Carrier profile · USDOT 708640 · MC-327254 · Updated Jul 12, 2026

Dark Horse Transport LLC

DBA DARK HORSE TRANSPORT

7 power unitsavg 4 yrMulti-region · 8 statesBRAYTON, IA87/100

CARRIER ACTIVEMC-327254 ACTIVERATED SATISFACTORY

Observed fleet · trailing 24 mo daily

7Power units

4 observed · MCS-150

8Trailers seen

Decoded · vPIC

4.0Avg age (yr)

2019–2026 · vPIC

Call dispatch(712) 549-2165 Email dispatchbms.dht@metc.net

Click to see how we scored it

Load decision · FMCSA snapshot · Jul 12, 2026

Clear to load

Active authority and a clean federal record. No blocking issues found.

Watch · 2

Vehicle out-of-service rate above average28.6% vs the 22.26% national average.Multiple injury crashes6 crashes involving injuries are on record.

In good standing · 3

Active operating authorityActive for-hire authority is on file with FMCSA.Insurance on fileBIPD (liability) insurance is on file with FMCSA.Established 29 yearsOperating authority has been on file since 1997.

USDOT registration

yr registered

Active for-hire

Insurance (BIPD)$750K in force

FMCSA L&I

Vehicle OOS · 24-mo28.6%

▲ 22.26% nat'l

Crashes · fatal

2 in 24 mo

USDOT registration

yr registered

Active for-hire

Insurance (BIPD)$750K in force

FMCSA L&I

Vehicle OOS · 24-mo28.6%

▲ 22.26% nat'l

Crashes · fatal

2 in 24 mo

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

Fleet typeIdentity

Small fleet

7 power units. Brokers price each fleet type apart.

Fleet age vs peersNewer

4 yr

Model years 2019–2026 · peer benchmark unavailable.

Identity stabilityStable

28 yr unchanged

Same registration since 1997 — no chameleon / reincarnation signal.

Safety

15 inspections · 24 mo · vs national benchmarks

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

Vehicle OOS 28.6%24-mo cumulative

050%nat'l 22.26%

Driver OOS 0.0%24-mo cumulative

030%nat'l 6.67%

Every inspection in the window pooled — 7 vehicle and 15 driver inspections over 24 months.

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

66.7% · latest 6-mo window▼ Falling

Share of vehicle-level roadside inspections in each trailing six-month window that resulted in a vehicle out-of-service order. Trending down 3.0 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

14 inspections in the charted months · busiest month Dec '25 · 2

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.

Well-monitored

Under-inspected

Expected

Well-monitored

Heavily inspected

≈1.1 / 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: 15
Annualized: ≈8 / yr
Coverage: ≈1.1 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 Driving17 · 0 OOS
395.24 ELD — record edits / dataHOS Compliance6 · 0 OOS
395.22 ELD — provider/registration/malfunctionHOS Compliance4 · 0 OOS
395.3 Driving beyond hours-of-service limitsHOS Compliance2 · 0 OOS
395.30 ELD — use / data transferHOS Compliance2 · 0 OOS
395.8 Record of duty status (log / ELD) not current or missingHOS Compliance2 · 0 OOS
393.75 Tires (defective / underinflated / worn)Vehicle Maintenance2 · 0 OOS
396.3 Inspection / repair / maintenance not performedVehicle Maintenance2 · 2 OOS
393.60 Windshield / glazingVehicle Maintenance2 · 0 OOS
393.95 Emergency equipment (extinguisher, triangles)Vehicle Maintenance1 · 0 OOS

Explore full safety record — inspections, BASICs, crashes

Authority & Insurance

Can they legally + adequately haul your load?

Operating authority· 49 CFR · per type

Operating authority

Common: None
Contract: Active
Broker: None

Insurance & bonds

BIPD / liability$750,000 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

$750K in forcegeneral-freight federal minimum

$750K floor

Filed BIPD coverage of $750K 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

$750K BIPD last filed ’26 · 7 insurers · 1 lapseCoverage lapse

Great West’98–’01

Great West’06–’12

Northland’19–’26

1997200520132021now

Shorter eras are too brief to label at this scale — all 9 insurers are named in the list below.

BIPD in force — $750,000 · PROGRESSIVE NORTHERN INSURANCE COMPANY · since May 2026

All 9 insurer eras · dates, limits, renewals

Insurer	Period	Limit	Renewals
NORTHLAND INSURANCE COMPANY	Apr 2019 → May 2026	$750K	6
PROGRESSIVE NORTHERN INSURANCE COMPANY	Oct 2018 → Apr 2019	$750K	1
SCOTTSDALE INDEMNITY COMPANY	Oct 2016 → Nov 2018	$750K	2
NATIONAL CASUALTY COMPANY	Oct 2014 → Oct 2016	$750K	1
NORTHLAND INSURANCE COMPANY	Oct 2012 → Oct 2014	$750K	2
GREAT WEST CASUALTY CO.	Sep 2006 → Oct 2012	$750K	1
WILSHIRE INSURANCE COMPANY	Sep 2001 → Nov 2001	$750K	3
GREAT WEST CASUALTY CO.	Jul 1998 → Sep 2001	$750K	2
ACCELERATION NATIONAL INSURANCE CO.	Sep 1997 → Jul 1998	$750K	2

