KNIFE RIVER MATERIALS
Legal: NORTHSTAR MATERIALS 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 202626 inspections · 69 violations (17 OOS) · 33% of inspections had an OOS finding.
Violations by BASIC
click to filter codes
Top cited codes
score = count × severity weight
- 1392.2-SLLTCDUnsafe Driving
State/Local Laws - Failed to obey a traffic control device - Permanent or Temporary - e.g., safety official, signal, sign, light, lane marking, other
10
2× · sev 5
- 2393.9A-LSLIVehicle Maintenance
Lighting - Stop lamps - Any inoperative.
6
1× · sev 6
- 3392.2-SLLSR
State/Local Laws - State registration/tag violation
3
3×
- 4393.104F3-CVehicle Maintenance
Cargo - Loose or unfastened tiedown
3
1× · sev 3
- 5393.11A1-CSLRRVehicle Maintenance
Conspicuity Systems - Truck tractor, lower rear retro reflective sheeting missing on vehicle manufactured on or after July 1, 1997
3
1× · sev 3
- 6392.2-SLLED
State/Local Laws - Excessive dimension (width/height/length)
2
2×
- 7395.24Hours-of-Service Compliance
HOS (ELD) - ELD Form and Manner
2
2× · sev 1
- 8393.95A4-EEUSVehicle Maintenance
Emergency Equipment - Fire Extinguishers - unsecured
2
1× · sev 2
- 9393.9A-LSMLVehicle Maintenance
Lighting - Side marker lamp(s) inoperative
2
1× · sev 2
- 10393.78A-WSVehicle Maintenance
Washers - Inoperative washing system.
1
1× · sev 1
Most inspected in · top 3 states
- MN22
- ND6
- SD2
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.
Following / lane / reckless violations are the leading contributor to Hours-of-Service Compliance
High impactEstimated Hours-of-Service Compliance percentile of 75% is at/over the 60% 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.
- 395.3A1-HOSPDHOS (Property) - Driving more than 11 hours following 10 consecutive hours off duty during the current 8 consecutive day period. Date and Time1× · 27%
- 395.3A2-HOSPDHOS (Property) - Driving beyond the 14 hour after coming on duty following 10 consecutive hours off duty during the current 8 consecutive day period. Date and Tim1× · 27%
- 395.3AIIDriving beyond 8 hour driving limit since the end of the last on duty, off duty or sleeper berth period of at least 30 consecutive minutes1× · 27%
- Defensive-driving refresher on following distance and lane discipline
Lighting / lamps violations are the leading contributor to Vehicle Maintenance
High impactEstimated Vehicle Maintenance percentile of 79% 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.
- 393.9A-LTSILighting - Turn signal - Any inoperative on the rearmost vehicle.3× · 18%
- 393.9A-LSLILighting - Stop lamps - Any inoperative.2× · 10%
- 393.9A-LSLIWRLighting - Stop lamps - Both inoperative when required to be on2× · 9%
- 393.130B-CHVEHeavy Vehicles/Equipment - Improper securement of accessory equipment or articulated vehicles1× · 15%
- 392.9A2-CCargo - Vehicle components or dunnage not secured2× · 5%
- 393.130C-CHVEHeavy Vehicles/Equipment - Improper securement of heavy vehicles, equipment or machinery with crawler tracks or wheels1× · 5%
- 393.48A-BIBDDrum Brake - Inoperative other than a steering axle1× · 7%
- 393.45D-BAir Brake - Audible air leak at a proper connection2× · 4%
- 393.53B-BAir Brake - CMV manufactured on or after 10/20/1994 has an automatic airbrake adjustment system that fails to compensate for wear1× · 2%
- 393.81-HHorn - Inoperative or defective1× · 2%
- 396.5B-LLubrication - Oil or grease leak1× · 2%
- 393.78A-WSWashers - Inoperative washing system.1× · 1%
- 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 37.5% vs the 22% national average. Driver OOS rate is 7.7% 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 Polk County, MN
Medium impact7 of 22 violations in the last 12 months (32%) came from inspections in Polk County, MN. 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 Polk County, MN to spot recurring issues
- Brief drivers running that lane; consider rerouting around the toughest enforcement corridors where practical
Following / lane / reckless violations are the leading contributor to Unsafe Driving
Low impactEstimated Unsafe Driving percentile of 5% is under the 60% line. In decent shape, but here's what's driving it.
- 392.2-SLLTCDState/Local Laws - Failed to obey a traffic control device - Permanent or Temporary - e.g., safety official, signal, sign, light, lane marking, other2× · 60%
- Defensive-driving refresher on following distance and lane discipline
Controlled Substances/Alcohol needs attention
Low impactEstimated Controlled Substances/Alcohol percentile of 0% is under the 75% 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-SLLTCDState/Local Laws - Failed to obey a traffic control device - Permanent or Temporary - e.g., safety official, signal, sign, light, lane marking, other
- Walk the lights every pre-trip and carry spare bulbs/fuses
- Clean lenses and check the trailer plug for corrosion
- 393.48A-BIBDDrum Brake - Inoperative other than a steering axle
- 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
- 391.41APCMedical (Certificate) - Operating a property-carrying vehicle without a valid medical certificate in possession or on file with the state drivers licensing agency · OOS
- Track CDL, medical card, and endorsement expirations ahead of time
- Keep the DQ file complete and the medical card on the driver
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 NHTSA48 distinct vehicles seen in this carrier’s roadside inspections.
+ 18 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.
Company profile
FMCSA censusPRIVATE PROPERTY
- Interstate · 100+ mi98 drivers
- Intrastate · <100 mi9 drivers
- Company officer
- KEVIN STROEING
- Operation
- Interstate · Hazmat
- D-U-N-S
- 623226354
- Registered since
- 1974-06-01
- Last MCS-150 update
- 2026-04-27
- Census status
- Active
Fleet: 107 trucks · 3 buses · 52 owned tractors · 104 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 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- 04/27/2026MCS-150 update filed
1.7M mi reported (2025)
- 06/01/1974Registered 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
- Satisfactory
- Type
- Compliance review
- Rated
- 2008-11-20
- Last review
- 2008-11-07
MCS-150 registration
- Form date
- 2026-04-27
- Reported mileage
- 1,715,094 mi (2025)
Got a violation you want to contest?
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