Carrier profile · USDOT 1360391 · MC-521336 · Updated Jun 13, 2026

DESERT EXPRESS TRANSPORTATION LINES INC

8 power unitsavg 8 yrLocal · 2 statesSALINAS, CA93/100

CARRIER ACTIVEMC-521336 ACTIVERATED SATISFACTORY

Observed fleet · trailing 24 mo daily

8Power units

6 observed · MCS-150

7Trailers seen

Decoded · vPIC

8.0Avg age (yr)

2014–2022 · vPIC

Call dispatch(831) 970-1261 Email dispatchDESERT.EXPRESS@YAHOO.COM

Click to see how we scored it

Load decision · FMCSA snapshot · Jun 13, 2026

Clear to load

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

Active operating authorityInsurance on fileVehicle out-of-service rate above average

Watch · 1

Vehicle out-of-service rate above average31.3% vs the 22.26% national average.

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 21 yearsOperating authority has been on file since 2005.

USDOT registration

yr registered

Active for-hire

Insurance (BIPD)$750K in force

FMCSA L&I

Vehicle OOS · 24-mo31.3%

▲ 22.26% nat'l

Crashes · fatal

Clean · 24 mo

USDOT registration

yr registered

Active for-hire

Insurance (BIPD)$750K in force

FMCSA L&I

Vehicle OOS · 24-mo31.3%

▲ 22.26% nat'l

Crashes · fatal

Clean · 24 mo

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

Fleet typeIdentity

Small fleet

8 power units. Brokers price each fleet type apart.

Fleet age vs peersTypical

8 yr

Model years 2014–2022 · peer benchmark unavailable.

Identity stabilityStable

21 yr unchanged

Same registration since 2005 — no chameleon / reincarnation signal.

Safety

20 inspections · 24 mo · vs national benchmarks

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

Vehicle OOS 31.3%24-mo cumulative

050%nat'l 22.26%

Driver OOS 5.0%24-mo cumulative

030%nat'l 6.67%

Every inspection in the window pooled — 16 vehicle and 20 driver inspections over 24 months.

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

57.1% · 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 9.0 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

17 inspections in the charted months · busiest month May '25 · 4

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

≈1.3 / unit·yr

thin signalabundant signal

Within the expected band for a 8-unit fleet — FMCSA has inspected this carrier often enough that the out-of-service and violation signals above are statistically trustworthy.

Registered power units: 8
Inspections · 24 mo: 20
Annualized: ≈10 / yr
Coverage: ≈1.3 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 Driving11 · 0 OOS
393.75 Tires (defective / underinflated / worn)Vehicle Maintenance8 · 3 OOS
396.5 Oil and/or grease leakVehicle Maintenance4 · 3 OOS
393.47 Brake actuators / linings / componentsVehicle Maintenance4 · 0 OOS
396.3 Inspection / repair / maintenance not performedVehicle Maintenance4 · 3 OOS
395.8 Record of duty status (log / ELD) not current or missingHOS Compliance3 · 1 OOS
393.45 Brake tubing / hose defectsVehicle Maintenance3 · 0 OOS
393.9 Inoperative required lampsVehicle Maintenance1 · 0 OOS
395.22 ELD — provider/registration/malfunctionHOS Compliance1 · 0 OOS
395.24 ELD — record edits / dataHOS Compliance1 · 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 ’23 · 8 insurers · 0 lapsesInsurer churn

Canal’05–’07

Monterey’08–’10

Scottsdale’12–’19

United States’19–’23

2005201120172023now

Shorter eras are too brief to label at this scale — all 8 insurers are named in the list below.

BIPD in force — $750,000 · SENTRY SELECT INSURANCE COMPANY · since Dec 2023

All 8 insurer eras · dates, limits, renewals

Insurer	Period	Limit	Renewals
UNITED STATES FIRE INSURANCE CO.	Dec 2019 → Dec 2023	$750K	1
SCOTTSDALE INSURANCE COMPANY	Dec 2012 → Dec 2019	$750K	1
COMPANION PROPERTY & CASUALTY INS. CO.	Dec 2011 → Dec 2012	$750K	1
IMPERIUM INSURANCE COMPANY	Dec 2010 → Dec 2011	$750K	1
SUA INSURANCE COMPANY	May 2010 → Oct 2010	$750K	1
MONTEREY INSURANCE COMPANY	May 2008 → May 2010	$750K	10
CAROLINA CASUALTY INSURANCE CO.	May 2007 → May 2008	$750K	3
CANAL INSURANCE CO.	May 2005 → May 2007	$750K	2

