Carrier profile · USDOT 661337 · MC-309755 · Updated Jun 13, 2026

DESERT STAR TRANSPORTATION LLC

46 power unitsavg 4.7 yrMulti-region · 10 statesHERRIMAN, UT82/100

CARRIER ACTIVEMC-309755 ACTIVERATED SATISFACTORY

Observed fleet · trailing 24 mo daily

46Power units

54 observed · MCS-150

62Trailers seen

Decoded · vPIC

4.7Avg age (yr)

1997–2026 · vPIC

Call dispatch(801) 253-0777 Email dispatchDESERTSTARTRANSLLC@MSN.COM

Click to see how we scored it

Load decision · FMCSA snapshot · Jun 13, 2026

Review before loading

Operating, but with flags a broker should weigh before tendering freight.

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

Watch · 2

Driver out-of-service rate above average7.7% vs the 6.7% national average.Fatal crash on record1 crash(es) involving a fatality are on this carrier's 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 30 yearsOperating authority has been on file since 1996.

USDOT registration

yr registered

Active for-hire

Insurance (BIPD)$2M in force

FMCSA L&I

Vehicle OOS · 24-mo15.4%

▼ 22.26% nat'l

Crashes · fatal

3 in 24 mo

USDOT registration

yr registered

Active for-hire

Insurance (BIPD)$2M in force

FMCSA L&I

Vehicle OOS · 24-mo15.4%

▼ 22.26% nat'l

Crashes · fatal

3 in 24 mo

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

Fleet typeIdentity

Asset-based

46 power units. Brokers price each fleet type apart.

Fleet age vs peersNewer

4.7 yr

Model years 1997–2026 · peer benchmark unavailable.

Identity stabilityStable

29 yr unchanged

Same registration since 1996 — no chameleon / reincarnation signal.

Safety

157 inspections · 24 mo · vs national benchmarks

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

Vehicle OOS 15.4%24-mo cumulative

050%nat'l 22.26%

Driver OOS 7.7%24-mo cumulative

030%nat'l 6.67%

Every inspection in the window pooled — 65 vehicle and 156 driver inspections over 24 months.

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

5.6% · 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 7.7 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

151 inspections in the charted months · busiest month Jan '25 · 11

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.

Heavily inspected

Under-inspected

Expected

Well-monitored

Heavily inspected

≈1.7 / unit·yr

thin signalabundant signal

Among the more heavily-inspected carriers for its size — abundant roadside signal. Coverage isn't the question here; the out-of-service and crash record is.

Registered power units: 46
Inspections · 24 mo: 157
Annualized: ≈79 / yr
Coverage: ≈1.7 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 Driving58 · 0 OOS
395.8 Record of duty status (log / ELD) not current or missingHOS Compliance33 · 10 OOS
395.3 Driving beyond hours-of-service limitsHOS Compliance23 · 2 OOS
395.24 ELD — record edits / dataHOS Compliance10 · 0 OOS
395.30 ELD — use / data transferHOS Compliance7 · 0 OOS
393.95 Emergency equipment (extinguisher, triangles)Vehicle Maintenance4 · 0 OOS
393.75 Tires (defective / underinflated / worn)Vehicle Maintenance4 · 3 OOS
392.16 Failure to use seat beltUnsafe Driving4 · 0 OOS
392.9 Failure to secure load / cargo not securedUnsafe Driving4 · 4 OOS
393.45 Brake tubing / hose defectsVehicle Maintenance4 · 2 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: Inactive
Contract: Active
Broker: None

Insurance & bonds

BIPD / liability$2,000,000 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

$2M in forcegeneral-freight federal minimum

$750K floor

Filed BIPD coverage of $2M 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 ’25 · 8 insurers · 0 lapsesInsurer churn

Sentry Select’96–’99

Wilshire’01–’05

National’11–’14

Sentry Select’14–’25

1996200420122020now

Shorter eras are too brief to label at this scale — all 10 insurers are named in the list below.

