CSA
Not AuthorizedUSDOT 74482· MC141119· CARRIER· EIN 37-1555685
⬇ PDF report

MERCHANTS 5 STAR LTD

1306 HARMON AVE, COLUMBUS, OH, 43223(614) 745-1121juliepack@merchants5star.comBEN MACDOWELL
Vetting snapshot
Authority
Inactive
operating authority
Insurance
No active filing
$750K required — verify
Vehicle OOS
—
no inspections
Driver OOS
—
no inspections
Crashes 24mo
0
clean
Red flags
1 flag
see details below
0
/ 100

Risk factors

High riskVioCodes score
Operating authority is not activeNo active liability (BIPD) insurance filing on file

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

MC141119

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

No active liability (BIPD) insurance filing on file
Common
Inactive
Contract
Inactive
Broker
None
Authorized for: Property
Liability (BIPD)
No active filing
$750K required
Cargo
Not on file
not required
Bond / surety
Not on file
required
Authority history (21) ▾
10/01/2012COMMONINVOLUNTARY REVOCATION→ DISCONTINUED REVOCATION (10/29/2012)
10/01/2012CONTRACTINVOLUNTARY REVOCATION→ DISCONTINUED REVOCATION (10/29/2012)
11/09/2009COMMONINVOLUNTARY REVOCATION→ DISCONTINUED REVOCATION (11/16/2009)
01/22/2008MOTOR PROPERTY COMMON CARRIERGRANTED→ REVOKED (08/12/2015)
01/22/2008MOTOR PROPERTY CONTRACT CARRIERGRANTED→ REVOKED (08/12/2015)
10/02/2006COMMONINVOLUNTARY REVOCATION→ DISCONTINUED REVOCATION (10/30/2006)
12/14/2005MOTOR PROPERTY COMMON CARRIERREINSTATED→ TRANSFER CONSUMMATED (01/15/2008)
12/14/2005MOTOR PROPERTY CONTRACT CARRIERREINSTATED→ TRANSFER CONSUMMATED (01/15/2008)
10/03/2005COMMONINVOLUNTARY REVOCATION→ DISCONTINUED REVOCATION (10/28/2005)
10/03/2005CONTRACTINVOLUNTARY REVOCATION→ DISCONTINUED REVOCATION (10/28/2005)
10/01/2004COMMONINVOLUNTARY REVOCATION→ DISCONTINUED REVOCATION (11/01/2004)
10/01/2004CONTRACTINVOLUNTARY REVOCATION→ DISCONTINUED REVOCATION (11/01/2004)
09/01/1996PROPERTY BROKERDISMISSED
12/20/1989MOTOR PROPERTY CONTRACT CARRIERGRANTED→ REVOKED (12/12/2005)
12/20/1989MOTOR PROPERTY COMMON CARRIERGRANTED→ REVOKED (12/12/2005)
01/27/1984MOTOR PROPERTY COMMON CARRIERGRANTED→ REVOKED (12/12/2005)
06/22/1982MOTOR PROPERTY COMMON CARRIERGRANTED→ REVOKED (12/12/2005)
06/02/1982MOTOR PROPERTY COMMON CARRIERGRANTED→ REVOKED (12/12/2005)
07/29/1980MOTOR PROPERTY CONTRACT CARRIERGRANTED→ REVOKED (12/12/2005)
07/29/1980MOTOR PROPERTY CONTRACT CARRIERGRANTED→ REVOKED (12/12/2005)
Insurance history16 insurers on record
Filing timeline (27) ▾
  1. WESTFIELD INSURANCE CO.$750KCancelled
    BIPD/Primary · eff 12/01/2014 → 08/06/2015
  2. MILWAUKEE CASUALTY INSURANCE CO.$750KReplaced
    BIPD/Primary · eff 10/28/2012 → 12/01/2014
  3. MAXUM CASUALTY INSURANCE COMPANY$750KCancelled
    BIPD/Primary · eff 10/28/2009 → 10/28/2012
  4. FIREMEN'S INSURANCE CO. OF WASHINGTON DC$750KCancelled
    CARGO · eff 10/28/2009 → 11/04/2011
  5. THE CINCINNATI INSURANCE CO.$750KCancelled
    CARGO · eff 10/28/2007 → 12/04/2009
  6. THE CINCINNATI INSURANCE CO.$1MReplaced
    BIPD/Primary · eff 10/28/2007 → 10/28/2009
  7. THE CINCINNATI INSURANCE CO.$750KReplaced
    CARGO · eff 10/28/2007 → 10/28/2009
  8. THE CINCINNATI INSURANCE CO.$1MTransferred
    BIPD/Primary · eff 10/28/2006 → 01/11/2008
  9. THE CINCINNATI INSURANCE CO.$750KTransferred
    CARGO · eff 10/28/2006 → 01/11/2008
  10. CLARENDON NATIONAL INS. CO.$750KCancelled
    BIPD/Primary · eff 10/28/2005 → 11/26/2006
  11. CLARENDON AMERICA INSURANCE COMPANY$750KCancelled
    CARGO · eff 10/28/2005 → 10/28/2006
  12. CLARENDON NATIONAL INS. CO.$750KReplaced
    BIPD/Primary · eff 10/28/2005 → 10/28/2006
  13. CLARENDON NATIONAL INS. CO.$750KCancelled
    BIPD/Primary · eff 10/28/2004 → 10/28/2005
  14. CLARENDON NATIONAL INS. CO.$750KCancelled
    CARGO · eff 11/01/2004 → 10/28/2005
  15. FEDERAL INSURANCE CO.$750KReplaced
    CARGO · eff 11/01/2003 → 11/01/2004

