Fleet typeIdentity
Owner-operator
1 power units. Brokers price each fleet type apart.
Carrier profile · USDOT 2836609 · MC-949196
JAMES BATES
DBA BATES & SONS TRUCKING
1 power unitsavg 15.7 yrLocal · 1 statesJOHNSTON, SC
CARRIER ACTIVEMC-949196 ACTIVE
Observed fleet · trailing 24 mo daily
1Power units
1 observed · MCS-150
2Trailers seen
Decoded · vPIC
15.7Avg age (yr)
2002–2022 · 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 11 yearsNo reported crashesNo active operating authority
Operating authority1010 yr active
since 2016Insurance (BIPD)Unknown
FMCSA L&IVehicle OOS · 24mo100.0100.0 %
▲ 22.26% nat'lCrashes · fatal00
clean 24 moVektor intelligence · beyond the federal recordProprietary signals computed from VIN-decoded inspections & daily FMCSA snapshots
Fleet age vs peersOlder
15.7 yr
Model years 2002–2022 · peer benchmark computing.
Identity stabilityStable
10 yr unchanged
Same registration since 2016 — no chameleon / reincarnation signal.
AI readFull read
Is JAMES BATES safe to work with?
Is JAMES BATES safe to load? JAMES BATES (USDOT 2836609, MC-949196) is an active owner-operator motor carrier based in JOHNSTON, SC, operating 1 power unit and 1 driver. Operating authority has been active 10 years (past the 24-month broker-confidence threshold). Across 5 roadside inspections, its vehicle out-of-service rate is 100.0% (above the 22.26% national average), with 0 reportable crashes in the last 24 months. FMCSA has not assigned a safety rating. Vektor rates it review before loading (82/100), with the leading concern: no active operating authority. Source: FMCSA SAFER/MCMIS, last updated 2026-06-13.
FMCSA fields + Vektor analysis · updated 2026-06-13
JBJAMES BATES 82
01
Safety
5 inspections · 24 mo · vs national benchmarks
Out-of-service rate· trailing 24 months vs national benchmark
Vehicle OOS 100.0% (24-mo)1 veh insp · 24-mo · nat'l 22.26%
050%nat'l 22.26%
Driver OOS 0.0% (24-mo)2 drv insp · 24-mo · nat'l 6.67%
030%nat'l 6.67%
OOS trajectory· trailing 6-mo vehicle-OOS rate vs national
75.0% now
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
≈1.0 / unit·yr
thin signalabundant signal
Within the expected band for a 1-unit fleet — FMCSA has inspected this carrier often enough that the out-of-service and violation signals above are statistically trustworthy.
- Registered power units
- 1
- Inspections · 24 mo
- 2
- Annualized
- ≈1 / yr
- Coverage
- ≈1.0 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.
- 393.9 Inoperative required lampsVehicle Maintenance5 · 1 OOS
- 392.2 State/local traffic law violation (speeding, etc.)Unsafe Driving5
- 393.75 Tires (defective / underinflated / worn)Vehicle Maintenance4 · 3 OOS
- 393.78 Windshield wipersVehicle Maintenance2
- 393.95 Emergency equipment (extinguisher, triangles)Vehicle Maintenance2
- 396.3 Inspection / repair / maintenance not performedVehicle Maintenance1
- 391.11 Driver not qualifiedDriver Fitness1 · 1 OOS
- 396.5 Oil and/or grease leakVehicle Maintenance1
- 392.82 Using a hand-held mobile phoneUnsafe Driving1
- 393.19 Parts & accessories (vehicle condition)Vehicle Maintenance1
02
Authority & insurance
Can they legally + adequately haul your load?
Operating authority· 49 CFR · per type
Operating authority
- Common
- Inactive
- Contract
- None
- Broker
- None
Insurance & bonds
BIPD / liability (required)Not on file
CargoNone
Surety bond (BMC-84)None
Insurance continuity· insurer · policy · lapses
$750k BIPD · 5 insurers · 3 lapsesCoverage lapse
+9 earlier
Everspan · 25–25
20162025
No BIPD policy is currently in force in the filing history. The authority record may still list one on file — request a COI to confirm current coverage.
