JAMES DOWNS LLC
FMCSA Live Status
Fleet & equipment
- Power units
- 9
- Drivers · CDL
- 6 · 6
- Annual miles
- 670k
| Type | Own | Term | Trip | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trucks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tractors | 9 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Trailers | 9 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
Registration
- Registered
- 05-06-2015 (11 yrs)
- MCS-150 Update
- 06-10-2025
- FRED Score Date
- Nov 07, 2026
- Officer
- JAMES DOWNS
Cargo
- High-Risk Cargo
- Livestock, 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.
Fleets under 10 power units are graded against their size cohort (pu6_9) for reference, but sit outside the 10+ power-unit underwriting book the FRED rank covers.
Expected crash rate is probably lower than similar fleets (about a 70% chance), but the record is too thin to say by how much.
Similar fleets: for-hire fleets of 6–9 trucks with the same kind of operation, years in business and amount of road activity. Compared using its own crash record and roadside inspections.
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.
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Lights and tiresLights are 9 of 21 violations (43%). Light or tire defects led to 2 out-of-service orders.Ask: the preventive-maintenance schedule and shop records.
- No reportable crashes in 24 months.
- Driver out-of-service rate 0.0% vs 6.7% national.
- No FMCSA BASIC alerts.
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Dangerous driving: 1
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High speeding: 8
Track record
| This motor carrier | Peers | |
|---|---|---|
| Crashes | 0.000 | 0.039 |
| Inspections | 1.44 | 1.41 |
| Violations | 1.17 | 1.44 |
| Critical violations | 0.17 | 0.26 |
Yearly rates from the last 24 months. Peers: Small (advisory) power units, medium-risk cargo.
What they get cited for
21 violations · 24 months-
Vehicle maintenance No alert11 · 2 OOSLights 9 · Tires 2
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Unsafe driving No alert10 · 0 OOSSpeeding 8 · Seat belt 1 · Other 1
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Hours of service No alert0
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Driver fitness No alert0
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Drugs & alcohol No alert0
Violations by quarter
Tap a category to show or hide itCrashes
24 monthsNo reportable crashes on the FMCSA record in the last 24 months.
Insurance filed with FMCSA
FMCSA record through Nov 2, 2026- Liability (BIPD)
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$1,000,000 · Shelter General Insurance Companyon record since Nov 4, 2023 · FMCSA minimum $750,000 · no gap on FMCSA's record since Sep 2022
- Cargo filing
- not required by FMCSA (household-goods motor carriers only); the cargo policy is not on FMCSA's record
- 2 liability insurers on FMCSA's record, 1 change: GREAT WEST CASUALTY CO. → Shelter General Insurance Company (Nov 2023)
- 1 cancellation notice filed by an insurer, replaced before it took effect
- No gap in filed liability coverage while liability was required
- FMCSA served a notice on Oct 5, 2026 that the operating authority would be suspended on Nov 4, 2026 unless the missing filing was restored; FMCSA's record through Nov 2, 2026 does not show the outcome — see the live check. FMCSA's new registration system launched May 14, 2026 and has recorded some insurance suspensions and requirement changes in error; confirm with the insurer or motor carrier before acting.
Operating authority active (FMCSA's new registration system, status since Sep 8, 2022)
FMCSA filings only, not a policy audit. Not part of the FRED grade. Wrong or out of date?
Every insurance filing on the FMCSA record
8 filings and 9 authority events since 2015 · FMCSA record through Nov 2, 2026
Newest first. Insurer names as filed. FMCSA does not publish why a filing was cancelled.
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Oct 5, 2026FMCSA suspension notice for the operating authority, effective Nov 4, 2026pending on FMCSA's recordFMCSA's new system
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Nov 4, 2023Shelter General Insurance CompanyLiability · $1,000,000 · on fileFMCSA's new system
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Sep 8, 2022Operating authority reinstatedL&I to May 14, 2026
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Sep 7, 2022GREAT WEST CASUALTY CO.Liability · $1,000,000 · ended Nov 4, 2023 · replaced by another insurera cancellation notice effective Dec 11, 2023 came after the replacement; 14 months in forceL&I to May 14, 2026
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Sep 28, 2021Operating authority revoked (cause not stated)L&I to May 14, 2026
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Mar 26, 2021CANAL INSURANCE CO.Liability · $750,000 · ended Oct 16, 2021 · cancellation notice took effect7 months in forceL&I to May 14, 2026
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Nov 30, 2017Operating authority reinstatedL&I to May 14, 2026
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Nov 20, 2017GRINNELL MUTUAL REINSURANCE CO.Liability · $1,000,000 · ended Mar 26, 2021 · replaced by another insurer40 months in forceL&I to May 14, 2026
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Aug 21, 2017Operating authority revoked (cause not stated)L&I to May 14, 2026
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May 1, 2017AUTO OWNERS INSURANCE COMPANYLiability · $750,000 · ended Aug 13, 2017 · cancellation notice took effect3 months in forceL&I to May 14, 2026
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Apr 5, 2017FMCSA revocation notice for the operating authority, dropped May 3, 2017opened after NATIONAL INDEMNITY COMPANY filed a cancellation notice (effective May 2, 2017)L&I to May 14, 2026
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Nov 3, 2016NATIONAL INDEMNITY COMPANYLiability · $750,000 · ended May 2, 2017 · cancellation notice took effect6 months in forceL&I to May 14, 2026
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Oct 6, 2016FMCSA revocation notice for the operating authority, dropped Nov 7, 2016opened after NATIONAL INDEMNITY COMPANY filed a cancellation notice (effective Nov 2, 2016)L&I to May 14, 2026
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Jun 7, 2016NATIONAL INDEMNITY COMPANYLiability · $750,000 · ended Nov 2, 2016 · cancellation notice took effect5 months in forceL&I to May 14, 2026
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May 9, 2016FMCSA revocation notice for the operating authority, dropped Jun 7, 2016opened after HALLMARK INSURANCE COMPANY filed a cancellation notice (effective Jun 4, 2016)L&I to May 14, 2026
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Jun 11, 2015Operating authority grantedL&I to May 14, 2026
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Jun 4, 2015HALLMARK INSURANCE COMPANYLiability · $750,000 · ended Jun 4, 2016 · cancellation notice took effect12 months in forceL&I to May 14, 2026
What the terms mean
- Liability filing (BIPD):
- The insurer's certificate (form BMC-91 or 91X) that the motor carrier carries bodily-injury and property-damage liability at or above FMCSA's minimum. A BMC-82 is the same promise made by a surety bond.
