LT2/32Tires - Less than 2/32 inch tread depth2× · 7%
  • 393.75A1-TEPBMTires - All others - Exposed ply or belt material in tread or sidewall area1× · 2%
Lighting / lamps10 viol13%
  • 393.9A-LRLILighting - Tail lamp - Any inoperative2× · 4%
  • 393.9A-LTSILighting - Turn signal - Any inoperative on the rearmost vehicle.1× · 2%
  • 393.9A-LBLLighting - Backup lamp inoperative2× · 2%
Inspection / repair / DVIR3 viol4%
  • 396.17C-PIOperating a CMV without documentation of a periodic inspection3× · 4%
What to do
  • Check brake adjustment and listen for air leaks every pre-trip; put brakes on the PM schedule
  • Fix air-loss and warning-light faults before dispatch — don’t “drive it in”
  • Prioritize the out-of-service items — they carry the heaviest weight
Projected estimatecould improve up to 51 pts in ~12 mo
nowin 12 months
Current trend 50% followed 100% followed 75% line

Vehicle out-of-service rate exceeds the national average

High impact

Vehicle OOS rate is 40.5% vs the 22% national average. Carriers above the national OOS average draw more enforcement attention (audits, roadside stops) and can see higher insurance premiums.

What to do
  • 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 Penobscot County, ME

Medium impact

28 of 38 violations in the last 12 months (74%) came from inspections in Penobscot County, ME. That can mean tougher enforcement there or simply more of your miles run through it — either way it's worth a look.

What to do
  • Review the inspections from Penobscot County, ME 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 impact

Estimated Unsafe Driving percentile of 13% is under the 60% line. In decent shape, but here's what's driving it.

What’s contributing6 violations (24 mo)
Speeding4 viol82%
  • 392.2-SLLS4State/Local Laws - Speeding 15 or more miles per hour over the speed limit1× · 44%
  • 392.2-SLLS3State/Local Laws - Speeding 11-14 miles per hour over the speed limit2× · 21%
  • 392.2-SLLS2State/Local Laws - Speeding 6-10 miles per hour over the speed limit1× · 18%
Seat belt1 viol10%
  • 392.16ADDriver - Failed to use seat belt while operating a CMV.1× · 10%
Other1 viol7%
  • 392.71A-DDriver - Using or equipping a CMV with a radar detector1× · 7%
What to do
  • 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
Projected estimatecould improve up to 10 pts in ~12 mo
nowin 12 months
Current trend 50% followed 100% followed 60% line

Hours-of-Service Compliance needs attention

Low impact

Estimated Hours-of-Service Compliance percentile of 0% is under the 60% line. In decent shape, but here's what's driving it.

What to do
  • Review recent inspections with violations in this BASIC and take remedial action with drivers/equipment

Driver Fitness needs attention

Low impact

Estimated Driver Fitness percentile of 0% is under the 75% line. In decent shape, but here's what's driving it.

What to do
  • Review recent inspections with violations in this BASIC and take remedial action with drivers/equipment

Controlled Substances/Alcohol needs attention

Low impact

Estimated Controlled Substances/Alcohol percentile of 0% is under the 75% line. In decent shape, but here's what's driving it.

What to do
  • 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.

Holding steady
13
Inspections
17
Violations
3
Out-of-service
9
Clean
Where the violations are
Vehicle Maintenance 71%Other 24%Unsafe Driving 6%
Focus here first
1Vehicle Maintenance
12 violations · 2 OOS · 71% of recent
  • 393.48A-BIBD×4Drum Brake - Inoperative other than a steering axle
  • 393.45B2-B-AIR×3Air Brake - Hose/tubing damaged or not secured
  • 393.75A3-TAOLTires - All others, leaking or inflation less than 50% of the maximum inflation pressure on tire not equipped with ATIS · OOS
Do this
  • Check brake adjustment and listen for air leaks every pre-trip
  • Fix air-loss and warning-light faults before dispatch; put brakes on the PM schedule
2Other
4 violations · 1 OOS · 24% of recent
  • 392.2-SLLEWG3State/Local Laws - Excessive weight - More than 5000 lbs over on allowable gross weight
  • 396.3A1-BOSBrake - Defective brake(s) are equal to or greater than 20% of the service brakes on the vehicle/combination · OOS
  • 393.95FEmergency Equipment - Stopped vehicle warning devices missing or improper
Do this
  • Review these violations with drivers and add the fix to your pre-trip and PM routine
3Unsafe Driving
1 violation · 6% of recent
  • 392.2-SLLS2State/Local Laws - Speeding 6-10 miles per hour over the speed limit
Do this
  • Coach speed and following distance — Unsafe Driving points are weighted heavily
  • Hands off the phone; always belt up
Repeat offenders (same code, multiple times)
🎓
Turn these into driver coaching — and prove it
FleetTrained (my companion project) makes branded, multilingual training videos for these exact violations — your driver watches and gets a completion certificate for the file.

Based on roadside inspections in the last 90 days, ranked by what recurs most. Informational, not legal advice.

Inspection & crash map

live · FMCSA MCMIS

Every inspection and crash on record — hover a point for the summary, click for full detail (codes, severity, CSA points).

94
Inspections
112
Violations
19
Out-of-service
572
CSA points
38
Crashes
1
States
cleanviolOOS

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 NHTSA

54 distinct vehicles seen in this carrier’s roadside inspections.

