BUOYANT ENERGY LLC

DOT# 3343091 MC# 1175820 Midland, TX Authorized For-Hire
(432) 924-7072 kerri@buoyantenergy.net 3117 E Cr 120, Midland TX 79706
115 tractors · all leased 86 drivers
Satisfactory
FRED Score 50.0 / 100
Moderate confidence
7 yrs history · 133 roadside inspections

FMCSA Live Status

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Fleet & equipment

Power units
115
Drivers · CDL
86 · 86
Annual miles
900k unreliable
Type Own Term Trip Total
Trucks 0 0 0 0
Tractors 0 115 0 115
Trailers 0 150 0 150

Registration

FMCSA Rating
Satisfactory (02-25-2025)
Registered
10-06-2019 (7 yrs)
MCS-150 Update
05-04-2026
FRED Score Date
Nov 08, 2026
Officer
JESUS BAEZA

Cargo

54.7
medium risk
Liquids/Gases Oilfield Equipment General Freight Other: SAND AND WATER Dry Bulk
High-Risk Cargo
Oilfield Equipment, 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.

Mileage Unreliable

MCS-150 annual mileage appears too low for fleet size given observed activity. The per-100k-mile rate benchmarks on this page are excluded; the FRED grade does not use mileage (crash exposure is power-unit-years, violation exposure is inspection counts).

Expected crash rate is about the same as similar fleets.

Similar fleets: interstate fleets of 100–199 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 1.07×
ExcellentStrongSatisf.MarginalPoorCritical
▲ Similar fleets 1.0×
Leaning Marginal. Its estimate (1.07× similar fleets) is in the Marginal range, but the record isn't strong enough to be 60% sure it is above the Marginal line (1.06×), so the grade stays Satisfactory.
Expected crashes, next 12 months
3.8 vs 3.6 for similar fleets
Likely 1–7 crashes
This motor carrier
3.8
Similar fleets
3.6
Chance of a fatal crash, next 12 months
~10%
About typical for similar fleets.
What's driving the grade
Crash history
betterworse
Leans worse, not yet proven. 9 crashes on the FMCSA record in 24 months (about 4.5 a year), including 2 fatal (2 deaths) and 5 with injuries; similar fleets have about 3.6 a year. The grade counts 11 crashes in its 36-month scoring window, recent ones weighted most.
Roadside inspections
betterworse
Mixed. Violations 1.80× and out-of-service orders 1.49× the rate expected for its inspections, but unsafe-driving and hours-of-service violations 0.23×. Together they move its crash estimate -8%: 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.

  • Fatal crashes
    2 crashes with 2 fatalities in 24 months (most recent Mar 27, 2026).
    Ask: the accident register and loss runs for these crashes.
  • Injury crashes
    5 crashes with 6 people hurt in 24 months.
    Ask: claim status and driver history for these crashes.
  • Driver qualification
    7 out-of-service violations against drivers: 4 English proficiency, 3 no valid CDL (Dec 2025 – May 2026).
    Ask: driver qualification files and hiring standards.
  • Lights and brakes
    Lights are 175 of 457 violations (38%). Light or brake defects led to 22 out-of-service orders.
    Ask: the preventive-maintenance schedule and shop records.
  • Vehicle out-of-service rate
    41.5% of vehicle inspections end out of service vs 22.3% nationally (54 of 130). Across all its inspections, out-of-service orders run 1.49× what's expected for where and how it's inspected.
Strengths
  • No FMCSA BASIC alerts.
Data flags
  • Dangerous driving: 3
  • Unreliable reported mileage
    The motor carrier's self-reported annual mileage (MCS-150) looks implausible, so exposure- and mileage-based figures may be distorted.
  • Estimated mileage
    No usable mileage was reported, so exposure was estimated from similar motor carriers. Mileage-based metrics here are approximate.

Track record

FMCSA record, Oct 2024 – Sep 2026 · grade scored on Oct 1, 2023 → Oct 31, 2026
Crashes
9
2 fatalities · 6 injuries · 0 tow-aways
Inspections
133
19% clean (no violations)
Vehicle out-of-service
41.5%
54 of 130
National avg 22.3%
Driver out-of-service
5.3%
7 of 133
National avg 6.7%
Violations
457
80 out-of-service

Inspected about as often as interstate fleets of 100–199 trucks in Texas (about 164 in 24 months would be typical).

