Fleet typeIdentity
Small fleet
77 power units. Brokers price each fleet type apart.
Carrier profile · USDOT 3185707 · MC-131548
EXPLORE PETROLEUM LLC
77 power unitsavg 12.8 yrLocal · 2 statesKENEDY, TX
CARRIER ACTIVEMC-131548 ACTIVEHAZMAT
Observed fleet · trailing 24 mo daily
77Power units
32 observed · MCS-150
23Trailers seen
Decoded · vPIC
12.8Avg age (yr)
1999–2024 · vPIC
Click to see how we scored it
Load decision · FMCSA snapshot · 2026-07-26
Review before loading
Operating, but with flags a broker should weigh before tendering freight.
Active operating authorityInsurance on fileVehicle out-of-service rate above average
Watch · 2
Operating authority77 yr active
since 2018Insurance (BIPD)On file
FMCSA L&IVehicle OOS · 24mo26.026.0 %
▲ 22.26% nat'lCrashes · fatal11
3 in 24moVektor intelligence · beyond the federal recordProprietary signals computed from VIN-decoded inspections & daily FMCSA snapshots
Fleet age vs peersOlder
12.8 yr
Model years 1999–2024 · peer benchmark computing.
Identity stabilityStable
7 yr unchanged
Same registration since 2018 — no chameleon / reincarnation signal.
AI readFull read
Is EXPLORE PETROLEUM LLC safe to work with?
Is EXPLORE PETROLEUM LLC safe to load? EXPLORE PETROLEUM LLC (USDOT 3185707, MC-131548) is an active small-fleet motor carrier based in KENEDY, TX, operating 77 power units and 72 drivers. Operating authority has been active 7 years (past the 24-month broker-confidence threshold). Across 62 roadside inspections, its vehicle out-of-service rate is 26.0% (above the 22.26% national average), with 3 reportable crashes in the last 24 months. FMCSA has not assigned a safety rating. Vektor rates it review before loading (81/100), with the leading concern: fatal crash on record. Source: FMCSA SAFER/MCMIS, last updated 2026-07-26.
FMCSA fields + Vektor analysis · updated 2026-07-26
EPEXPLORE PETROLEUM LLC 81
01
Safety
62 inspections · 24 mo · vs national benchmarks
Out-of-service rate· trailing 24 months vs national benchmark
Vehicle OOS 26.0% (24-mo)50 veh insp · 24-mo · nat'l 22.26%
050%nat'l 22.26%
Driver OOS 0.0% (24-mo)53 drv insp · 24-mo · nat'l 6.67%
030%nat'l 6.67%
OOS trajectory· trailing 6-mo vehicle-OOS rate vs national
27.3% 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
≈0.3 / unit·yr
thin signalabundant signal
Few roadside inspections for a 77-unit fleet — the out-of-service and violation signals above rest on a small sample, so weight them cautiously. Thin coverage on a young authority is itself a flag.
- Registered power units
- 77
- Inspections · 24 mo
- 53
- Annualized
- ≈27 / yr
- Coverage
- ≈0.3 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.
- 393.9 Inoperative required lampsVehicle Maintenance26 · 1 OOS
- 392.2 State/local traffic law violation (speeding, etc.)Unsafe Driving15
- 396.3 Inspection / repair / maintenance not performedVehicle Maintenance14 · 5 OOS
- 393.45 Brake tubing / hose defectsVehicle Maintenance14 · 4 OOS
- 396.5 Oil and/or grease leakVehicle Maintenance9
- 393.75 Tires (defective / underinflated / worn)Vehicle Maintenance8 · 4 OOS
- 393.47 Brake actuators / linings / componentsVehicle Maintenance5
- 393.11 Required lamps/reflectors missingVehicle Maintenance5
- 393.78 Windshield wipersVehicle Maintenance4
- 393.55 Antilock brake system (ABS)Vehicle Maintenance4
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
$1M BIPD · 2 insurers · 0 lapsesContinuous
Clear Blue · 18–22
Guideone · 22–24
20182024
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.
