Fleet typeIdentity
Small fleet
7 power units. Brokers price each fleet type apart.
Carrier profile · USDOT 2188930
SOUTHERN FOREST PRODUCTS LLC
7 power unitsavg 12.6 yrRegional · 5 statesAPPALACHIA, VA
CARRIER ACTIVE
Observed fleet · trailing 24 mo daily
7Power units
6 observed · MCS-150
9Trailers seen
Decoded · vPIC
12.6Avg age (yr)
1999–2026 · vPIC
Click to see how we scored it
Load decision · FMCSA snapshot · 2026-06-13
Review before loading
Operating, but with flags a broker should weigh before tendering freight.
Established 15 yearsVehicle out-of-service rate above average
Operating authority1414 yr active
since 2011Insurance (BIPD)Unknown
FMCSA L&IVehicle OOS · 24mo33.333.3 %
▲ 22.26% nat'lCrashes · fatal11
1 in 24moVektor intelligence · beyond the federal recordProprietary signals computed from VIN-decoded inspections & daily FMCSA snapshots
Fleet age vs peersOlder
12.6 yr
Model years 1999–2026 · peer benchmark computing.
Identity stabilityStable
14 yr unchanged
Same registration since 2011 — no chameleon / reincarnation signal.
AI readFull read
Is SOUTHERN FOREST PRODUCTS LLC safe to work with?
Is SOUTHERN FOREST PRODUCTS LLC safe to load? SOUTHERN FOREST PRODUCTS LLC (USDOT 2188930) is an active small-fleet motor carrier based in APPALACHIA, VA, operating 7 power units and 5 drivers. Operating authority has been active 14 years (past the 24-month broker-confidence threshold). Across 30 roadside inspections, its vehicle out-of-service rate is 33.3% (above the 22.26% national average), with 1 reportable crash in the last 24 months. FMCSA has not assigned a safety rating. Vektor rates it review before loading (81/100), with the leading concern: fatal crash on record. Source: FMCSA SAFER/MCMIS, last updated 2026-06-13.
FMCSA fields + Vektor analysis · updated 2026-06-13
SFSOUTHERN FOREST PRODUCTS LLC 81
01
Safety
30 inspections · 24 mo · vs national benchmarks
Out-of-service rate· trailing 24 months vs national benchmark
Vehicle OOS 33.3% (24-mo)6 veh insp · 24-mo · nat'l 22.26%
050%nat'l 22.26%
Driver OOS 0.0% (24-mo)17 drv insp · 24-mo · nat'l 6.67%
030%nat'l 6.67%
OOS trajectory· trailing 6-mo vehicle-OOS rate vs national
0.0% now▲ Worsening
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.
Under-inspected
Expected
Well-monitored
Heavily inspected
≈1.2 / unit·yr
thin signalabundant signal
Within the expected band for a 7-unit fleet — FMCSA has inspected this carrier often enough that the out-of-service and violation signals above are statistically trustworthy.
- Registered power units
- 7
- Inspections · 24 mo
- 17
- Annualized
- ≈9 / yr
- Coverage
- ≈1.2 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 Driving6
- 393.9 Inoperative required lampsVehicle Maintenance4 · 1 OOS
- 396.5 Oil and/or grease leakVehicle Maintenance3
- 396.17 Periodic (annual) inspectionVehicle Maintenance2
- 393.100 Cargo securement (general)Vehicle Maintenance1 · 1 OOS
- 393.11 Required lamps/reflectors missingVehicle Maintenance1
- 393.45 Brake tubing / hose defectsVehicle Maintenance1 · 1 OOS
- 393.47 Brake actuators / linings / componentsVehicle Maintenance1
- 390.19 Unified registration / MCS-150Unsafe Driving1
- 393.55 Antilock brake system (ABS)Vehicle Maintenance1
02
Authority & insurance
Can they legally + adequately haul your load?
Insurance continuity· insurer · policy · lapses
No insurance filing history on record.
03
Equipment & fleet
VIN-decoded · NHTSA vPIC
Capacity· power units = haulable capacity; trailers are towed
- Registered power units (MCS-150)
- 7
- Observed power (24 mo)
- 6
- Trailers (towed)
- 9
Capacity is power units only — trailers are towed equipment and are never summed into a fleet-size figure.
Fleet age· model years · decoded VINs
Average age
2026
Newest model yr
1999
Oldest model yr
VINs decoded
04
Operations & lanes
Revealed by inspection density across 5 states · 24 mo
Operating footprint· revealed by roadside-inspection geography
Operating radiusRegional
revealedStates observed55
US statesInspections · 24 mo1717
VA busiestInspection density by state· each tile = a state · shade = inspections, last 24 mo
Home base
APPALACHIA, VA
Top corridor
VA
Density
fewermore
05
Network & fraud
Affiliated entities & reincarnation signals · for review, not a verdict
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 (2 trucks · 2 carriers)
Across all inspections on record: USDOT 2115653USDOT 4266598
Shares a company officer with other carriers
jeff gowder — 3 carriers: USDOT 799287USDOT 3089121
Capacity consistency· registered vs roadside-observed power units
Registered (MCS-150)77
Observed (24 mo)66
Shared w/ other carriers22
Registered and roadside-observed capacity are broadly consistent.
06
Identity & contact
FMCSA census + L&I dossier
Location
- Physical address
- 4101 KENT JUNCTION ROAD, APPALACHIA, VA, 24216
- Mailing address
- PO BOX 152, APPALACHIA, VA, 24216
- Operation
- Interstate
Contact
- Phone
- (276) 565-0220
- Fax
- (276) 565-0409
- Web domain
- southernforestproducts.com
Registration
- Officers
- Jeff Gowder · Tim Simmons
- USDOT / docket
- 2188930
- First registered
- 09/02/2011
- Last MCS-150
- 12/10/2025 · 39,125 mi (2025)
- FMCSA safety rating
- Not rated
- Recordable crash rate
- 0.00
- D-U-N-S
- —
Fleet (self-reported · MCS-150)
07
Federal activity
Daily-captured FMCSA licensing & insurance changes — monitored by Vektor
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.
08
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 SOUTHERN FOREST PRODUCTS LLC. Reviews cover performance only — on-time delivery, payment speed, communication — and never affect the Vektor risk score.
Leave a review09
Frequently asked
What is SOUTHERN FOREST PRODUCTS LLC's USDOT number?
SOUTHERN FOREST PRODUCTS LLC's USDOT number is 2188930.
Is SOUTHERN FOREST PRODUCTS LLC authorized to operate?
As of 2026-06-13, SOUTHERN FOREST PRODUCTS LLC is active in the FMCSA register.
What is SOUTHERN FOREST PRODUCTS LLC's safety record?
SOUTHERN FOREST PRODUCTS LLC has a 33.3% vehicle out-of-service rate (national average 22.26%) across 30 roadside inspections, with 1 reportable crash in the last 24 months, and is not currently rated by FMCSA. Vektor's computed risk score is 81/100 (tier: review).
How big is SOUTHERN FOREST PRODUCTS LLC's fleet?
SOUTHERN FOREST PRODUCTS LLC operates 7 power units and 5 drivers per its most recent MCS-150 filing.
Where is SOUTHERN FOREST PRODUCTS LLC based?
SOUTHERN FOREST PRODUCTS LLC is based in APPALACHIA, VA, with roadside inspections recorded across 5 states.