Inspections per quarter With an out-of-service order
Q4 '24: 23 inspections, 9 out of service 23 Q4 '24 Q1 '25: 9 inspections, 5 out of service 9 Q1 '25 Q2 '25: 7 inspections, 1 out of service 7 Q2 '25 Q3 '25: 17 inspections, 3 out of service 17 Q3 '25 Q4 '25: 27 inspections, 14 out of service 27 Q4 '25 Q1 '26: 17 inspections, 7 out of service 17 Q1 '26 Q2 '26: 17 inspections, 8 out of service 17 Q2 '26 Q3 '26: 16 inspections, 9 out of service 16 Q3 '26
vs 1,732 peer fleets
This motor carrierPeers
Crashes 0.043 0.025
Inspections 0.77 0.97
Violations 1.99 0.54
Critical violations 0.22 0.10

Yearly rates from the last 24 months. Peers: interstate fleets, 100–199 power units, medium-risk cargo.

What they get cited for

457 violations · 24 months
  • Vehicle maintenance No alert
    447 · 73 OOS
    Lights 175 · Brakes 107 · Tires 31 · Steering & suspension 22 · Cargo securement 20 · 92 more
  • Driver fitness No alert
    7 · 7 OOS
    English proficiency 4 · No valid CDL 3
  • Unsafe driving No alert
    3 · 0 OOS
    Reckless / lane 1 · Other 2
  • Hours of service No alert
    0
  • Drugs & alcohol No alert
    0
Out-of-service violations “No alert” = under FMCSA's BASIC intervention threshold

Violations by quarter

Tap a category to show or hide it
No violation trend data

Crashes

24 months
  • May
    5
    2026
    Texas
    Injury · 1 person hurt
    Daylight, two-way trafficway divided unprotected median. Citation issued.
  • Mar
    27
    2026
    Texas
    Fatal · 1 death
    Dark - not lighted, two-way trafficway divided unprotected median.
  • Jan
    1
    2026
    Texas
    Fatal · 1 death
    Dawn, two-way trafficway divided unprotected median.
    In the news
    Midland man killed after failing to control speed, striking semi-truck in fiery crash
    KMID/KPEJ (Yourbasin)

    Why this link: FMCSA crash report TX7G1AHQE1Q9 (Department of Public Safety, State) lists BUOYANT ENERGY LLC’s truck in this crash. This third-party news report covers a crash with the same date, place and number of deaths, matched automatically. It may not name BUOYANT ENERGY LLC and doesn't establish fault. Wrong article?

  • Sep
    2
    2025
    Texas
    Injury · 1 person hurt
    Dark - not lighted, two-way trafficway divided unprotected median.
  • Apr
    29
    2025
    Texas
    Injury · 1 person hurt
    Daylight, two-way trafficway divided unprotected median.
  • Mar
    20
    2025
    Texas
    Injury · 1 person hurt
    Dark - not lighted, two-way trafficway not divided. Citation issued.
  • Mar
    4
    2025
    Texas
    Injury · 2 people hurt
    Daylight, blowing sand soil dirt or snow, two-way trafficway not divided.
  • Jan
    29
    2025
    Texas
    Property damage only
    Wet road, dark - not lighted, two-way trafficway not divided. Citation issued.

About “In the news”: these links go to third-party news reports that FRED Score matched automatically to FMCSA crash records — same date and place, with a truck or bus involved, and the same number of deaths or, for a crash that released hazardous materials, the release — and checked a second time before showing. A link doesn't mean this motor carrier caused the crash: FMCSA crash reports don't assign fault, and news coverage can be incomplete or wrong. FRED Score doesn't verify or endorse what the articles say.

1 more in the FMCSA records below.

Insurance filed with FMCSA

FMCSA record through Nov 7, 2026
Today · live FMCSA check
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Liability (BIPD)
$750,000 · ZURICH AMERICAN INSURANCE COMPANY
on record since Dec 16, 2022 · FMCSA minimum $750,000 · no gap on FMCSA's record since Jan 2020
Cargo filing
not required by FMCSA (household-goods motor carriers only); the cargo policy is not on FMCSA's record
36 months to Nov 7, 2026
  • One liability insurer throughout
  • No gap in filed liability coverage while liability was required

Operating authority active (FMCSA's new registration system, status since Dec 28, 2020)

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
  • Texas (HQ) 132
  • New Mexico 1

Mostly inspected in its home state (99%).