Fleet typeIdentity
Small fleet
72 power units. Brokers price each fleet type apart.
Carrier profile · USDOT 3462097 · MC-1130435
NICHOLS TRANSPORTATION COMPANY INC
DBA NICHOLS TRUCKING COMPANY
72 power unitsavg 12.1 yrMulti-region · 8 statesTACOMA, WA
CARRIER ACTIVEMC-1130435 ACTIVEHAZMAT
Observed fleet · trailing 24 mo daily
72Power units
54 observed · MCS-150
105Trailers seen
Decoded · vPIC
12.1Avg age (yr)
1998–2026 · vPIC
Click to see how we scored it
Load decision · FMCSA snapshot · 2026-07-09
Clear to load
Active authority and a clean federal record. No blocking issues found.
Active operating authorityInsurance on fileVehicle out-of-service rate well above average
Operating authority55 yr active
since 2020Insurance (BIPD)On file
FMCSA L&IVehicle OOS · 24mo34.834.8 %
▲ 22.26% nat'lCrashes · fatal00
4 in 24moVektor intelligence · beyond the federal recordProprietary signals computed from VIN-decoded inspections & daily FMCSA snapshots
Fleet age vs peersOlder
12.1 yr
Model years 1998–2026 · peer benchmark computing.
Identity stabilityStable
5 yr unchanged
Same registration since 2020 — no chameleon / reincarnation signal.
AI readFull read
Is NICHOLS TRANSPORTATION COMPANY INC safe to work with?
Is NICHOLS TRANSPORTATION COMPANY INC safe to load? NICHOLS TRANSPORTATION COMPANY INC (USDOT 3462097, MC-1130435) is an active small-fleet motor carrier based in TACOMA, WA, operating 72 power units and 127 drivers. Operating authority has been active 5 years (past the 24-month broker-confidence threshold). Across 179 roadside inspections, its vehicle out-of-service rate is 34.8% (above the 22.26% national average), with 4 reportable crashes in the last 24 months. FMCSA has not assigned a safety rating. Vektor rates it clear to load (86/100), with the leading concern: vehicle out-of-service rate well above average. Source: FMCSA SAFER/MCMIS, last updated 2026-07-09.
FMCSA fields + Vektor analysis · updated 2026-07-09
NTNICHOLS TRANSPORTATION COMPANY INC 86
01
Safety
179 inspections · 24 mo · vs national benchmarks
Out-of-service rate· trailing 24 months vs national benchmark
Vehicle OOS 34.8% (24-mo)69 veh insp · 24-mo · nat'l 22.26%
050%nat'l 22.26%
Driver OOS 0.8% (24-mo)130 drv insp · 24-mo · nat'l 6.67%
030%nat'l 6.67%
OOS trajectory· trailing 6-mo vehicle-OOS rate vs national
15.2% now▼ Improving
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
≈0.9 / unit·yr
thin signalabundant signal
Within the expected band for a 72-unit fleet — FMCSA has inspected this carrier often enough that the out-of-service and violation signals above are statistically trustworthy.
- Registered power units
- 72
- Inspections · 24 mo
- 130
- Annualized
- ≈65 / yr
- Coverage
- ≈0.9 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 Driving82
- 393.75 Tires (defective / underinflated / worn)Vehicle Maintenance17 · 15 OOS
- 393.9 Inoperative required lampsVehicle Maintenance13 · 1 OOS
- 393.47 Brake actuators / linings / componentsVehicle Maintenance12
- 393.45 Brake tubing / hose defectsVehicle Maintenance11 · 4 OOS
- 395.24 ELD — record edits / dataHOS Compliance8
- 393.55 Antilock brake system (ABS)Vehicle Maintenance7
- 393.100 Cargo securement (general)Vehicle Maintenance6 · 5 OOS
- 393.11 Required lamps/reflectors missingVehicle Maintenance5
- 396.3 Inspection / repair / maintenance not performedVehicle Maintenance5 · 4 OOS
02
Authority & insurance
Can they legally + adequately haul your load?