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.

Vehicle0 inspections · 0% OOS · National 22%
Driver0 inspections · 0% OOS · National 6.7%

90-day safety improvement plan

What this carrier has struggled with most in the last 90 days — where to focus now.

No roadside inspections in the last 90 days — nothing to work on right now.

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).

0
Inspections
0
Violations
0
Out-of-service
0
CSA points
34
Crashes
11
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.

Company profile

FMCSA census

AUTHORIZED FOR HIRE

Power units
48
on file (MCS-150)
Drivers
48
48 hold a CDL
Annual mileage
3.5M mi
reported 2014
Recordable crash rate
—
per million miles
How far they run · drivers by operating lane
  • Interstate · 100+ mi37 drivers
  • Interstate · <100 mi11 drivers
Company officer
BEN MACDOWELL
Operation
Interstate
D-U-N-S
66839069
Registered since
1974-06-01
Last MCS-150 update
2014-12-22
Census status
I

Fleet: 48 trucks · 45 owned tractors · 176 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.

Data change history

Every FMCSA record change we’ve detected — address, fleet size, contacts, MCS-150 — newest first.

Connections

carrier graph

This carrier shares addresses with 2 other carriers — review the connections below as part of your vetting.

2
Connected carriers
0
Fleet-transfer links
0
Most shared VINs
0
Strong links
Medium· 2
CAPITAL TOWING & RECOVERY INC
USDOT 1913247Active· COLUMBUS, OH
Medium
MailingAddress
TR SOARES LLC
USDOT 4169843Inactive· COLUMBUS, OH
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

45 events
  1. 08/06/2015Insurance cancelled — WESTFIELD INSURANCE CO.

    BIPD/Primary · policy CSP 3 400 067

  2. 12/22/2014MCS-150 update filed

    3.5M mi reported (2014)

  3. 12/01/2014Insurance replaced — MILWAUKEE CASUALTY INSURANCE CO.

    BIPD/Primary · policy MPP1003388

  4. 10/28/2012Insurance cancelled — MAXUM CASUALTY INSURANCE COMPANY

    BIPD/Primary · policy TRK-6011117-1

  5. 10/01/2012COMMON — INVOLUNTARY REVOCATION

    DISCONTINUED REVOCATION (10/29/2012)

  6. 10/01/2012CONTRACT — INVOLUNTARY REVOCATION

    DISCONTINUED REVOCATION (10/29/2012)

  7. 11/04/2011Insurance cancelled — FIREMEN'S INSURANCE CO. OF WASHINGTON DC

    CARGO · policy CIM0127834BM

  8. 12/04/2009Insurance cancelled — THE CINCINNATI INSURANCE CO.

