SUNSET CARTAGE INC

DOT# 811682 MC# 360756 Crystal Lake, IL Authorized For-Hire / Exempt For-Hire
(847) 658-4342 gsennott@gosunset.com 1320 S Virginia Road, Crystal Lake IL 60014
70 tractors · all leased 70 drivers 5.6M mi/yr · ~81k per unit
Marginal
FRED Score 31.1 / 100
Moderate confidence
27 yrs history · 41 roadside inspections

FMCSA Live Status

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Fleet & equipment

Power units
70
Drivers · CDL
70 · 70
Annual miles
5.6M
Type Own Term Trip Total
Trucks 0 0 0 0
Tractors 0 70 0 70
Trailers 0 150 0 150

Registration

Organization
CORPORATION
FMCSA Rating
Satisfactory (07-27-2005) · 21 yr old
Registered
05-21-1999 (27 yrs)
MCS-150 Update
02-12-2026 (Biennial Update)
FRED Score Date
Nov 08, 2026
Officer
DONALD MUELLER

Cargo

62.6
medium risk
Machinery/Large Objects General Freight Building Materials Construction Garbage/Refuse
High-Risk Cargo
Machinery Large, 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.

Expected crash rate is about 1.5× that of similar fleets.

Similar fleets: interstate fleets of 50–99 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 1.54×
ExcellentStrongSatisf.MarginalPoorCritical
▲ Similar fleets 1.0×
Expected crashes, next 12 months
4.2 vs 2.7 for similar fleets
Likely 1–8 crashes
This motor carrier
4.2
Similar fleets
2.7
Chance of a fatal crash, next 12 months
~11%
About 1.5× similar fleets.
What's driving the grade
Crash history
betterworse
Leans worse, not yet proven. 12 crashes on the FMCSA record in 24 months (about 6 a year), including 4 with injuries; similar fleets have about 2.7 a year. The grade counts 20 crashes in its 36-month scoring window, recent ones weighted most.
Roadside inspections
betterworse
Worse than peers. Out-of-service orders 1.67× and violations 1.50× the rate expected for its inspections. Together they move its crash estimate +7%: 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.

  • Injury crashes
    4 crashes with 4 people hurt in 24 months.
    Ask: claim status and driver history for these crashes.
  • Lights and tires
    Lights are 7 of 25 violations (28%). Light or tire defects led to 7 out-of-service orders.
    Ask: the preventive-maintenance schedule and shop records.
  • Vehicle out-of-service rate
    47.1% of vehicle inspections end out of service vs 22.3% nationally (8 of 17). Across all its inspections, out-of-service orders run 1.67× what's expected for where and how it's inspected.
Strengths
  • Driver out-of-service rate 0.0% vs 6.7% national.
  • No FMCSA BASIC alerts.
Data flags
  • Dangerous driving: 1

Track record

FMCSA record, Oct 2024 – Sep 2026 · grade scored on Oct 1, 2023 → Oct 31, 2026
Crashes
12
0 fatalities · 4 injuries · 0 tow-aways
Inspections
41
66% clean (no violations)
Vehicle out-of-service
47.1%
8 of 17
National avg 22.3%
Driver out-of-service
0.0%
0 of 41
National avg 6.7%
Violations
25
8 out-of-service

Inspected less often than interstate fleets of 50–99 trucks in Illinois (about 132 in 24 months would be typical).

Inspections per quarter With an out-of-service order
Q4 '24: 8 inspections, 2 out of service 8 Q4 '24 Q1 '25: 8 inspections, 1 out of service 8 Q1 '25 Q2 '25: 5 inspections, 1 out of service 5 Q2 '25 Q3 '25: 0 inspections, 0 out of service 0 Q3 '25 Q4 '25: 5 inspections, 0 out of service 5 Q4 '25 Q1 '26: 6 inspections, 2 out of service 6 Q1 '26 Q2 '26: 4 inspections, 1 out of service 4 Q2 '26 Q3 '26: 5 inspections, 1 out of service 5 Q3 '26
vs 4,136 peer fleets
This motor carrierPeers
Crashes 0.071 0.026
Inspections 0.47 0.97
Violations 0.18 0.57
Critical violations 0.06 0.12

Yearly rates from the last 24 months. Peers: interstate fleets, 50–99 power units, medium-risk cargo.

What they get cited for

25 violations · 24 months
  • Vehicle maintenance No alert
    19 · 8 OOS
    Lights 7 · Tires 7 · Cargo securement 3 · Brakes 1 · Other parts 1
  • Unsafe driving No alert
    6 · 0 OOS
    Reckless / lane 4 · Speeding 2
  • Hours of service No alert
    0
  • Driver fitness 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
  • Mar
    16
    2026
    Illinois
    Property damage only
    Snow road, dark - not lighted, snow, two-way trafficway divided unprotected median.
  • Jan
    14
    2026
    Illinois
    Property damage only
    Ice road, daylight, snow, two-way trafficway divided unprotected median.
  • Dec
    19
    2025
    Illinois
    Property damage only
    Dark - not lighted.
  • Dec
    17
    2025
    Illinois
    Injury · 1 person hurt
    Wet road, daylight, two-way trafficway divided unprotected median. FMCSA: not preventable.
  • Oct
    6
    2025
    Illinois
    Injury · 1 person hurt
    Daylight, two-way trafficway divided unprotected median. FMCSA: not preventable.
  • Sep
    3
    2025
    Illinois
    Property damage only
    Daylight, fog, two-way trafficway divided unprotected median. FMCSA: not preventable.
  • Jul
    30
    2025
    Illinois
    Property damage only
    Wet road, daylight, rain, two-way trafficway divided unprotected median. FMCSA: not preventable.
  • Jun
    30
    2025
    Illinois
    Injury · 1 person hurt
    Daylight, two-way trafficway divided unprotected median. Citation issued.

4 more in the FMCSA records below.

Insurance filed with FMCSA

FMCSA record through May 14, 2026 · no change recorded by FMCSA since
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Last on FMCSA's record (May 14, 2026)
$1,000,000 · THE CINCINNATI INSURANCE CO.
on record since Oct 20, 2020 · FMCSA minimum $1,000,000 · no gap on FMCSA's record since May 1999
Cargo filing
not required by FMCSA (household-goods motor carriers only); the cargo policy is not on FMCSA's record
36 months to May 14, 2026
  • One liability insurer throughout
  • No gap in filed liability coverage while liability was required

Operating authority active (FMCSA's L&I record of May 14, 2026, status since Oct 22, 2007)

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
  • Illinois (HQ) 37
  • Wisconsin 3
  • Indiana 1

Mostly inspected in its home state (90%).