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Motor Carrier Safety Report
USDOT 456821 · VALLEY TRANSPORTATION SERVICE INC
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VALLEY TRANSPORTATION SERVICE INC

USDOT 456821 MC 238157 Grand Meadow, MN Authorized For-Hire
195 power units 200 drivers 18.1M mi/yr
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Marginal
FRED Score 41.2 / 100 The FRED Score (0–100, higher is better) compares this motor carrier's expected crash rate with that of similar fleets. It is an analytical opinion, not an FMCSA safety rating.
High confidence
35 yrs history · 594 roadside inspections in 24 months
Scored Nov 8, 2026
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  • Expected crashes over the next 12 months, against similar fleets
  • What drives the grade: crash history and roadside record
  • Worth a closer look: the flags to ask about, with the questions
  • How it compares with similar fleets, per power unit and per mile
  • Cargo risk, and news reports linked to its crashes
  • How the grade is calculated, and its history week by week

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Fleet, registration and cargo

Fleet and equipment

Power units
195
Drivers · CDL
200 · 200
Annual miles
18.1M ~93k per unit
TypeOwnTermTripTotal
Trucks1102
Tractors154390193
Trailers26590274

Registration

Organization
CORPORATION
Operation
Interstate
Authority type
Authorized For-Hire
FMCSA rating
Satisfactory (Jan 3, 2012)14 yrs old
Registered
Aug 28, 1991 (35 yrs)
MCS-150 update
Jan 5, 2026 (Biennial Update)
DUNS
790258727
Officers
KARSEN ULWELLING · BRADLEY GRAFE
Phone
(507) 754-5558
Email
bgrafe@valleytransinc.com
Address
73137 St Hwy 16, Grand Meadow MN 55936

Cargo

Cargo risk score FRED’s estimate from the commodities it hauls Log in
Household GoodsMotor VehiclesDrive/Tow AwayMetal: Sheets/Coils/RollsMachinery/Large ObjectsIntermodal ContainersOilfield EquipmentGeneral FreightLogs/Poles/Beams/LumberBuilding MaterialsFresh ProduceBeveragesGrain/Feed/HayDry BulkPaper ProductsFarm SuppliesConstruction

“General Freight” is a catch-all; the actual cargo mix and its risk may differ.

FMCSA status today

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Roadside and crash record

FMCSA record, Sep 2024 – Sep 2026
Crashes
19
2 fatal (3 deaths) · 8 injury · 13 people hurt in all
Inspections
594
62% clean (no violations)
Vehicle out-of-service
32.4%
92 of 284 vehicle inspections
Driver out-of-service
0.7%
4 of 594 driver inspections
Violations
431
124 out-of-service violations
Inspections per quarter With an out-of-service order
Q4 '24: 70 inspections, 7 out of service 70 Q4 '24 Q1 '25: 79 inspections, 9 out of service 79 Q1 '25 Q2 '25: 65 inspections, 7 out of service 65 Q2 '25 Q3 '25: 73 inspections, 12 out of service 73 Q3 '25 Q4 '25: 86 inspections, 15 out of service 86 Q4 '25 Q1 '26: 84 inspections, 18 out of service 84 Q1 '26 Q2 '26: 73 inspections, 15 out of service 73 Q2 '26 Q3 '26: 59 inspections, 14 out of service 59 Q3 '26
Sep 25–30, 2024 isn't charted (too little of that quarter is on file); the 24-month totals include its 5 inspections.
How it compares with similar fleets Crashes, inspections and violations per power unit and per mile, against fleets like this one Log in

Violations

431 on the FMCSA record, Sep 2024 – Sep 2026
  • Vehicle maintenance No alert
    330 · 119 out-of-service
    Lights 102 · Brakes 73 · Tires 61 · Cargo securement 45 · Wheels & hubs 17 · 32 more
  • Unsafe driving No alert
    55 · 0 out-of-service
    Speeding 33 · Reckless / lane 14 · Seat belt 4 · Phone use 2 · Other 2
  • Hours of service No alert
    41 · 0 out-of-service
    Logbook / ELD paperwork 28 · No log 6 · False log 4 · Over hours limit 3
  • Driver fitness No alert
    5 · 5 out-of-service
    No valid CDL 5
  • Drugs & alcohol No alert
    0
Out-of-service share of each category. “No alert” = under FMCSA's BASIC intervention threshold.

Violations by quarter

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6 violations fall outside the charted quarters; the 24-month totals include them.

Crashes

FMCSA record, Sep 2024 – Sep 2026 · crash reports through Sep 15, 2026
  • Aug
    7
    2026
    Aug 7, 2026 · Missouri
    Injury · 1 person hurt
    Daylight.
  • Jun
    22
    2026
    Jun 22, 2026 · Minnesota
    Injury · 3 people hurt
    Daylight, two-way trafficway divided unprotected median. Citation issued.
  • Apr
    3
    2026
    Apr 3, 2026 · Illinois
    Property damage only
    Daylight, two-way trafficway divided unprotected median.
  • Apr
    1
    2026
    Apr 1, 2026 · North Dakota
    Property damage only
    Snow road, daylight, snow, two-way trafficway divided unprotected median.
  • Feb
    20
    2026
    Feb 20, 2026 · Iowa
    Property damage only
    Ice road, daylight, two-way trafficway divided unprotected median.
  • Feb
    13
    2026
    Feb 13, 2026 · Ohio
    Fatal · 2 deaths
    Dark - not lighted, one-way trafficway not divided.
  • Feb
    4
    2026
    Feb 4, 2026 · Arkansas
    Injury · 1 person hurt
    Daylight, two-way trafficway divided unprotected median.
  • Jan
    22
    2026
    Jan 22, 2026 · North Carolina
    Property damage only
    Daylight, two-way trafficway divided unprotected median. FMCSA: not preventable.
News reports linked to these crashes Third-party reports matched to FMCSA crash records Log in

11 more on the FMCSA record.

Insurance filed with FMCSA

FMCSA record through Nov 7, 2026
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On FMCSA's filing record
Liability (BIPD)
$5,000,000 · Great West Casualty Co
on record since Nov 27, 2020 · FMCSA minimum $750,000 · no gap on FMCSA's record since May 1994
Cargo filing
not required by FMCSA (household-goods motor carriers only); the cargo policy is not on FMCSA's record
Broker or forwarder bond
required · none on file
36 months to Nov 7, 2026
  • One liability insurer throughout
  • No gap in filed liability coverage while liability was required
Authority events and every filing FMCSA’s full filing record back to the 1990s, and who else this insurer covers Log in

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

Where it operates

Loading map data…

Map: inspections and crashes from FMCSA's weekly files over 24 months.

Inspections by state
  • New Mexico 59
  • Colorado 47
  • Iowa 42
  • South Dakota 37
  • California 36
  • Tennessee 29
  • Montana 24
  • Nebraska 24

Runs well beyond its home state: 19 of 594 inspections were in Minnesota.

How this grade is calculated, and its history The model behind the grade: factors, credibility, peer group and the score week by week Log in
Data sourced from FMCSA. The FRED Score is an analytical opinion and is not an FMCSA safety rating. Unless a motor carrier has received an Unsatisfactory safety rating under 49 CFR Part 385 or has otherwise been ordered to discontinue operations by FMCSA, it is authorized to operate. This information is provided for informational purposes only and should not be the sole basis for any decision. Report generated · fred-score.com/carrier/456821