ELK FREIGHT INC
FMCSA Live Status
Fleet & equipment
- Power units
- 123
- Drivers · CDL
- 123 · 123
- Annual miles
- 14.6M
| Type | Own | Term | Trip | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trucks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tractors | 8 | 115 | 0 | 123 |
| Trailers | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
Registration
- Registered
- 05-16-2026
- MCS-150 Update
- 10-23-2026
- FRED Score Date
- Nov 08, 2026
- Officer
- RALPH JOHNSON
- Officer
- MELISSA JOHNSON
Cargo
- 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.
Its risk relativity (0.72× similar fleets) would put it in Strong; this rule holds it at Satisfactory:
- Strong withheld: the posterior is not confident enough that risk sits below 0.76× class
The downside is never capped.
Expected crash rate is probably lower than similar fleets (about an 80% chance), but the record is too thin to say by how much.
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.
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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Injury crashes2 crashes with 2 people hurt in 24 months.Ask: claim status and driver history for these crashes.
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Driver qualification3 out-of-service violations against drivers: 2 English proficiency, 1 no valid CDL (Sep 2025 – Oct 2025).Ask: driver qualification files and hiring standards.
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Tires and lightsTires are 9 of 50 violations (18%). Tire or light defects led to 10 out-of-service orders.Ask: the preventive-maintenance schedule and shop records.
- Driver out-of-service rate 5.0% vs 6.7% national.
- No FMCSA BASIC alerts.
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Dangerous driving: 4
Track record
Inspected less often than interstate fleets of 100–199 trucks in Kansas (about 128 in 24 months would be typical).
| This motor carrier | Peers | |
|---|---|---|
| Crashes | 0.049 | 0.025 |
| Inspections | 1.04 | 0.97 |
| Violations | 0.81 | 0.54 |
| Critical violations | 0.24 | 0.10 |
Yearly rates from the last 24 months. Peers: interstate fleets, 100–199 power units, medium-risk cargo.
What they get cited for
50 violations · 24 months-
Vehicle maintenance No alert30 · 11 OOSTires 9 · Lights 7 · Brakes 6 · Wheels & hubs 4 · Other parts 4
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Unsafe driving No alert9 · 0 OOSReckless / lane 3 · Speeding 3 · Seat belt 2 · Other 1
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Hours of service No alert8 · 0 OOSLogbook / ELD paperwork 6 · False log 1 · No log 1
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Driver fitness No alert3 · 3 OOSEnglish proficiency 2 · No valid CDL 1
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Drugs & alcohol No alert0
Violations by quarter
Tap a category to show or hide itCrashes
24 months-
Oct242025VirginiaProperty damage onlyDaylight, two-way trafficway divided unprotected median.
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Jun232025MarylandInjury · 1 person hurtDaylight, two-way trafficway divided unprotected median.
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May302025IndianaInjury · 1 person hurtDaylight, two-way trafficway divided unprotected median.
2 of the 3 crashes hurt someone but killed no one.
Insurance filed with FMCSA
FMCSA record through Nov 7, 2026- Liability (BIPD)
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$1,000,000 · National Specialty Insurance Companyon record since Aug 23, 2026 · FMCSA minimum $750,000 · no gap on FMCSA's record since Mar 20211 other liability filing also on file
- 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: PROGRESSIVE SOUTHEASTERN INSURANCE COMPANY → National Specialty Insurance Company (Jun 2026)
- 2 cancellation notices filed by insurers; 2 took effect (the last Feb 13, 2025, replaced the same day)
- No gap in filed liability coverage while liability was required
- FMCSA notice served Jul 24, 2026 (suspension effective Aug 23, 2026); the authority stayed active. 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.
- FMCSA notices resolved in time: 3
Operating authority active (FMCSA's new registration system, status since Apr 15, 2021)
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
5 filings and 4 authority events since 2021 · FMCSA record through Nov 7, 2026
Newest first. Insurer names as filed. FMCSA does not publish why a filing was cancelled.
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Aug 23, 2026National Specialty Insurance CompanyLiability · $1,000,000 · on fileFMCSA's new system
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Jul 24, 2026FMCSA suspension notice for the operating authority, effective Aug 23, 2026the authority stayed activeFMCSA's new system
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Jun 10, 2026National Specialty Insurance CompanyLiability · $1,000,000 · ended Aug 23, 2026 · superseded by the same policy2 months in forceFMCSA's new system
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Feb 13, 2025PROGRESSIVE SOUTHEASTERN INSURANCE COMPANYLiability · $750,000 · on fileFMCSA's new system
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Jan 17, 2025FMCSA revocation notice for the operating authority, dropped Feb 10, 2025opened after PROGRESSIVE SOUTHEASTERN INSURANCE COMPANY filed a cancellation notice (effective Feb 13, 2025)L&I to May 14, 2026
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Apr 8, 2024PROGRESSIVE SOUTHEASTERN INSURANCE COMPANYLiability · $750,000 · ended Feb 13, 2025 · cancellation notice took effect10 months in forceL&I to May 14, 2026
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Mar 12, 2024FMCSA revocation notice for the operating authority, dropped Mar 19, 2024opened after PROGRESSIVE SOUTHEASTERN INSURANCE COMPANY filed a cancellation notice (effective Apr 8, 2024)L&I to May 14, 2026
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Apr 15, 2021Operating authority grantedL&I to May 14, 2026
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Mar 9, 2021PROGRESSIVE SOUTHEASTERN INSURANCE COMPANYLiability · $750,000 · ended Apr 8, 2024 · cancellation notice took effect37 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
- California 8
- Ohio 8
- Pennsylvania 6
- Arizona 4
- New Mexico 4
- Tennessee 4
- Arkansas 3
- Illinois 3
Runs well beyond its home state: 3 of 60 inspections were in Kansas.
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 (123 power units: 123 filed, 29 seen roadside in 24 months).
We'd expect a typical fleet of 123 power units this active to have about 3.6 crashes a year. This motor carrier recorded 3 in its scoring window (Oct 1, 2023 → Sep 30, 2026, about 1.0 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 2.6 over the next 12 — below a typical fleet. When this motor carrier does crash, those crashes tend to be substantially more severe than average — roughly 3.2× 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.
- Strong withheld: the posterior is not confident enough that risk sits below 0.76× class
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 | 8 | 0.60 | |
| HOS Compliance | 5 | 0.40 | |
| Driver Fitness | 3 | 0.33 | |
| Controlled Substances | 0 | 0.00 | |
| Vehicle Maintenance | 16 | 6.40 |
SMS record data is sourced from FMCSA's Safety Measurement System (01-JAN-26 – 31-MAY-25) and may cover a different time window than the scoring window used for the FRED grade (Oct 1, 2023 → Oct 31, 2026). Counts here may differ from the grade's in-window counts.