Carrier profile · USDOT 201734 · MC-157313 · FMCSA profile data as of Nov 3, 2026

Kotaco Fuels Inc

DBA NICHELSON OIL

106 power unitsavg 11.4 yrMulti-region · 11 statesFARGO, ND88/100

CARRIER ACTIVEMC-157313 ACTIVERATED SATISFACTORYHAZMAT

Observed fleet · trailing 24 mo daily

106Power units

61 observed · MCS-150

54Trailers seen

Decoded · vPIC

11.4Avg age (yr)

1998–2026 · vPIC

Call dispatch(701) 232-9215 Email dispatch[email protected]

Click to see how we scored it

Load decision · FMCSA profile data as of Nov 3, 2026

Clear to load

Clear under the current scoring — review the flagged signal below before loading.

Watch · 1

Fatal crash on record1 crash(es) involving a fatality are on this carrier's record.

In good standing · 4

Active operating authorityActive for-hire authority is on file with FMCSA.Insurance on fileBIPD (liability) insurance is on file with FMCSA.Established 52 yearsOperating authority has been on file since 1974.Out-of-service rates below national averageBoth vehicle and driver OOS rates beat the national benchmark across 215 inspections.

USDOT registration

yr registered

Active for-hire

Insurance (BIPD)$5M in force

FMCSA L&I

Vehicle OOS · 24-mo15.7%

▼ 22.26% nat'l

Crashes · fatal

4 in 24 mo

Vektor intelligence · beyond the federal recordProprietary signals computed from VIN-decoded inspections & daily FMCSA snapshots

Fleet typeIdentity

Asset-based

106 power units. Brokers price each fleet type apart.

Fleet age vs peersTypical

11.4 yr

Model years 1998–2026 · peer benchmark unavailable.

Identity stabilityStable

52 yr unchanged

Same registration since 1974 — no chameleon / reincarnation signal.

Cross-border activity

No border inspections on record

5 other inspections in border states, with no named crossing match.

A named inspection location does not confirm a border transit or operating authority. Counts cover retained inspection records.

Before you tender

What to check before you tender

CheckConfirm ELD provider and check recent HOS violations dates
7 hours-of-service violations on record, most recent Aug 4, 2026.

Safety

110 inspections · 24 mo · vs national benchmarks

FMCSA safety data as of Nov 4, 2026

Out-of-service rate· 24-mo cumulative · vs national

Vehicle OOS 15.7%24-mo cumulative

050%nat'l 22.26%

Driver OOS 0.9%24-mo cumulative

030%nat'l 6.67%

Every inspection in the window pooled — 83 vehicle and 110 driver inspections over 24 months.

Vehicle OOS rate· vehicle OOS · vehicle-level inspections · 6-month trailing

4.5% · latest 6-mo window▲ Rising

Share of vehicle-level roadside inspections in each trailing six-month window that resulted in a vehicle out-of-service order. Trending up 8.5 pts across the window. The national vehicle benchmark uses the same metric and is shown on the chart.

Roadside inspection history· 24 charted calendar months · vehicle / driver level · any-OOS overlay

105 inspections in the charted months · busiest month Apr '26 · 10

Vehicle-levelDriver-levelAny OOS

Monthly FMCSA roadside inspections across the 24 charted calendar months. Bars show level-qualified vehicle and driver populations; one inspection can qualify for both. The line shows inspections with any out-of-service result.

Inspection coverage· expected vs observed · the fraud signal

Inspection coverage

How heavily FMCSA inspects this fleet for its size — it tells you how much to trust the safety signals above. Thin coverage on a young authority is a fraud signal nobody else surfaces.

Expected band

Under-inspected

Expected

Well-monitored

Heavily inspected

≈0.5 / unit·yr

thin signalabundant signal

Roadside-inspection volume is about what you'd expect for a 106-unit fleet — enough signal to read the safety record, though not a heavy sample.

Registered power units: 106
Inspections · 24 mo: 110
Annualized: ≈55 / yr
Coverage: ≈0.5 inspections / unit · yr

Violation themes· decoded · grouped by BASIC

What this carrier actually gets cited for — FMCSA violation codes decoded into plain English, ranked by frequency.

