Dispute
Motor Carrier Safety Report
DOT #548880 · COWAN SYSTEMS LLC
Generated

COWAN SYSTEMS LLC

DOT# 548880 MC# 271882 Baltimore, MD Authorized For-Hire
(410) 247-0800 lhall@cowansystems.com 4555 Hollins Ferry Road, Baltimore MD 21227
1,882 tractors 1,882 drivers 143.7M mi/yr · ~76k per unit
HazMat Intrastate Only
Marginal
FRED Score 37.5 / 100
High confidence
32 yrs history · 2,153 roadside inspections

FMCSA Live Status

Checking FMCSA…

Fleet & equipment

Power units
1,882
Drivers · CDL
1,882 · 1,882
Annual miles
143.7M
Type Own Term Trip Total
Trucks 0 0 0 0
Tractors 1677 205 0 1882
Trailers 7201 298 0 7499

Registration

Organization
CORPORATION
FMCSA Rating
Satisfactory (09-07-2006) · 20 yr old
Registered
01-28-1994 (32 yrs)
MCS-150 Update
04-28-2026 (Address Change)
FRED Score Date
Nov 07, 2026
Officer
Kyle Palucis
Officer
SHELLY A DUMAS-MAGNIN

Cargo

58.6
medium risk
Metal: Sheets/Coils/Rolls Intermodal Containers Meat Refrigerated Food General Freight Fresh Produce Beverages Paper Products Chemicals
High-Risk Cargo
General Freight, Refrigerated Food, Meat

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.

Intrastate Only

Intrastate-only carrier — not required to file MCS-150. May be inspected less frequently than interstate carriers. Safety rates may have lower statistical confidence.

Expected crash rate is about 38% higher than similar fleets.

Similar fleets: for-hire fleets of 500+ 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 1.38×
ExcellentStrongSatisf.MarginalPoorCritical
▲ Similar fleets 1.0×
Expected crashes, next 12 months
69.9 vs 50.8 for similar fleets
Likely 52–89 crashes
This motor carrier
69.9
Similar fleets
50.8
Chance of a fatal crash, next 12 months
~84%
About 1.4× similar fleets.
What's driving the grade
Crash history
betterworse
Worse than peers. 127 crashes on the FMCSA record in 24 months (about 64 a year), including 3 fatal (3 deaths) and 46 with injuries; similar fleets have about 51 a year. The grade counts 222 crashes in its 36-month scoring window, recent ones weighted most.
Roadside inspections
betterworse
Better than peers. Violations 0.56× and out-of-service orders 0.70× the rate expected for its inspections. Together they move its crash estimate -5%: roadside results weigh far less than crash history. It's inspected more often than most fleets its size.

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
    3 crashes with 3 fatalities in 24 months (most recent Feb 2, 2026).
    Ask: the accident register and loss runs for these crashes.
  • Injury crashes
    46 crashes with 68 people hurt in 24 months.
    Ask: claim status and driver history for these crashes.
  • Lapse in liability filings
    730 days without a liability filing on FMCSA's record (Nov 2, 2023 – Nov 1, 2025) while the authority required one. A filing received later can be back-dated and close a lapse. Not in the grade.
    Ask: what covered the fleet during the gap.
  • Drivers put out of service
    21 out-of-service violations against drivers: 12 no valid CDL, 5 medical certificate, 4 hours of service (Oct 2024 – Sep 2026).
    Ask: driver supervision and dispatch practices.
  • Brakes and lights
    Brakes are 340 of 1300 violations (26%). Brake or light defects led to 165 out-of-service orders.
    Ask: the preventive-maintenance schedule and shop records.
  • Hazmat violations
    6 hazmat violations, 1 out of service.
Strengths
  • Driver out-of-service rate 0.9% vs 6.7% national.
  • No FMCSA BASIC alerts.
Data flags
  • Reckless driving: 1
  • Dangerous driving: 84
  • Excessive speeding: 23