Operating authority· 49 CFR · per type
Operating authority
- Common
- Active
- Contract
- None
- Broker
- None
Insurance & bonds
BIPD / liability (required)Filed with FMCSA
CargoNone
Surety bond (BMC-84)None
Insurance continuity· insurer · policy · lapses
$750k BIPD · 1 insurer · 0 lapsesContinuous
Great West · 20–24
20202024
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.
1 insurer era · collapsed from 3 filings
| Insurer | Period | Limit | Renewals |
|---|---|---|---|
| GREAT WEST CASUALTY CO. | Sep 2020 → Oct 2024 | $750k | 3 |
03
Equipment & fleet
VIN-decoded · NHTSA vPIC
Capacity· power units = haulable capacity; trailers are towed
- Registered power units (MCS-150)
- 72
- Observed power (24 mo)
- 54
- Trailers (towed)
- 105
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
1998
Oldest model yr
VINs decoded
04
Operations & lanes
Revealed by inspection density across 8 states · 24 mo
Operating footprint· revealed by roadside-inspection geography
Operating radiusRegional
revealedStates observed77
US statesInspections · 24 mo129129
WA busiestInspection density by state· each tile = a state · shade = inspections, last 24 mo
Home base
TACOMA, WA
Top corridor
WA
Density
fewermore
05
Network & fraud
Affiliated entities & reincarnation signals · for review, not a verdict
Last 12 months: 14 trucks also ran under 6 other carriers
VINs inspected under this carrier were recently inspected under other USDOTs too — the active double-broker / shared-equipment signal: USDOT 524115USDOT 4270057USDOT 3519950USDOT 2044027USDOT 327574USDOT 3515693Some overlap is legitimate (leased or sold equipment); review alongside the other signals.
Show all-time history (44 trucks · 16 carriers)
Across all inspections on record: USDOT 3039280USDOT 3519950USDOT 524115USDOT 1708037USDOT 2822651USDOT 3469348USDOT 327574USDOT 430314
Shares a registration email domain with other carriers
@protrucklines.com — 3 carriers: USDOT 997353USDOT 2212045
Shares a company officer with other carriers
john plavan — 3 carriers: USDOT 524115USDOT 2212045
Capacity consistency· registered vs roadside-observed power units
Registered (MCS-150)7272
Observed (24 mo)5454
Shared w/ other carriers4444
Registered and roadside-observed capacity are broadly consistent.
06
Identity & contact
FMCSA census + L&I dossier
Location
- Physical address
- 424 E 19TH ST, TACOMA, WA, 98421
- Operation
- Interstate· Hazmat
Contact
- Phone
- (253) 272-8495
- Fax
- (253) 572-3176
- Web domain
- protrucklines.com
Registration
- Officers
- Brian Moore · John Plavan
- USDOT / docket
- 3462097 · MC-1130435
- First registered
- 07/30/2020
- Last MCS-150
- 10/23/2025 · 3,376,103 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 NICHOLS TRANSPORTATION COMPANY INC. Reviews cover performance only — on-time delivery, payment speed, communication — and never affect the Vektor risk score.
Leave a review09
Frequently asked
What is NICHOLS TRANSPORTATION COMPANY INC's USDOT number?
NICHOLS TRANSPORTATION COMPANY INC's USDOT number is 3462097, and its motor carrier number is MC-1130435.
Is NICHOLS TRANSPORTATION COMPANY INC authorized to operate?
As of 2026-07-09, NICHOLS TRANSPORTATION COMPANY INC is active in the FMCSA register with common, contract, broker operating authority on file.
What is NICHOLS TRANSPORTATION COMPANY INC's safety record?
NICHOLS TRANSPORTATION COMPANY INC has a 34.8% vehicle out-of-service rate (national average 22.26%) across 179 roadside inspections, with 4 reportable crashes in the last 24 months, and is not currently rated by FMCSA. Vektor's computed risk score is 86/100 (tier: clear).
How big is NICHOLS TRANSPORTATION COMPANY INC's fleet?
NICHOLS TRANSPORTATION COMPANY INC operates 72 power units and 127 drivers per its most recent MCS-150 filing.
Where is NICHOLS TRANSPORTATION COMPANY INC based?
NICHOLS TRANSPORTATION COMPANY INC is based in TACOMA, WA, with roadside inspections recorded across 8 states.