392.2 State/local traffic law violation (speeding, etc.)Unsafe Driving43 · 0 OOS
393.45 Brake tubing / hose defectsVehicle Maintenance32 · 6 OOS
393.9 Inoperative required lampsVehicle Maintenance22 · 1 OOS
393.47 Brake actuators / linings / componentsVehicle Maintenance19 · 1 OOS
393.55 Antilock brake system (ABS)Vehicle Maintenance14 · 0 OOS
396.3 Inspection / repair / maintenance not performedVehicle Maintenance11 · 7 OOS
393.75 Tires (defective / underinflated / worn)Vehicle Maintenance8 · 3 OOS
393.48 Brakes inoperativeVehicle Maintenance6 · 0 OOS
393.53 Automatic brake adjusters / indicatorsVehicle Maintenance6 · 0 OOS
396.17 Periodic (annual) inspectionVehicle Maintenance5 · 0 OOS

Explore full safety record — inspections, BASICs, crashes

Authority & Insurance

Can they legally + adequately haul your load?

FMCSA authority & insurance data as of Nov 3, 2026

Operating authority· 49 CFR · per type

Operating authority

Common: None
Contract: Active
Broker: None

Insurance & bonds

BIPD / liability$5,000,000 in force

Cargo filing (census)Not recorded per census

Surety bond (census)Not recorded per census

Insurance adequacy· filed BIPD vs the $750K federal floor

$5M in forcegeneral-freight federal minimum

$750K floor

Filed BIPD coverage of $5M meets or exceeds the $750K federal minimum for general freight (49 CFR 387.9). Some commodities (hazmat, larger vehicles) require $1M–$5M — confirm against your load.

Insurance continuity· insurer · policy · lapses

$1M BIPD last filed ’17 · 1 insurer · 0 lapsesContinuous

Federated’87–now

1987199720072017now

BIPD in force — $5,000,000 · FEDERATED MUTUAL INSURANCE CO. · since Mar 2017

All 1 insurer era · dates, limits, renewals

Insurer	Period	Limit	Renewals
FEDERATED MUTUAL INSURANCE CO.	Jun 1987 → Mar 2017	$1M	9

Explore full authority & insurance record

Equipment

VIN-decoded · NHTSA vPIC

FMCSA equipment data as of Nov 4, 2026

Capacity· power units = haulable capacity; trailers are towed

Registered power units (MCS-150): 106
Observed power (24 mo): 61
Trailers (towed): 54

Capacity is power units only — trailers are towed equipment and are never summed into a fleet-size figure.

Fleet age· model years · decoded VINs

11.4 yr

Average age

2026

Newest model yr

1998

Oldest model yr

72.2%

VINs decoded

Explore full fleet — VIN roster, equipment mix, age distribution

Operations & Lanes

Revealed by inspection density across 11 states · 24 mo

FMCSA operations & lanes data as of Nov 4, 2026

Operating footprint· revealed by roadside-inspection geography

Operating radiusMulti-region

revealed

States observed

US states

Inspections · 24 mo

107

ND busiest

Inspections by state· roadside inspections, last 24 mo

North Dakota: 45 inspections
Colorado: 25 inspections
Nebraska: 15 inspections
South Dakota: 6 inspections
Wyoming: 6 inspections
Montana: 4 inspections
New Mexico: 2 inspections
Minnesota: 2 inspections
Arizona: 1 inspections
Missouri: 1 inspections

Home base

FARGO, ND

1902 7TH AVE N

Most inspections: ND

45 inspections

ND 45 · CO 25 · NE 15

See the full operating map — state density, top lanes

Network & Fraud

Affiliated entities & reincarnation signals · for review, not a verdict

FMCSA network & fraud data as of Nov 4, 2026

No shared-VIN flow in the last 12 months

None of this carrier's trucks were inspected under another USDOT in the last 12 months — any shared equipment is historical, not active.

Show all-time history (25 trucks · 23 carriers)

Across all inspections on record: USDOT 2824988 USDOT 2843119 USDOT 630320 USDOT 954120 USDOT 4161899 USDOT 3620076 USDOT 3036912 USDOT 898626

Shares a registration email domain with other carriers

@kotacofuels.com — 2 carriers: USDOT 3928391

Capacity consistency· registered vs roadside-observed power units

Registered (MCS-150)

106

Observed (24 mo)

Shared w/ other carriers

Registered capacity materially exceeds what is observed roadside — the MCS-150 may be stale or the fleet under-utilized.

