WATKINS DISTRIBUTING
Legal: VENTURE SOUTH DISTRIBUTORS 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 · 39 violations (5 OOS) · 17% of inspections had an OOS finding.
Violations by BASIC
click to filter codes
Top cited codes
score = count × severity weight
- 1392.16-DUnsafe Driving
Driver - Failed to use seat belt while operating a CMV
21
3× · sev 7
- 2396.17C-PIVehicle Maintenance
Operating a CMV without documentation of a periodic inspection
8
2× · sev 4
- 3393.75A3-TFLVehicle Maintenance1 OOS
Tires - Front, leaking or inflation 50% or less than of the maximum inflation pressure
8
1× · sev 8
- 4396.3A1-TFCVVehicle Maintenance1 OOS
Tires - Front, in contact with a part of the vehicle
8
1× · sev 8
- 5393.9A-LILVehicle Maintenance
Lighting - Identification lamp(s) inoperative
6
3× · sev 2
- 6392.2-SLLS2Unsafe Driving
State/Local Laws - Speeding 6-10 miles per hour over the speed limit
4
1× · sev 4
- 7393.9A-LCLVehicle Maintenance
Lighting - Clearance lamp(s) inoperative
2
1× · sev 2
- 8392.2-SLL
State/Local Laws -
1
1×
- 9383.71HDriver Fitness
License (CDL) - CDL or CLP holder possesses a valid medical certificate but is not on file with the issuing state driver's licensing agency as required
1
1× · sev 1
- 10395.24Hours-of-Service Compliance
HOS (ELD) - ELD Form and Manner
1
1× · sev 1
Most inspected in · top 3 states
- ID17
- MT8
- WA5
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.
Vehicle out-of-service rate exceeds the national average
High impactVehicle OOS rate is 28.6% vs the 22% 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
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
Lighting / lamps violations are the leading contributor to Vehicle Maintenance
Low impactEstimated Vehicle Maintenance percentile of 68% is under the 80% line. In decent shape, but here's what's driving it.
- 393.9A-LILLighting - Identification lamp(s) inoperative3× · 12%
- 393.11A1-CSURRConspicuity Systems - Truck tractor, upper rear retro reflective sheeting missing on vehicle manufactured on or after July 1, 19973× · 7%
- 393.9A-LTSILighting - Turn signal - Any inoperative on the rearmost vehicle.1× · 6%
- 396.3A1-TFCVTires - Front, in contact with a part of the vehicle1× · 8%
- 393.75A3-TFLTires - Front, leaking or inflation 50% or less than of the maximum inflation pressure1× · 8%
- 393.75A3-TAOLTires - All others, leaking or inflation less than 50% of the maximum inflation pressure on tire not equipped with ATIS1× · 8%
- 396.17C-PIOperating a CMV without documentation of a periodic inspection5× · 21%
- 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
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-LIL×2Lighting - Identification lamp(s) inoperative
- 396.17C-PIOperating a CMV without documentation of a periodic inspection
- 393.9A-LSMLLighting - Side marker lamp(s) inoperative
- Walk the lights every pre-trip and carry spare bulbs/fuses
- Clean lenses and check the trailer plug for corrosion
- 392.16-D×2Driver - Failed to use seat belt while operating a CMV
- Coach speed and following distance — Unsafe Driving points are weighted heavily
- Hands off the phone; always belt up
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 NHTSA45 distinct vehicles seen in this carrier’s roadside inspections.
+ 15 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+ mi95 drivers
- Company officer
- MITCH WATKINS
- Operation
- Interstate
- Registered since
- 2000-12-09
- Last MCS-150 update
- 2026-02-05
- Census status
- Active
Fleet: 97 trucks · 62 owned tractors · 64 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, phone numbers or officers with 3 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- 02/05/2026MCS-150 update filed
1.3M mi reported (2025)
- 12/09/2000Registered 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
- 2019-07-02
- Last review
- 2018-08-02
MCS-150 registration
- Form date
- 2026-02-05
- Reported mileage
- 1,329,552 mi (2025)
Got a violation you want to contest?
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