Track record

FMCSA record, Sep 2024 – Sep 2026 · grade scored on Sep 1, 2023 → Sep 30, 2026
Crashes
127
3 fatalities · 68 injuries · 0 tow-aways
Inspections
2,153
66% clean (no violations)
Vehicle out-of-service
22.7%
259 of 1,143
National avg 22.3%
Driver out-of-service
0.9%
19 of 2,153
National avg 6.7%
Violations
1,300
323 out-of-service
Inspections per quarter With an out-of-service order
Q4 '24: 294 inspections, 35 out of service 294 Q4 '24 Q1 '25: 242 inspections, 21 out of service 242 Q1 '25 Q2 '25: 317 inspections, 30 out of service 317 Q2 '25 Q3 '25: 247 inspections, 38 out of service 247 Q3 '25 Q4 '25: 241 inspections, 23 out of service 241 Q4 '25 Q1 '26: 276 inspections, 40 out of service 276 Q1 '26 Q2 '26: 282 inspections, 46 out of service 282 Q2 '26 Q3 '26: 244 inspections, 38 out of service 244 Q3 '26
Sep 25–30, 2024 isn't charted (too little of that quarter is on file); the 24-month totals include its 10 inspections.
vs 453 peer fleets
This motor carrierPeers
Crashes 0.034 0.022
Inspections 0.84 0.63
Violations 0.35 0.22
Critical violations 0.07 0.05

Yearly rates from the last 24 months. Peers: 500+ power units, medium-risk cargo.

What they get cited for

1,300 violations · 24 months
  • Vehicle maintenance No alert
    926 · 301 OOS
    Brakes 340 · Lights 272 · Tires 112 · Wheels & hubs 31 · Cargo securement 26 · 145 more
  • Unsafe driving No alert
    237 · 0 OOS
    Reckless / lane 134 · Seat belt 32 · Phone use 26 · Speeding 23 · Other 22
  • Hours of service No alert
    112 · 4 OOS
    Logbook / ELD paperwork 56 · Over hours limit 36 · No log 19 · False log 1
  • Driver fitness No alert
    19 · 17 OOS
    No valid CDL 14 · Medical certificate 5
  • Drugs & alcohol No alert
    0
  • Hazmat
    6 · 1 OOS
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
  • Aug
    13
    2026
    Georgia
    Property damage only
    Dark - lighted, two-way trafficway divided unprotected median.
  • Aug
    11
    2026
    Michigan
    Property damage only
    Daylight, two-way trafficway divided unprotected median. Citation issued.
  • Jul
    17
    2026
    Pennsylvania
    Injury · 1 person hurt
    Daylight.
  • Jul
    11
    2026
    Pennsylvania
    Property damage only
    Dark - not lighted.
  • Jul
    3
    2026
    New Jersey
    Injury · 1 person hurt
    Dark - lighted, two-way trafficway divided unprotected median.
  • Jun
    29
    2026
    North Carolina
    Property damage only
    Wet road, dark - not lighted, two-way trafficway divided unprotected median.
  • Jun
    26
    2026
    Alabama
    Property damage only
    Wet road, dark - lighted, fog, one-way trafficway not divided.
  • Jun
    23
    2026
    Georgia
    Injury · 1 person hurt
    Dark - not lighted, two-way trafficway divided unprotected median.

119 more in the FMCSA records below.

Insurance filed with FMCSA

FMCSA record through Nov 2, 2026
Today · live FMCSA check
Checking FMCSA…
Liability (BIPD)
$1,000,000 · General Insurance Company of America
on record since Nov 1, 2025 · FMCSA minimum $1,000,000
Cargo filing
on file · Old Republic Insurance Company since Nov 1, 2025
Broker or forwarder bond
$75,000 surety bond (BMC-84) · Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America since Nov 1, 2025
36 months to Nov 2, 2026
  • 1 liability insurer on FMCSA's record, 1 change: UNITED STATES FIRE INSURANCE CO. → General Insurance Company of America (Nov 2025)
  • 730 days without a liability filing (Nov 2, 2023 – Nov 1, 2025) while the authority required one; a later back-dated filing can close a lapse

Operating authority active (FMCSA's new registration system, status since May 30, 2000)

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
  • Maryland (HQ) 538
  • New York 207
  • Georgia 197
  • Pennsylvania 155
  • Virginia 141
  • North Carolina 125
  • New Jersey 107
  • Connecticut 83

25% of inspections were in its home state.

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/548880