Explore the carrier network & VIN cross-links

Identity & Federal

FMCSA census + L&I dossier

FMCSA identity & federal data as of Nov 4, 2026

Location

Physical address: 1902 7TH AVE N, FARGO, ND, 58102
Operation: Interstate· Hazmat

Contact

Phone: (701) 232-9215
Fax: (701) 237-6932
Email: [email protected]
Web domain: kotacofuels.com

Registration

Officer: Shelly Flaagan
USDOT / docket: 201734 · MC-157313
First registered: Jun 1, 1974
Last MCS-150: May 9, 2025 · 6,000,000 mi (2024)
FMCSA safety rating: Satisfactory · Sep 15, 2005
D-U-N-S: —

Fleet (self-reported · MCS-150)

106

Power units

133

Drivers

133

CDL drivers

6,000,000

Annual mileage

Open the full identity & federal record

Federal activity

Daily-captured FMCSA licensing & insurance changes — monitored by Vektor

FMCSA federal activity data as of Nov 4, 2026

Federal record activity· monitored daily by Vektor

No licensing or insurance changes captured since Vektor began monitoring this carrier (June 2026). Quiet is usually good.

Open the full federal-record activity feed

Reviews

Verified broker, shipper & driver reviews — moderated

Performance ratings only — never the Vektor risk score

No verified reviews yet

Be the first broker or shipper to rate KOTACO FUELS INC. Reviews cover performance only — on-time delivery, payment speed, communication — and never affect the Vektor risk score.

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16%

vehicle out-of-service rate

Safety and violations

13 of 83 eligible vehicle inspections had a vehicle OOS finding.

FMCSA roadside inspections, Nov 2024 to Nov 2026.

147violation records

20OOS-tagged records

13 of 83inspections with OOS

What the violations were

FMCSA BASIC themes in plain language: vehicle maintenance, driver fitness, hours of service and unsafe driving. Roadside records grouped without double counting.

Brakes

518%4 / 51

Other vehicle maintenance

3037%11 / 30

Unsafe driving

270%0 / 27

Other / unclassified

1817%3 / 18

Lights

157%1 / 15

Hours of service

617%1 / 6

Bar = record count; % = OOS share.

Vehicle OOS over time

Eligible vehicle inspections in six-month windows; no national comparison.

30%

15%

30%

13%Nov 24 to May 252 / 15

24%May 25 to Nov 258 / 33

14%Nov 25 to May 262 / 14

5%May 26 to Nov 261 / 21

Top 3 codes (29 of 147 records)

393.47E Brake actuators / linings / components13
393.45B2-B-AIR Brake tubing / hose defects10
393.45D-B Brake tubing / hose defects6