BIPD in force — $2,000,000 · NATIONAL INTERSTATE INSURANCE COMPANY · since Mar 2025

All 10 insurer eras · dates, limits, renewals

Insurer	Period	Limit	Renewals
SENTRY SELECT INSURANCE COMPANY	Jun 2014 → Mar 2025	$750K	1
NATIONAL CASUALTY COMPANY	Jun 2011 → Jun 2014	$750K	1
NORTHLAND INSURANCE COMPANY	Jun 2010 → Jun 2011	$750K	1
NORTH RIVER INSURANCE CO.	Jun 2009 → Jun 2010	$750K	1
SENTRY SELECT INSURANCE COMPANY	Jun 2008 → Jun 2009	$750K	1
HARCO NATIONAL INSURANCE CO.	Jun 2007 → Jun 2008	$750K	1
LANCER INSURANCE COMPANY	Jun 2005 → Jun 2007	$750K	2
WILSHIRE INSURANCE COMPANY	Jun 2001 → Jun 2005	$750K	2
FARWEST INSURANCE COMPANY(FAR WEST)	Oct 1999 → Jun 2001	$750K	2
SENTRY SELECT INSURANCE COMPANY	Oct 1996 → Oct 1999	$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): 46
Observed power (24 mo): 54
Trailers (towed): 62

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

Fleet age· model years · decoded VINs

4.7 yr

Average age

2026

Newest model yr

1997

Oldest model yr

56.9%

VINs decoded

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

Operations & lanes

Revealed by inspection density across 10 states · 24 mo

Operating footprint· revealed by roadside-inspection geography

Operating radiusMulti-region

revealed

States observed

US states

Inspections · 24 mo

157

UT busiest

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

Home base

HERRIMAN, UT

13159 S 6100 W

Top corridor

UT 51 · CA 50 · NV 33

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

Last 12 months: 1 truck also ran under 1 other carrier

VINs inspected under this carrier were recently inspected under other USDOTs too — the active double-broker / shared-equipment signal: USDOT 1064320Some overlap is legitimate (leased or sold equipment); review alongside the other signals.

Show all-time history (22 trucks · 13 carriers)

Across all inspections on record: USDOT 80806 USDOT 3491703 USDOT 3783160 USDOT 3517504 USDOT 1489043 USDOT 1064320 USDOT 2414040 USDOT 4137627

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: 13159 S 6100 W, HERRIMAN, UT, 84096
Operation: Interstate

Contact

Phone: (801) 253-0777
Fax: (801) 253-8696
Email: desertstartransllc@msn.com

Registration

Officers: Harmon L Butterfield · Paula M Butterfield
USDOT / docket: 661337 · MC-309755
First registered: Oct 2, 1996
Last MCS-150: Nov 12, 2025 · 4,689,731 mi (2024)
FMCSA safety rating: Satisfactory · Apr 7, 2015
D-U-N-S: 961327533

Fleet (self-reported · MCS-150)

Power units

Drivers

CDL drivers

4,689,731

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 STAR TRANSPORTATION LLC.

DESERT STAR TRANSPORTATION LLC (USDOT 661337) has a Vektor safety score of 82/100 and a Review before loading 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 $2,000,000 limit in force from NATIONAL INTERSTATE INSURANCE COMPANY effective Mar 15, 2025 in FMCSA L&I's current snapshot as of Jun 13, 2026.

Its vehicle out-of-service rate was 15.4% over the last 24 months, versus the 22.26% CVSA national average, from FMCSA roadside-inspection data refreshed Jun 13, 2026.

The carrier received 157 roadside inspections in the last 24 months — 65 vehicle-level and 156 driver-level — across 10 states, according to FMCSA roadside-inspection data refreshed Jun 13, 2026.

The carrier has 3 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 46 power units and 90 drivers in its most recent MCS-150 filing dated Nov 12, 2025.

It has an FMCSA safety rating of Satisfactory assigned Apr 7, 2015 in the federal record refreshed Jun 13, 2026.

Frequently asked

What is DESERT STAR TRANSPORTATION LLC's USDOT number?

DESERT STAR TRANSPORTATION LLC's USDOT number is 661337, and its motor carrier number is MC-309755.

Is DESERT STAR TRANSPORTATION LLC authorized to operate?

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

What is DESERT STAR TRANSPORTATION LLC's safety record?

DESERT STAR TRANSPORTATION LLC has a 15.4% vehicle out-of-service rate (national average 22.26%) across 218 roadside inspections, with 3 reportable crashes in the last 24 months, and an FMCSA "Satisfactory" safety rating. Vektor's computed risk score is 82/100 (tier: review).