Carrier profile · USDOT 482070 · Updated Jun 13, 2026

GUITAR CENTER STORES

DBA MUSIC & ARTS

16 power unitsavg 4.9 yrMulti-region · 11 statesFREDERICK, MD88/100

AUTHORITY STATUS UNKNOWN

Observed fleet · trailing 24 mo daily

16Power units

18 observed · MCS-150

—Trailers seen

None observed · 24 mo

4.9Avg age (yr)

2011–2026 · vPIC

Call dispatch(301) 620-4040 Email dispatchkshaffer@musicarts.com

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Load decision · FMCSA snapshot · Jun 13, 2026

Clear to load

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

Established 34 yearsDriver out-of-service rate above average

Watch · 2

Driver out-of-service rate above average7.7% vs the 6.7% national average.Multiple injury crashes3 crashes involving injuries are on record.

In good standing · 1

Established 34 yearsOperating authority has been on file since 1992.

USDOT registration

yr registered

Authority not on file

Insurance (BIPD)— unknown

No filing on record

Vehicle OOS · 24-mo6.7%

▼ 22.26% nat'l

Crashes · fatal

2 in 24 mo

USDOT registration

yr registered

Authority not on file

Insurance (BIPD)— unknown

No filing on record

Vehicle OOS · 24-mo6.7%

▼ 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

16 power units. Brokers price each fleet type apart.

Fleet age vs peersNewer

4.9 yr

Model years 2011–2026 · peer benchmark unavailable.

Identity stabilityStable

34 yr unchanged

Same registration since 1992 — no chameleon / reincarnation signal.

Safety

39 inspections · 24 mo · vs national benchmarks

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

Vehicle OOS 6.7%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 — 30 vehicle and 39 driver inspections over 24 months.

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

9.1% · 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 11.2 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

39 inspections in the charted months · busiest month Sep '24 · 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

≈1.2 / unit·yr

thin signalabundant signal

Within the expected band for a 16-unit fleet — FMCSA has inspected this carrier often enough that the out-of-service and violation signals above are statistically trustworthy.

Registered power units: 16
Inspections · 24 mo: 39
Annualized: ≈20 / yr
Coverage: ≈1.2 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 Driving12 · 0 OOS
391.41 No / expired medical certificateDriver Fitness5 · 3 OOS
390.21 USDOT number marking on vehicleUnsafe Driving4 · 0 OOS
393.9 Inoperative required lampsVehicle Maintenance3 · 0 OOS
392.9 Failure to secure load / cargo not securedUnsafe Driving3 · 3 OOS
393.95 Emergency equipment (extinguisher, triangles)Vehicle Maintenance2 · 0 OOS
393.45 Brake tubing / hose defectsVehicle Maintenance2 · 0 OOS
391.11 Driver not qualifiedDriver Fitness2 · 1 OOS
396.9 Inspection of motor vehicles in operationVehicle Maintenance1 · 0 OOS
396.17 Periodic (annual) inspectionVehicle Maintenance1 · 0 OOS

Explore full safety record — inspections, BASICs, crashes

Authority & insurance

Can they legally + adequately haul your load?

Insurance continuity· insurer · policy · lapses

No insurance filing history on record.

This timeline is the FMCSA filing history, and it ends at the most recent superseded filing — current policy status is not tracked here. Request a certificate of insurance to confirm active coverage before tendering.

Explore full authority & insurance record

Equipment & fleet

VIN-decoded · NHTSA vPIC

Capacity· power units = haulable capacity; trailers are towed

Registered power units (MCS-150): 16
Observed power (24 mo): 18
Trailers (towed): 0

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

Fleet age· model years · decoded VINs

4.9 yr

Average age

2026

Newest model yr

2011

Oldest model yr

38.9%

VINs decoded

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

Operations & lanes

Revealed by inspection density across 11 states · 24 mo

Operating footprint· revealed by roadside-inspection geography

Operating radiusMulti-region

revealed

States observed

US states

Inspections · 24 mo

MD busiest

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

Home base

FREDERICK, MD

5295 WESTVIEW DR

Top corridor

MD 20 · PA 4 · NJ 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

Last 12 months: 2 trucks also ran under 2 other carriers

VINs inspected under this carrier were recently inspected under other USDOTs too — the active double-broker / shared-equipment signal: USDOT 121384 USDOT 3531151Some overlap is legitimate (leased or sold equipment); review alongside the other signals.

Show all-time history (4 trucks · 7 carriers)

Across all inspections on record: USDOT 16130 USDOT 656236 USDOT 3960376 USDOT 121384 USDOT 2714701 USDOT 3531151 USDOT 4498382

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: 5295 WESTVIEW DR, FREDERICK, MD, 21703
Operation: Interstate

Contact

Phone: (301) 620-4040
Email: kshaffer@musicarts.com
Web domain: musicarts.com

Registration

Officers: Hugh Hiorns · Kim Shaffer
USDOT / docket: 482070
First registered: May 1, 1992
Last MCS-150: Mar 11, 2025 · 112,300 mi (2024)
FMCSA safety rating: Not rated
D-U-N-S: —

Fleet (self-reported · MCS-150)

Power units

Drivers

—CDL drivers

112,300

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 GUITAR CENTER STORES.

GUITAR CENTER STORES (USDOT 482070) has a Vektor safety score of 88/100 and a Clear to load verdict, from the carrier's FMCSA record refreshed Jun 13, 2026.

The carrier has an unknown current for-hire authority status because no FMCSA L&I authority row is available as of Jun 13, 2026.

It has an unknown current BIPD insurance status because no FMCSA L&I active-filing snapshot is available as of Jun 13, 2026.

Its vehicle out-of-service rate was 6.7% over the last 24 months, versus the 22.26% CVSA national average, from FMCSA roadside-inspection data refreshed Jun 13, 2026.

The carrier received 39 roadside inspections in the last 24 months — 30 vehicle-level and 39 driver-level — across 11 states, according to FMCSA roadside-inspection data refreshed Jun 13, 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 Jun 13, 2026.

It reports 16 power units and 12 drivers in its most recent MCS-150 filing dated Mar 11, 2025.

It has no FMCSA-assigned safety rating in the federal record refreshed Jun 13, 2026.

Frequently asked

What is GUITAR CENTER STORES's USDOT number?

GUITAR CENTER STORES's USDOT number is 482070.

Is GUITAR CENTER STORES authorized to operate?

As of Jun 13, 2026, GUITAR CENTER STORES is active in the FMCSA register.

What is GUITAR CENTER STORES's safety record?

GUITAR CENTER STORES has a 6.7% vehicle out-of-service rate (national average 22.26%) across 50 roadside inspections, with 2 reportable crashes in the last 24 months, and is not currently rated by FMCSA. Vektor's computed risk score is 88/100 (tier: clear).