View all

393.48A-BIBD Brakes inoperative6
396.3A1-BOS Inspection / repair / maintenance not performed6
392.2-SLLEWA3 State/local traffic law violation (speeding, etc.)5
392.2-SLLEWA2 State/local traffic law violation (speeding, etc.)4
393.55E-B Antilock brake system (ABS)4
393.9A-LBL Inoperative required lamps4
396.17C-PI Periodic (annual) inspection4
178.345-6-HMP Other violation3
392.2-SLLEWA1 State/local traffic law violation (speeding, etc.)3
392.2-SLLEWG2 State/local traffic law violation (speeding, etc.)3
392.2-SLLEWG3 State/local traffic law violation (speeding, etc.)3
393.53B-B Automatic brake adjusters / indicators3
393.75A3-TAOL Tires (defective / underinflated / worn)3
393.78A-WS Windshield wipers3
395.24 ELD — record edits / data3
396.5B-L Oil and/or grease leak3
107.620B-HMAMC Other violation2
172.328D-HMM Other violation2
172.600C1-HMER Other violation2
392.2-SLLEQP State/local traffic law violation (speeding, etc.)2
393.45B2-BHTD Brake tubing / hose defects2
393.45D-BAAL Brake tubing / hose defects2
393.55C2-B Antilock brake system (ABS)2
393.75C-TAOTD-LT2/32 Tires (defective / underinflated / worn)2
393.9A-LRLI Inoperative required lamps2
172.502A1-HMPP Other violation1
172.516C6-HMPMC Other violation1
172.519D1-HMPMC Other violation1
172.602A-HMER Other violation1
173.24B1-HMNBP Other violation1
177.817A-HMSP Other violation1
177.817E2-HMHC Other violation1
177.823A-HMTVMCMID Other violation1
390.21TC-MC USDOT number marking on vehicle1
392.16-D Failure to use seat belt1
392.2-SLLEWG1 State/local traffic law violation (speeding, etc.)1
392.2-SLLS2 State/local traffic law violation (speeding, etc.)1
392.2-SLLTCD State/local traffic law violation (speeding, etc.)1
392.2-SLLTR State/local traffic law violation (speeding, etc.)1
392.2IRP State/local traffic law violation (speeding, etc.)1
393.11A1-CSLRR Required lamps/reflectors missing1
393.11A1-CSURR Required lamps/reflectors missing1
393.11A1-LCL Required lamps/reflectors missing1
393.205C-WRAWFLMIB Parts & accessories (vehicle condition)1
393.207A-STCB Parts & accessories (vehicle condition)1
393.43A-TPV Parts & accessories (vehicle condition)1
393.47A-BCFSBD Brake actuators / linings / components1
393.53B Automatic brake adjusters / indicators1
393.55C1 Antilock brake system (ABS)1
393.60C Windshield / glazing1
393.78 Windshield wipers1
393.95A Emergency equipment (extinguisher, triangles)1
393.9A-HLLH Inoperative required lamps1
393.9A-LCL Inoperative required lamps1
393.9A-LFTSI Inoperative required lamps1
393.9A-LLPL Inoperative required lamps1
393.9A-LSLI Inoperative required lamps1
393.9A-LSLIWR Inoperative required lamps1
395.3A1-HOSPD Driving beyond hours-of-service limits1
395.8E-HOSPDOOS Record of duty status (log / ELD) not current or missing1
395.8K2-HOSP Record of duty status (log / ELD) not current or missing1
396.3A1-ALBV Inspection / repair / maintenance not performed1
396.3A1-BALAC Inspection / repair / maintenance not performed1
396.3A1-OAL Inspection / repair / maintenance not performed1
397.13B-HMDP Hazardous materials transport1

Before you tender

Ask for current records for the assigned equipment and driver.

Brakes

Request current brake repair and follow-up inspection records for the assigned equipment.

Other vehicle maintenance

Check dated inspection records and current authority before tendering.

Unsafe driving

Check dated inspection records and current authority before tendering.

Safety and violations

Violation data is not available for this carrier right now.

Verification summaryAuthority, insurance, safety and identity facts for KOTACO FUELS INC.

KOTACO FUELS INC (USDOT 201734) has a Vektor safety score of 88/100 and a Clear to load verdict, from the carrier's FMCSA record. FMCSA profile data as of Nov 3, 2026.

The carrier holds active contract for-hire operating authority per FMCSA L&I. FMCSA authority data as of Nov 4, 2026.

It has an active BIPD insurance filing with a $5,000,000 limit in force from FEDERATED MUTUAL INSURANCE CO. effective Mar 1, 2017 in FMCSA L&I's current snapshot. FMCSA insurance data as of Nov 3, 2026.

Its vehicle out-of-service rate was 15.7% over the last 24 months, versus the 22.26% CVSA national average, from FMCSA roadside-inspection data. FMCSA safety data as of Nov 4, 2026.

The carrier received 110 roadside inspections in the last 24 months — 83 vehicle-level and 110 driver-level — across 11 states, according to FMCSA roadside-inspection data. FMCSA operations data as of Nov 4, 2026.

The carrier has 4 reportable crashes in the last 24 months and 1 fatal crash across the full FMCSA crash record available. FMCSA safety data as of Nov 4, 2026.

It reports 106 power units and 133 drivers in its most recent MCS-150 filing dated May 9, 2025. FMCSA identity data as of Nov 4, 2026.

It has an FMCSA safety rating of Satisfactory assigned Sep 15, 2005 in the federal record. FMCSA identity data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Frequently asked

What is KOTACO FUELS INC's USDOT number?

KOTACO FUELS INC's USDOT number is 201734, and its motor carrier number is MC-157313.

Is KOTACO FUELS INC authorized to operate?

FMCSA authority data as of Nov 4, 2026. KOTACO FUELS INC is active in the FMCSA register with common, contract, broker operating authority on file.

What is KOTACO FUELS INC's safety record?

KOTACO FUELS INC has a 15.7% vehicle out-of-service rate (national average 22.26%) across 215 roadside inspections, with 4 reportable crashes in the last 24 months, and an FMCSA "Satisfactory" safety rating. Vektor's computed risk score is 88/100 (tier: clear).