- FMCSA minimum:
- $750,000 for general freight in vehicles of 10,001 lb or more; $300,000 under 10,001 lb; $1,000,000 for oil and some hazardous materials; $5,000,000 for bulk hazardous materials (49 CFR 387.9).
- Primary / excess:
- An excess filing sits on top of a primary one; together they make the total filed limit.
- Replaced:
- A new filing took over from this one. Replaced the same day is an ordinary change of insurer or renewal.
- Cancellation notice:
- Form BMC-35 (insurance) or BMC-36 (bond): the insurer tells FMCSA the filing ends in 30 days. The insurer files it whether the insurer or the motor carrier ended the policy; FMCSA does not publish the reason.
- Cancellation processed by FMCSA:
- FMCSA itself ended the filing, for example when the authority was revoked.
- Lapse:
- Time with no liability filing on FMCSA's record while the authority required one. A filing received later can be back-dated, which closes a lapse after the fact.
- Suspended for insurance:
- FMCSA suspended the operating authority because no filing meeting the minimum was on file. FMCSA's records state this reason only since May 14, 2026; before then they show a revocation notice without a cause.
- FMCSA notice resolved in time:
- Before May 14, 2026, FMCSA served a revocation notice when a required filing lapsed and dropped it when the filing was restored. The notice does not say which filing lapsed.
- Suspension notice:
- Since May 14, 2026, FMCSA serves a notice that the authority will be suspended on a date unless the missing filing is restored. The notice does not say which filing.
- Cargo filing:
- Form BMC-34. FMCSA has required it only of household-goods motor carriers and forwarders since 2011, so most motor carriers' cargo policies are not on FMCSA's record.
- Broker bond / trust fund:
- Form BMC-84 (surety bond) or BMC-85 (trust fund): the $75,000 security a broker or freight forwarder must keep on file.
- Self-insurance authority:
- FMCSA lets a few large motor carriers carry their own liability; it appears as a filing by "Self-Insured".
- Risk retention group:
- An insurer owned by its policyholders (often trucking groups). It is not covered by state insurance guaranty funds.
- FMCSA record through:
- The date of the FMCSA file this section was built from. Dockets FMCSA's new system has not yet published are shown from the legacy record, frozen on May 14, 2026.
FMCSA's record of the insurance filed for this motor carrier's operating authority (forms BMC-91/91X liability, BMC-34 cargo, BMC-84/85 broker bond or trust), not the motor carrier's full insurance program. Only for-hire motor carriers with operating authority file with FMCSA; private and intrastate-only motor carriers keep proof of insurance at their place of business, so no filing does not mean no insurance. A filed limit is the amount the insurer certified to FMCSA, which can be below the policy's full limits; cargo and bond filings are shown as on file or not because FMCSA records the federal minimum rather than the policy amount. FMCSA's new registration system (May 14, 2026) publishes a partial set of dockets; a docket not yet in it is shown from the legacy record, frozen on that date, and the live check above is today's reading. Not part of the FRED grade. Wrong or out of date?
Where it happens
- Iowa 15
- Missouri (HQ) 4
- Nebraska 1
20% of inspections were in its home state.
How this grade is calculated
The model, its inputs, the window it scored and its confidence. For actuaries and anyone checking the work.
Forward 12-Month Risk Outlook
The FRED Score predicts this motor carrier's crash risk over the next 12 months — how often they're likely to crash and how severe those crashes tend to be — versus a typical fleet of its size (9 power units: 9 filed, 5 seen roadside in 24 months).
We'd expect a typical fleet of 9 power units this active to have about 0.4 crashes a year. This motor carrier recorded 1 in its scoring window (Sep 1, 2023 → Aug 31, 2026, about 0.3 a year) — fewer than a typical fleet. Factoring in its inspection and violation record inside that window and the credibility of its own experience, the model projects about 0.4 over the next 12. When this motor carrier does crash, those crashes tend to be substantially more severe than average — roughly 3.3× the injury/fatal weight of a typical crash.
FRED multiplies three factors: the class rate a fleet of this size, class and activity is expected to run, a violation relativity from its roadside record, and its own crash experience over 36 months weighted by how much exposure stands behind it. The grade is the band of the resulting relativity to class, then the screens.
FMCSA records
BASIC measures and every inspection, violation and crash, sortable and filterable.
FMCSA BASIC Scores
AB Property| BASIC | Insp w/ Viol | Measure | Alert |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unsafe Driving | 9 | 6.45 | |
| HOS Compliance | 0 | 0.00 | |
| Driver Fitness | 0 | 0.00 | |
| Controlled Substances | 0 | 0.00 | |
| Vehicle Maintenance | 5 | 11.11 |
SMS record data is sourced from FMCSA's Safety Measurement System (03-APR-26 – 28-APR-26) and may cover a different time window than the scoring window used for the FRED grade (Sep 1, 2023 → Sep 30, 2026). Counts here may differ from the grade's in-window counts.