10 insurer eras · collapsed from 22 filings
| Insurer | Period | Limit | Renewals |
|---|---|---|---|
| EVERSPAN INSURANCE COMPANY | Jul 2025 → Sep 2025 | $750k | 1 |
| OOIDA RISK RETENTION GROUP, INC. | Jan 2025 → May 2025 | $750k | 1 |
| PROGRESSIVE NORTHERN INSURANCE COMPANY | May 2024 → Jun 2024 | $750k | 1 |
| EVERSPAN INSURANCE COMPANY | Jan 2024 → Jan 2024 | $750k | 3 |
| PROGRESSIVE NORTHERN INSURANCE COMPANY | Oct 2023 → Nov 2023 | $750k | 5 |
| OBSIDIAN INSURANCE COMPANY | Jun 2023 → Oct 2023 | $750k | 1 |
| PROGRESSIVE NORTHERN INSURANCE COMPANY | Feb 2023 → Jun 2023 | $750k | 3 |
| PROGRESSIVE NORTHERN INSURANCE COMPANY | Mar 2022 → Jun 2022 | $750k | 1 |
| LANCER INSURANCE COMPANY | Sep 2021 → Mar 2022 | $750k | 3 |
| OOIDA RISK RETENTION GROUP, INC. | Feb 2016 → Aug 2016 | $750k | 3 |
03
Equipment & fleet
VIN-decoded · NHTSA vPIC
Capacity· power units = haulable capacity; trailers are towed
- Registered power units (MCS-150)
- 1
- Observed power (24 mo)
- 1
- Trailers (towed)
- 2
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
2022
Newest model yr
2002
Oldest model yr
VINs decoded
04
Operations & lanes
Revealed by inspection density across 1 states · 24 mo
Operating footprint· revealed by roadside-inspection geography
Operating radiusLocal
revealedStates observed11
US statesInspections · 24 mo22
SC busiestInspection density by state· each tile = a state · shade = inspections, last 24 mo
Home base
JOHNSTON, SC
Top corridor
SC
Density
fewermore
05
Network & fraud
Affiliated entities & reincarnation signals · for review, not a verdict
Last 12 months: 2 trucks also ran under 2 other carriers
VINs inspected under this carrier were recently inspected under other USDOTs too — the active double-broker / shared-equipment signal: USDOT 4084229USDOT 3347789Some overlap is legitimate (leased or sold equipment); review alongside the other signals.
Show all-time history (2 trucks · 3 carriers)
Across all inspections on record: USDOT 2790571USDOT 4084229USDOT 3347789
Shares a company officer with other carriers
james bates — 9 carriers: USDOT 1076445USDOT 1161599USDOT 1295694USDOT 1657279USDOT 1732164USDOT 1885688USDOT 3101812USDOT 4257270
Capacity consistency· registered vs roadside-observed power units
Registered (MCS-150)11
Observed (24 mo)11
Shared w/ other carriers22
Registered and roadside-observed capacity are broadly consistent.
06
Identity & contact
FMCSA census + L&I dossier
Location
- Physical address
- 2028 LAKEVIEW DR, JOHNSTON, SC, 29832
- Operation
- Intrastate (Non-Hazmat)
Contact
- Phone
- (803) 275-7852
- Cell
- (803) 334-5722
Registration
- Officer
- James Bates
- USDOT / docket
- 2836609 · MC-949196
- First registered
- 01/07/2016
- Last MCS-150
- 06/19/2025 · 26,000 mi (2024)
- 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 JAMES BATES. Reviews cover performance only — on-time delivery, payment speed, communication — and never affect the Vektor risk score.
Leave a review09
Frequently asked
What is JAMES BATES's USDOT number?
JAMES BATES's USDOT number is 2836609, and its motor carrier number is MC-949196.
Is JAMES BATES authorized to operate?
As of 2026-06-13, JAMES BATES is active in the FMCSA register with common, contract, broker operating authority on file.
What is JAMES BATES's safety record?
JAMES BATES has a 100.0% vehicle out-of-service rate (national average 22.26%) across 5 roadside inspections, with 0 reportable crashes in the last 24 months, and is not currently rated by FMCSA. Vektor's computed risk score is 82/100 (tier: review).
How big is JAMES BATES's fleet?
JAMES BATES operates 1 power unit and 1 driver per its most recent MCS-150 filing.
Where is JAMES BATES based?
JAMES BATES is based in JOHNSTON, SC, with roadside inspections recorded across 1 state.