CHAIN O LAKES EXPRESS INC

DOT# 186164 MC# 150782 DUNS# 42546999 Waupaca, WI Authorized For-Hire
(715) 258-9814 jim@chainolakesexpressinc.com 1961 Spindt Drive, Waupaca WI 54981
19 tractors · all owned 14 drivers 579k mi/yr · ~30k per unit
Intrastate Only
Satisfactory Provisional: the filed fleet isn't backed up by the roadside record (only 4 of the 19 filed power units were seen at a roadside inspection in 24 months), so the grade can't lean on this motor carrier's own history until the fleet size is confirmed.
FRED Score 67.3 / 100
Prior-only confidence
52 yrs history · 5 roadside inspections

FMCSA Live Status

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Fleet & equipment

Power units
19
Drivers · CDL
14 · 14
Annual miles
579k
Type Own Term Trip Total
Trucks 0 0 0 0
Tractors 19 0 0 19
Trailers 33 0 0 33

Registration

Organization
CORPORATION
Registered
06-01-1974 (52 yrs)
MCS-150 Update
03-09-2026 (Address Change)
FRED Score Date
Nov 07, 2026
Officer
JAMES W DAMRAU JR
Officer
JANE DAMRAU

Cargo

58.1
medium risk
Metal: Sheets/Coils/Rolls General Freight Other: FOUNDRY CASTINGS
High-Risk Cargo
General Freight

Note: "General Freight" is a catch-all; the actual cargo mix and its risk may differ.

Estimated from the commodity types reported to FMCSA, not from loss history or the true cargo mix.

Exposure Unverified

The expected crashes behind this grade assume the filed fleet of 19 power units is real, but the roadside record corroborates little of it — 4 units seen in 24 months, 0.13 inspections per filed unit-year. The grade's relativity to class is unchanged; its confidence tier is cut to reflect the unverified exposure, and until the fleet is confirmed an Excellent grade shows as Strong and a Strong as Satisfactory. Verify the fleet size before relying on the crash expectation.

Intrastate operation

Runs within one state. Roadside inspections are rarer for intrastate fleets than for interstate ones, so this record rests mainly on crash reports, which states file for intrastate trucks too.

Too little record to tell how this motor carrier's crash rate compares with similar fleets.

Similar fleets: interstate fleets of 10–19 trucks with the same kind of operation, years in business and amount of road activity. Compared using its own crash record and roadside inspections.

This motor carrier 0.85×
ExcellentStrongSatisf.MarginalPoorCritical
▲ Similar fleets 1.0×
Expected crashes, next 12 months
0.4 vs 0.5 for similar fleets
Likely 0–1 crashes
This motor carrier
0.4
Similar fleets
0.5
Chance of a fatal crash, next 12 months
~1%
About typical for similar fleets.
What's driving the grade
Crash history
betterworse
About typical. 0 crashes on the FMCSA record in 24 months; similar fleets have about 0.5 a year. The grade counts 1 crash in its 36-month scoring window, recent ones weighted most.
Roadside inspections
betterworse
Better than peers. Violations 0.54× and out-of-service orders 0.65× the rate expected for its inspections. Together they move its crash estimate -6%: roadside results weigh far less than crash history.

Worth a closer look

From the FMCSA record. The grade already counts the safety items; insurance filings and links to other motor carriers are not in it.

  • Filed fleet not seen on the road
    Only 4 of the 19 filed power units were seen at a roadside inspection in 24 months (5 inspections in all). The crash expectation behind the grade assumes all 19 are running.
    Ask: how many trucks are actually operating, with the vehicle schedule (the MCS-150 was last updated Mar 2026).
Strengths
  • No reportable crashes in 24 months.
Data flags
  • Limited inspection history
    Fewer than 5 roadside inspections on record, so there isn't enough data to score this motor carrier with high confidence — the score leans more on peers.

Track record

FMCSA record, Oct 2024 – Sep 2026 · grade scored on Sep 1, 2023 → Sep 30, 2026
Crashes
0
0 fatalities · 0 injuries · 0 tow-aways
Inspections
5
40% clean (no violations)
Vehicle out-of-service
0.0%
0 of 1
National avg 22.3%
Driver out-of-service
0.0%
0 of 5
National avg 6.7%
Violations
3
0 out-of-service

Inspected less often than interstate fleets of 10–19 trucks in Wisconsin (about 15 in 24 months would be typical).

Inspections per quarter With an out-of-service order
Q4 '24: 1 inspections, 0 out of service 1 Q4 '24 Q1 '25: 0 inspections, 0 out of service 0 Q1 '25 Q2 '25: 0 inspections, 0 out of service 0 Q2 '25 Q3 '25: 0 inspections, 0 out of service 0 Q3 '25 Q4 '25: 1 inspections, 0 out of service 1 Q4 '25 Q1 '26: 1 inspections, 0 out of service 1 Q1 '26 Q2 '26: 1 inspections, 0 out of service 1 Q2 '26 Q3 '26: 1 inspections, 0 out of service 1 Q3 '26
vs 14,122 peer fleets
This motor carrierPeers
Crashes 0.000 0.034
Inspections 0.16 1.23
Violations 0.08 0.97
Critical violations 0.00 0.19

Yearly rates from the last 24 months. Peers: interstate fleets, 10–19 power units, medium-risk cargo.

What they get cited for

3 violations · 24 months
  • Unsafe driving No alert
    2 · 0 OOS
    Speeding 2
  • Vehicle maintenance No alert
    1 · 0 OOS
    Lights 1
  • Hours of service No alert
    0
  • Driver fitness No alert
    0
  • Drugs & alcohol No alert
    0
Out-of-service violations “No alert” = under FMCSA's BASIC intervention threshold

Violations by quarter

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No violation trend data

Crashes

24 months

No reportable crashes on the FMCSA record in the last 24 months.

Insurance filed with FMCSA

FMCSA record through May 14, 2026 · no change recorded by FMCSA since
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Last on FMCSA's record (May 14, 2026)
$1,000,000 · GREAT WEST CASUALTY CO.
on record since Jan 18, 2006 · FMCSA minimum $750,000 · no gap on FMCSA's record since Sep 1995
Cargo filing
on file · GREAT WEST CASUALTY CO. since Jan 18, 2006
36 months to May 14, 2026
  • One liability insurer throughout
  • No gap in filed liability coverage while liability was required

Operating authority active (FMCSA's L&I record of May 14, 2026, status since Nov 17, 1995)

Who insures fleets like this →

FMCSA filings only, not a policy audit. Not part of the FRED grade. Wrong or out of date?

Where it happens

Loading map data…
Inspections by state
  • Wisconsin (HQ) 5