Explore full authority & insurance record

Equipment & fleet

VIN-decoded · NHTSA vPIC

Capacity· power units = haulable capacity; trailers are towed

Registered power units (MCS-150): 8
Observed power (24 mo): 6
Trailers (towed): 7

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

Fleet age· model years · decoded VINs

8.0 yr

Average age

2022

Newest model yr

2014

Oldest model yr

76.9%

VINs decoded

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

Operations & lanes

Revealed by inspection density across 2 states · 24 mo

Operating footprint· revealed by roadside-inspection geography

Operating radiusLocal

revealed

States observed

US states

Inspections · 24 mo

CA busiest

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

Home base

SALINAS, CA

11 MAPLE ST SUITE D

Top corridor

CA 17 · AZ 3

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 (3 trucks · 2 carriers)

Across all inspections on record: USDOT 1029322 USDOT 2397887

Shares a company officer with other carriers

ricardo casillas — 13 carriers: USDOT 1082711 USDOT 1088396 USDOT 1807190 USDOT 2768899 USDOT 3025722 USDOT 3116407 USDOT 3436236 USDOT 3488502

Capacity consistency· registered vs roadside-observed power units

Registered (MCS-150)

Observed (24 mo)

Shared w/ other carriers

Registered and roadside-observed capacity are broadly consistent.

Explore the carrier network & VIN cross-links

Identity & contact

FMCSA census + L&I dossier

Location

Physical address: 11 MAPLE ST SUITE D, SALINAS, CA, 93901
Operation: Interstate

Contact

Phone: (831) 970-1261
Fax: (831) 424-4455
Email: desert.express@yahoo.com

Registration

Officer: Ricardo Casillas
USDOT / docket: 1360391 · MC-521336
First registered: Apr 13, 2005
Last MCS-150: May 7, 2026 · 679,385 mi (2025)
FMCSA safety rating: Satisfactory · May 4, 2009
Recordable crash rate: 0.00
D-U-N-S: —

Fleet (self-reported · MCS-150)

Power units

Drivers

CDL drivers

679,385

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 DESERT EXPRESS TRANSPORTATION LINES INC.

DESERT EXPRESS TRANSPORTATION LINES INC (USDOT 1360391) has a Vektor safety score of 93/100 and a Clear to load verdict, from the carrier's FMCSA record refreshed Jun 13, 2026.

The carrier holds active contract for-hire operating authority per FMCSA L&I as of Jun 13, 2026.

It has an active BIPD insurance filing with a $750,000 limit in force from SENTRY SELECT INSURANCE COMPANY effective Dec 1, 2023 in FMCSA L&I's current snapshot as of Jun 13, 2026.

Its vehicle out-of-service rate was 31.3% over the last 24 months, versus the 22.26% CVSA national average, from FMCSA roadside-inspection data refreshed Jun 13, 2026.

The carrier received 20 roadside inspections in the last 24 months — 16 vehicle-level and 20 driver-level — across 2 states, according to FMCSA roadside-inspection data refreshed Jun 13, 2026.

The carrier has 0 reportable crashes in the last 24 months and 1 fatal crash across the full FMCSA crash record available as of Jun 13, 2026.

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

It has an FMCSA safety rating of Satisfactory assigned May 4, 2009 in the federal record refreshed Jun 13, 2026.

Frequently asked

What is DESERT EXPRESS TRANSPORTATION LINES INC's USDOT number?

DESERT EXPRESS TRANSPORTATION LINES INC's USDOT number is 1360391, and its motor carrier number is MC-521336.

Is DESERT EXPRESS TRANSPORTATION LINES INC authorized to operate?

As of Jun 13, 2026, DESERT EXPRESS TRANSPORTATION LINES INC is active in the FMCSA register with common, contract, broker operating authority on file.

What is DESERT EXPRESS TRANSPORTATION LINES INC's safety record?

DESERT EXPRESS TRANSPORTATION LINES INC has a 31.3% vehicle out-of-service rate (national average 22.26%) across 31 roadside inspections, with 0 reportable crashes in the last 24 months, and an FMCSA "Satisfactory" safety rating. Vektor's computed risk score is 93/100 (tier: clear).