Carrier profile · USDOT 182546 · MC-310783 · Updated Aug 12, 2026

Howard & Sons Automotive Services Inc

DBA HOWARD'S WRECKER SERVICE

28 power unitsavg 6.5 yrRegional · 3 statesMABLETON, GA80/100

CARRIER ACTIVEMC-310783 ACTIVERATED SATISFACTORY

Observed fleet · trailing 24 mo daily

28Power units

18 observed · MCS-150

4Trailers seen

Decoded · vPIC

6.5Avg age (yr)

1997–2025 · vPIC

Call dispatch(770) 432-2613 Email dispatchnena@howardswrecker.com

Click to see how we scored it

Load decision · FMCSA snapshot · Aug 12, 2026

Review before loading

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

Watch · 2

Vehicle out-of-service rate well above average77.8% of vehicle inspections were placed out of service vs the 22.26% national average.Multiple injury crashes10 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 52 yearsOperating authority has been on file since 1974.

USDOT registration

yr registered

Active for-hire

Insurance (BIPD)$1M in force

FMCSA L&I

Vehicle OOS · 24-mo77.8%

▲ 22.26% nat'l

Crashes · fatal

5 in 24 mo

USDOT registration

yr registered

Active for-hire

Insurance (BIPD)$1M in force

FMCSA L&I

Vehicle OOS · 24-mo77.8%

▲ 22.26% nat'l

Crashes · fatal

5 in 24 mo

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

Fleet typeIdentity

Asset-based

28 power units. Brokers price each fleet type apart.

Fleet age vs peersTypical

6.5 yr

Model years 1997–2025 · peer benchmark unavailable.

Identity stabilityStable

52 yr unchanged

Same registration since 1974 — no chameleon / reincarnation signal.

Safety

27 inspections · 24 mo · vs national benchmarks

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

Vehicle OOS 77.8%24-mo cumulative

050%nat'l 22.26%

Driver OOS 3.7%24-mo cumulative

030%nat'l 6.67%

Every inspection in the window pooled — 9 vehicle and 27 driver inspections over 24 months.

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

75.0% · 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 26.3 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

26 inspections in the charted months · busiest month Sep '25 · 3

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.

Expected band

Under-inspected

Expected

Well-monitored

Heavily inspected

≈0.5 / unit·yr

thin signalabundant signal

Roadside-inspection volume is about what you'd expect for a 28-unit fleet — enough signal to read the safety record, though not a heavy sample.

Registered power units: 28
Inspections · 24 mo: 27
Annualized: ≈14 / yr
Coverage: ≈0.5 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 Driving16 · 0 OOS
392.16 Failure to use seat beltUnsafe Driving6 · 0 OOS
393.9 Inoperative required lampsVehicle Maintenance5 · 1 OOS
393.11 Required lamps/reflectors missingVehicle Maintenance4 · 2 OOS
392.82 Using a hand-held mobile phoneUnsafe Driving4 · 0 OOS
393.45 Brake tubing / hose defectsVehicle Maintenance3 · 0 OOS
395.8 Record of duty status (log / ELD) not current or missingHOS Compliance2 · 1 OOS
391.41 No / expired medical certificateDriver Fitness2 · 0 OOS
393.128 Parts & accessories (vehicle condition)Vehicle Maintenance2 · 2 OOS
393.130 Cargo securement — heavy vehicles/equipmentVehicle Maintenance2 · 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: Active
Contract: None
Broker: None

Insurance & bonds

BIPD / liability$1,000,000 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

$1M in forcegeneral-freight federal minimum

$750K floor

Filed BIPD coverage of $1M 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 · 17 insurers · 0 lapsesInsurer churn

Southern Guaranty’96–’03

Progressive Mountain’10–’13

Zurich American’17–’21

1996200420122020now

Shorter eras are too brief to label at this scale — all 19 insurers are named in the list below.

BIPD in force — $1,000,000 · NATIONAL INTERSTATE INSURANCE COMPANY · since Jun 2025