2 insurer eras · collapsed from 8 filings
| Insurer | Period | Limit | Renewals |
|---|---|---|---|
| GUIDEONE MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY | Oct 2022 → Oct 2024 | $1M | 2 |
| CLEAR BLUE INSURANCE COMPANY | Oct 2018 → Oct 2022 | $1M | 6 |
03
Equipment & fleet
VIN-decoded · NHTSA vPIC
Capacity· power units = haulable capacity; trailers are towed
- Registered power units (MCS-150)
- 77
- Observed power (24 mo)
- 32
- Trailers (towed)
- 23
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
2024
Newest model yr
1999
Oldest model yr
VINs decoded
04
Operations & lanes
Revealed by inspection density across 2 states · 24 mo
Operating footprint· revealed by roadside-inspection geography
Operating radiusLocal
revealedStates observed22
US statesInspections · 24 mo5353
TX busiestInspection density by state· each tile = a state · shade = inspections, last 24 mo
Home base
KENEDY, TX
Top corridor
TX
Density
fewermore
05
Network & fraud
Affiliated entities & reincarnation signals · for review, not a verdict
Last 12 months: 4 trucks also ran under 3 other carriers
VINs inspected under this carrier were recently inspected under other USDOTs too — the active double-broker / shared-equipment signal: USDOT 2565812USDOT 232937USDOT 3227015Some overlap is legitimate (leased or sold equipment); review alongside the other signals.
Show all-time history (21 trucks · 19 carriers)
Across all inspections on record: USDOT 2345474USDOT 3268089USDOT 2120653USDOT 3685381USDOT 3656733USDOT 4081113USDOT 4251323USDOT 3800628
Shares a registration email domain with other carriers
@exploregroup.us — 5 carriers: USDOT 3112085USDOT 3141234USDOT 4284690USDOT 4284704
Capacity consistency· registered vs roadside-observed power units
Registered (MCS-150)7777
Observed (24 mo)3232
Shared w/ other carriers2121
Registered capacity materially exceeds what is observed roadside — the MCS-150 may be stale or the fleet under-utilized.
06
Identity & contact
FMCSA census + L&I dossier
Location
- Physical address
- 130 PRIVATE ROAD 1124, KENEDY, TX, 78119
- Mailing address
- 5555 SAN FELIP ST, STE 850, HOUSTON, TX, 77056
- Operation
- Interstate· Hazmat
Contact
- Phone
- (361) 449-7169
- Web domain
- exploregroup.us
Registration
- Officers
- Erik Strehle · Sam Bertron
- USDOT / docket
- 3185707 · MC-131548
- First registered
- 09/10/2018
- Last MCS-150
- 08/13/2024 · 2,825,000 mi (2022)
- 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 EXPLORE PETROLEUM LLC. Reviews cover performance only — on-time delivery, payment speed, communication — and never affect the Vektor risk score.
Leave a review09
Frequently asked
What is EXPLORE PETROLEUM LLC's USDOT number?
EXPLORE PETROLEUM LLC's USDOT number is 3185707, and its motor carrier number is MC-131548.
Is EXPLORE PETROLEUM LLC authorized to operate?
As of 2026-07-26, EXPLORE PETROLEUM LLC is active in the FMCSA register with common, contract, broker operating authority on file.
What is EXPLORE PETROLEUM LLC's safety record?
EXPLORE PETROLEUM LLC has a 26.0% vehicle out-of-service rate (national average 22.26%) across 62 roadside inspections, with 3 reportable crashes in the last 24 months, and is not currently rated by FMCSA. Vektor's computed risk score is 81/100 (tier: review).
How big is EXPLORE PETROLEUM LLC's fleet?
EXPLORE PETROLEUM LLC operates 77 power units and 72 drivers per its most recent MCS-150 filing.
Where is EXPLORE PETROLEUM LLC based?
EXPLORE PETROLEUM LLC is based in KENEDY, TX, with roadside inspections recorded across 2 states.