26 trailer 16 truck 12 incomplete vehicle
1993 KENWORTH K100seen 5×
1XK1D40X2PJ268697· 864005 ME
2014 MANAC Manac Trailerseen 5×
2M5331467E1141165· B971496 ME
2019 KENWORTH W9 Seriesseen 5×
1XKWDP0X8KJ255081· 862675 ME
2024 MANAC Manac Trailerseen 5×
2M5331469R1221623· C336107 ME
2020 PETERBILT 389seen 4×
1XPXDP0X4LD637249· 862672 ME
2019 MANAC Manac Trailerseen 4×
2M5331465K1184365· B852771 ME
2017 WESTERN STAR 4900seen 4×
5KKXAF000HPJF4946· 862839 ME
2017 MANAC Manac Trailerseen 4×
2M5331466H1165364· C290247 ME
2023 PETERBILT 389seen 4×
1XPXD40XXPD856866· 868357 ME
2016 MANAC Manac Trailerseen 4×
2M5331461G1155856· B789972 ME
KENWORTH W9 Seriesseen 3×
1NKWGGGG40J413422· 864725 ME
2018 WESTERN STAR 4900seen 3×
5KKXAF00XJPJP5877· 864724 ME
2028 MANAC Manac Trailerseen 3×
2M5331465W1047707· B520147 ME
2028 MANAC Manac Trailerseen 3×
2M5331466W1054150· B433562 ME
2022 WESTERN STAR 4900seen 3×
5KJJABD14NPNC6077· 863519 ME
2025 PETERBILT 589seen 3×
1XPED40X4SD760473· 854829 ME
2028 MANAC Manac Trailerseen 3×
2M5331463W1047706· B520146 ME
2026 KENWORTH W990seen 3×
1XK1D40X3TJ218496· 869746 ME
2028 MANAC Manac Trailerseen 2×
2M533146XW1047699· B563642 ME
2012 WESTERN STAR 4900seen 2×
5KKXAFAV9CPBR6008· 861767 ME
2023 INTERNATIONAL HX520seen 2×
3HSPAAPT5PN030220· 863895 ME
2023 DELOUPE INC DELOUPE INCseen 2×
2D92G4838P2004197· C290234 ME
2015 WESTERN STAR 4900seen 2×
5KKXAFAV3FPGN1195· 862509 ME
2028 MANAC Manac Trailerseen 2×
2M5331466W1047702· B520145 ME
2019 STAIRS Stairsseen 2×
1S9LS4833K1260894· B852786 ME
2015 WESTERN STAR 4900seen 2×
5KKXAF008FPGL5399· 862512 ME
2028 MANAC Manac Trailerseen 2×
2M5331467W1047708· B433560 ME
2025 PETERBILT 589seen 2×
1XPED40XXSD707275· 864134 ME
2017 MANAC Manac Trailerseen 2×
2M5331461H1169760· C408590 ME
2014 MANAC Manac Trailerseen 2×
2M5331469E1141166· B971497 ME

+ 24 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

3

Tow-away

2

Injury

2

Fatal

0

Company profile

FMCSA census

PRIVATE PROPERTY;AUTHORIZED FOR HIRE

Power units
49
on file (MCS-150)
Drivers
33
33 hold a CDL
Annual mileage
2.2M mi
reported 2025
Recordable crash rate
0.32
per million miles
How far they run · drivers by operating lane
  • Interstate · 100+ mi1 drivers
  • Intrastate · <100 mi32 drivers
Company officer
THOMAS GARDNER
Operation
Interstate · Hazmat
Registered since
1997-04-25
Last MCS-150 update
2026-04-21
Census status
Active

Fleet: 45 trucks · 35 owned tractors · 55 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 graph

This carrier shares VINs, addresses or officers with 8 other carriers — review the connections below as part of your vetting.

8
Connected carriers
2
Fleet-transfer links
1
Most shared VINs
5
Strong links
Strong· 5
1
BUILT IN DISTRIBUTORS INC
USDOT 2609501Active· SEASIDE, CA
Strong
Officer
2
GARDNER LANDSCAPING
USDOT 1695039Active· CASCO TOWNSHIP, MI
Strong
Officer
3
GARDNER TRUCKING LLC
USDOT 1425977Active· JACKSONVILLE, FL
Strong
Officer
4
MID GEORGIA COMMERCIAL TIRE
USDOT 1328419Inactive· ATLANTA, GA
Strong
Officer
5
THOMAS GARDNER
USDOT 1872641Active· STEVENSVILLE, MD
Strong
Officer
Medium· 1
NORTHERN MAINE FIREWOOD LLC
USDOT 3607832Inactive· CHESTER, ME
Medium
Address

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

4 events
  1. 04/21/2026MCS-150 update filed

    2.2M mi reported (2025)

  2. 12/11/2025MOTOR PROPERTY COMMON CARRIER — GRANTED
  3. 11/18/2025Insurance filed — FIREMEN'S INSURANCE CO. OF WASHINGTON DC

    Liability (BIPD) — BMC-91X · policy CAA 0364211

  4. 04/25/1997Registered with FMCSA

    PRIVATE PROPERTY;AUTHORIZED FOR HIRE

Merged from FMCSA authority, insurance, out-of-service, and census records.

🚛

Operations

Classification

  • PRIVATE PROPERTY;AUTHORIZED FOR HIRE

Area served

  • Interstate

FMCSA safety rating

Rating
Not rated
Type
Non-ratable review
Rated
Last review
2020-02-10
📄

MCS-150 registration

Form date
2026-04-21
Reported mileage
2,164,739 mi (2025)

Got a violation you want to contest?

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Data sourced from public FMCSA records via safer.fmcsa.dot.gov · Latest FMCSA update: Sep 2026 · Page refreshed: Sep 23, 2026, 3:11 AM. VioCodes is not affiliated with FMCSA. To dispute incorrect data, file a DataQs Request for Data Review.