All 19 insurer eras · dates, limits, renewals

Insurer	Period	Limit	Renewals
NEW HAMPSHIRE INSURANCE CO.	Aug 2024 → Jun 2025	$750K	1
GRANITE STATE INSURANCE CO.	Aug 2024 → Aug 2024	$750K	1
NEW HAMPSHIRE INSURANCE CO.	Aug 2024 → Aug 2024	$750K	1
ZURICH AMERICAN INSURANCE COMPANY	Aug 2022 → Aug 2024	$750K	1
AMGUARD INSURANCE COMPANY	Aug 2021 → Aug 2022	$750K	1
ZURICH AMERICAN INSURANCE COMPANY	Aug 2017 → Aug 2021	$750K	1
UNITED SPECIALTY INSURANCE COMPANY	Mar 2016 → Aug 2017	$750K	2
NATIONAL CASUALTY COMPANY	Mar 2015 → Mar 2016	$750K	1
CANAL INSURANCE CO.	Mar 2014 → Mar 2015	$750K	1
ARCH INSURANCE COMPANY	Mar 2013 → Mar 2014	$750K	2
PROGRESSIVE MOUNTAIN INSURANCE COMPANY OF OHI	Mar 2010 → Mar 2013	$750K	3
REDLAND INSURANCE CO.	Mar 2009 → Mar 2010	$750K	2
GRANGE INSURANCE COMPANY.	Mar 2008 → Mar 2009	$750K	1
SUA INSURANCE COMPANY	Mar 2007 → Mar 2008	$750K	1
SPECIALTY UNDERWRITERS ALLIANCE	Mar 2006 → Mar 2007	$750K	1
CYPRESS INSURANCE COMPANY (CA)	Mar 2004 → Mar 2006	$750K	2
LINCOLN GENERAL INSURANCE COMPANY	Mar 2003 → Mar 2004	$750K	1
INTERSTATE INDEMNITY COMPANY	Mar 2003 → May 2003	$750K	2
SOUTHERN GUARANTY INSURANCE CO.	Feb 1996 → Mar 2003	$750K	1

Explore full authority & insurance record

Equipment

VIN-decoded · NHTSA vPIC

Capacity· power units = haulable capacity; trailers are towed

Registered power units (MCS-150): 28
Observed power (24 mo): 18
Trailers (towed): 4

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

Fleet age· model years · decoded VINs

6.5 yr

Average age

2025

Newest model yr

1997

Oldest model yr

43.5%

VINs decoded

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

Operations & Lanes

Revealed by inspection density across 3 states · 24 mo

Operating footprint· revealed by roadside-inspection geography

Operating radiusRegional

revealed

States observed

US states

Inspections · 24 mo

GA busiest

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

Home base

MABLETON, GA

1650 ARMSTRONG PLACE

Top corridor

GA 19 · AL 6 · SC 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 (1 truck · 1 carriers)

Across all inspections on record: USDOT 3826214

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: 1650 ARMSTRONG PLACE, MABLETON, GA, 30126
Operation: Interstate

Contact

Phone: (770) 432-2613
Email: nena@howardswrecker.com
Web domain: howardswrecker.com

Registration

Officers: Philip E Howard · Christopher Williams
USDOT / docket: 182546 · MC-310783
First registered: Jun 1, 1974
Last MCS-150: Apr 17, 2026 · 1,133,503 mi (2023)
FMCSA safety rating: Satisfactory · Aug 2, 1995
D-U-N-S: 77165017

Fleet (self-reported · MCS-150)

Power units

Drivers

CDL drivers

1,133,503

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 HOWARD & SONS AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES INC.

HOWARD & SONS AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES INC (USDOT 182546) has a Vektor safety score of 80/100 and a Review before loading verdict, from the carrier's FMCSA record refreshed Aug 12, 2026.

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

It has an active BIPD insurance filing with a $1,000,000 limit in force from NATIONAL INTERSTATE INSURANCE COMPANY effective Jun 16, 2025 in FMCSA L&I's current snapshot as of Aug 12, 2026.

Its vehicle out-of-service rate was 77.8% over the last 24 months, versus the 22.26% CVSA national average, from FMCSA roadside-inspection data refreshed Aug 12, 2026.

The carrier received 27 roadside inspections in the last 24 months — 9 vehicle-level and 27 driver-level — across 3 states, according to FMCSA roadside-inspection data refreshed Aug 12, 2026.

The carrier has 5 reportable crashes in the last 24 months and 0 fatal crashes across the full FMCSA crash record available as of Aug 12, 2026.

It reports 28 power units and 23 drivers in its most recent MCS-150 filing dated Apr 17, 2026.

It has an FMCSA safety rating of Satisfactory assigned Aug 2, 1995 in the federal record refreshed Aug 12, 2026.

Frequently asked

What is HOWARD & SONS AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES INC's USDOT number?

HOWARD & SONS AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES INC's USDOT number is 182546, and its motor carrier number is MC-310783.

Is HOWARD & SONS AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES INC authorized to operate?

As of Aug 12, 2026, HOWARD & SONS AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES INC is active in the FMCSA register with common, contract, broker operating authority on file.

What is HOWARD & SONS AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES INC's safety record?

HOWARD & SONS AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES INC has a 77.8% vehicle out-of-service rate (national average 22.26%) across 42 roadside inspections, with 5 reportable crashes in the last 24 months, and an FMCSA "Satisfactory" safety rating. Vektor's computed risk score is 80/100 (tier: review).

How big is HOWARD & SONS AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES INC's fleet?

HOWARD & SONS AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES INC operates 28 power units and 23 drivers per its most recent MCS-150 filing.

Where is HOWARD & SONS AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES INC based?

HOWARD & SONS AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES INC is based in MABLETON, GA, with roadside inspections recorded across 3 states.

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