Explore full authority & insurance record

Equipment

VIN-decoded · NHTSA vPIC

Capacity· power units = haulable capacity; trailers are towed

Registered power units (MCS-150): 7
Observed power (24 mo): 4
Trailers (towed): 8

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

Fleet age· model years · decoded VINs

4.0 yr

Average age

2026

Newest model yr

2019

Oldest model yr

75.0%

VINs decoded

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

Operations & Lanes

Revealed by inspection density across 8 states · 24 mo

Operating footprint· revealed by roadside-inspection geography

Operating radiusMulti-region

revealed

States observed

US states

Inspections · 24 mo

IA busiest

Inspection density by state· each tile = a state · shade = inspections, last 24 mo

Home base

BRAYTON, IA

301 LINCOLN ST

Top corridor

IA 4 · MO 4 · GA 2

Density

fewermore

Shade = roadside inspections, last 24 mo.

See the full operating map — state density, top lanes

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 (7 trucks · 6 carriers)

Across all inspections on record: USDOT 674683 USDOT 3430581 USDOT 374341 USDOT 2523230 USDOT 3414848 USDOT 99777

Shares a registration email domain with other carriers

@metc.net — 30 carriers: USDOT 162448 USDOT 196146 USDOT 575784 USDOT 591883 USDOT 671617 USDOT 737212 USDOT 809357 USDOT 840364

Capacity consistency· registered vs roadside-observed power units

Registered (MCS-150)

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

Location

Physical address: 301 LINCOLN ST, BRAYTON, IA, 50042
Mailing address: PO BOX 54, AUDUBON, IA, 50025
Operation: Interstate

Contact

Phone: (712) 549-2165
Email: bms.dht@metc.net
Web domain: metc.net

Registration

Officers: James W Meese · Bethany Meese
USDOT / docket: 708640 · MC-327254
First registered: Oct 7, 1997
Last MCS-150: Apr 14, 2026 · 579,781 mi (2025)
FMCSA safety rating: Satisfactory · Sep 28, 2000
D-U-N-S: —

Fleet (self-reported · MCS-150)

Power units

Drivers

CDL drivers

579,781

Annual mileage

Open the full identity & federal record

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.

Open the full federal-record activity feed

Reviews

Verified broker, shipper & driver reviews — moderated

Performance ratings only — never the Vektor risk score

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Verification summaryAuthority, insurance, safety and identity facts for DARK HORSE TRANSPORT LLC.

DARK HORSE TRANSPORT LLC (USDOT 708640) has a Vektor safety score of 87/100 and a Clear to load verdict, from the carrier's FMCSA record refreshed Jul 12, 2026.

The carrier holds active contract for-hire operating authority per FMCSA L&I as of Jul 12, 2026.

It has an active BIPD insurance filing with a $750,000 limit in force from PROGRESSIVE NORTHERN INSURANCE COMPANY effective May 4, 2026 in FMCSA L&I's current snapshot as of Jul 12, 2026.

Its vehicle out-of-service rate was 28.6% over the last 24 months, versus the 22.26% CVSA national average, from FMCSA roadside-inspection data refreshed Jul 12, 2026.

The carrier received 15 roadside inspections in the last 24 months — 7 vehicle-level and 15 driver-level — across 8 states, according to FMCSA roadside-inspection data refreshed Jul 12, 2026.

The carrier has 2 reportable crashes in the last 24 months and 0 fatal crashes across the full FMCSA crash record available as of Jul 12, 2026.

It reports 7 power units and 8 drivers in its most recent MCS-150 filing dated Apr 14, 2026.

It has an FMCSA safety rating of Satisfactory assigned Sep 28, 2000 in the federal record refreshed Jul 12, 2026.

Frequently asked

What is DARK HORSE TRANSPORT LLC's USDOT number?

DARK HORSE TRANSPORT LLC's USDOT number is 708640, and its motor carrier number is MC-327254.

Is DARK HORSE TRANSPORT LLC authorized to operate?

As of Jul 12, 2026, DARK HORSE TRANSPORT LLC is active in the FMCSA register with common, contract, broker operating authority on file.

What is DARK HORSE TRANSPORT LLC's safety record?

DARK HORSE TRANSPORT LLC has a 28.6% vehicle out-of-service rate (national average 22.26%) across 30 roadside inspections, with 2 reportable crashes in the last 24 months, and an FMCSA "Satisfactory" safety rating. Vektor's computed risk score is 87/100 (tier: clear).

How big is DARK HORSE TRANSPORT LLC's fleet?

DARK HORSE TRANSPORT LLC operates 7 power units and 8 drivers per its most recent MCS-150 filing.

Where is DARK HORSE TRANSPORT LLC based?

DARK HORSE TRANSPORT LLC is based in BRAYTON, IA, with roadside inspections recorded across 8 states.

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