    CARGO · policy CPP 087 66 63

  9. 11/09/2009COMMON — INVOLUNTARY REVOCATION

    DISCONTINUED REVOCATION (11/16/2009)

  10. 10/28/2009Insurance replaced — THE CINCINNATI INSURANCE CO.

    BIPD/Primary · policy CPA 087 66 63

  11. 01/22/2008MOTOR PROPERTY COMMON CARRIER — GRANTED

    REVOKED (08/12/2015)

  12. 01/22/2008MOTOR PROPERTY CONTRACT CARRIER — GRANTED

    REVOKED (08/12/2015)

  13. 01/11/2008Insurance transferred — THE CINCINNATI INSURANCE CO.

    BIPD/Primary · policy CPA 087 66 63

  14. 11/26/2006Insurance cancelled — CLARENDON NATIONAL INS. CO.

    BIPD/Primary · policy DSHN00002332

  15. 10/28/2006Insurance cancelled — CLARENDON AMERICA INSURANCE COMPANY

    CARGO · policy DSHA00001234

  16. 10/28/2006Insurance replaced — CLARENDON NATIONAL INS. CO.

    BIPD/Primary · policy DSHN00002332

  17. 10/02/2006COMMON — INVOLUNTARY REVOCATION

    DISCONTINUED REVOCATION (10/30/2006)

  18. 12/14/2005MOTOR PROPERTY COMMON CARRIER — REINSTATED

    TRANSFER CONSUMMATED (01/15/2008)

  19. 12/14/2005MOTOR PROPERTY CONTRACT CARRIER — REINSTATED

    TRANSFER CONSUMMATED (01/15/2008)

  20. 10/28/2005Insurance cancelled — CLARENDON NATIONAL INS. CO.

    BIPD/Primary · policy DSHN00001578

  21. 10/03/2005COMMON — INVOLUNTARY REVOCATION

    DISCONTINUED REVOCATION (10/28/2005)

  22. 10/03/2005CONTRACT — INVOLUNTARY REVOCATION

    DISCONTINUED REVOCATION (10/28/2005)

  23. 11/01/2004Insurance replaced — FEDERAL INSURANCE CO.

    CARGO · policy 661 52 38

  24. 10/28/2004Insurance cancelled — LINCOLN GENERAL INSURANCE COMPANY

    BIPD/Primary · policy LTI100140

  25. 10/01/2004COMMON — INVOLUNTARY REVOCATION

    DISCONTINUED REVOCATION (11/01/2004)

  26. 10/01/2004CONTRACT — INVOLUNTARY REVOCATION

    DISCONTINUED REVOCATION (11/01/2004)

  27. 01/04/2004Insurance cancelled — LINCOLN GENERAL INSURANCE COMPANY

    BIPD/Primary · policy LTI100140

  28. 12/17/2003Insurance cancelled — CAROLINA CASUALTY INSURANCE CO.

    CARGO · policy 339412

  29. 11/01/2003Insurance replaced — CAROLINA CASUALTY INSURANCE CO.

    CARGO · policy 339412

  30. 10/28/2003Insurance cancelled — DIAMOND STATE INSURANCE COMPANY

    BIPD/Primary · policy DS1448

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

🚛

Operations

Classification

  • AUTHORIZED FOR HIRE

Area served

  • Interstate
★

FMCSA safety rating

Rating
Satisfactory
Type
Compliance review
Rated
2007-01-26
Last review
2007-01-23
📄

MCS-150 registration

Form date
2014-12-22
Reported mileage
3,501,064 mi (2014)
⚡

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Data sourced from public FMCSA records via safer.fmcsa.dot.gov · Latest FMCSA update: Sep 2026 · Page refreshed: Sep 30, 2026, 3:45 AM. VioCodes is not affiliated with FMCSA. To dispute incorrect data, file a DataQs Request for Data Review.