Carrier profile · USDOT 84329 · MC-116886 · Updated Aug 2, 2026

HOWELL'S MOTOR FREIGHT INC

1 power unitavg 9.3 yrMulti-region · 9 statesCLOVERDALE, VA81/100

CARRIER ACTIVEMC-116886 ACTIVERATED SATISFACTORYHAZMAT

Observed fleet · trailing 24 mo daily

1Power units

59 observed · MCS-150

56Trailers seen

Decoded · vPIC

9.3Avg age (yr)

1997–2025 · vPIC

Call dispatch(540) 591-3205 Email dispatchfred_lackey@howellsmotor.com

Click to see how we scored it

Load decision · FMCSA snapshot · Aug 2, 2026

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

Vehicle out-of-service rate above average25.0% vs the 22.26% national average.Fatal crash on record2 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 52 yearsOperating authority has been on file since 1974.

USDOT registration

yr registered

Active for-hire

Insurance (BIPD)$750K in force

FMCSA L&I

Vehicle OOS · 24-mo25.0%

▲ 22.26% nat'l

Crashes · fatal

8 in 24 mo

USDOT registration

yr registered

Active for-hire

Insurance (BIPD)$750K in force

FMCSA L&I

Vehicle OOS · 24-mo25.0%

▲ 22.26% nat'l

Crashes · fatal

8 in 24 mo

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

Fleet typeIdentity

Owner-operator

1 power unit. Brokers price each fleet type apart.

Fleet age vs peersTypical

9.3 yr

Model years 1997–2025 · peer benchmark unavailable.

Identity stabilityStable

52 yr unchanged

Same registration since 1974 — no chameleon / reincarnation signal.

Safety

83 inspections · 24 mo · vs national benchmarks

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

Vehicle OOS 25.0%24-mo cumulative

050%nat'l 22.26%

Driver OOS 1.2%24-mo cumulative

030%nat'l 6.67%

Every inspection in the window pooled — 32 vehicle and 83 driver inspections over 24 months.

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

42.9% · 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 2.7 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

80 inspections in the charted months · busiest month Nov '25 · 7

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

≈41.5 / 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: 1
Inspections · 24 mo: 83
Annualized: ≈42 / yr
Coverage: ≈41.5 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 Driving25 · 0 OOS
393.9 Inoperative required lampsVehicle Maintenance13 · 2 OOS
393.45 Brake tubing / hose defectsVehicle Maintenance7 · 2 OOS
393.47 Brake actuators / linings / componentsVehicle Maintenance6 · 1 OOS
393.75 Tires (defective / underinflated / worn)Vehicle Maintenance5 · 5 OOS
392.16 Failure to use seat beltUnsafe Driving4 · 0 OOS
396.3 Inspection / repair / maintenance not performedVehicle Maintenance3 · 1 OOS
391.11 Driver not qualifiedDriver Fitness3 · 3 OOS
392.22 Driving of commercial motor vehiclesUnsafe Driving3 · 0 OOS
393.55 Antilock brake system (ABS)Vehicle Maintenance3 · 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: Active
Contract: Active
Broker: Inactive

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 ’14 · 3 insurers · 0 lapsesContinuous

Liberty’91–’03

Liberty Fire’03–’09

Discover Property’09–’14

beyond this history

1991200020092018now

Shorter eras are too brief to label at this scale — all 3 insurers are named in the list below.

BIPD in force — $750,000 · THE TRAVELERS INDEMNITY CO. OF CONNECTICUT · since Mar 2014

All 3 insurer eras · dates, limits, renewals

Insurer	Period	Limit	Renewals
DISCOVER PROPERTY & CASUALTY INSURANCE CO.	Apr 2009 → Mar 2014	$750K	6
LIBERTY MUTUAL FIRE INSURANCE CO.	Apr 2003 → Apr 2009	$750K	1
LIBERTY MUTUAL INSURANCE CO.	Apr 1991 → May 2003	$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): 1
Observed power (24 mo): 59
Trailers (towed): 56

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

Fleet age· model years · decoded VINs

9.3 yr

Average age

2025

Newest model yr

1997

Oldest model yr

11.3%

VINs decoded

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

Operations & lanes

Revealed by inspection density across 9 states · 24 mo

Operating footprint· revealed by roadside-inspection geography

Operating radiusMulti-region

revealed

States observed

US states

Inspections · 24 mo

NC busiest

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

Home base

CLOVERDALE, VA

51 SIMMONS DRIVE

Top corridor

NC ⇄ VA

NC 38 · VA 16 · SC 10

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 3891316Some overlap is legitimate (leased or sold equipment); review alongside the other signals.

Show all-time history (5 trucks · 6 carriers)

Across all inspections on record: USDOT 3342792 USDOT 3742526 USDOT 3891316 USDOT 672167 USDOT 865711 USDOT 308343

Capacity consistency· registered vs roadside-observed power units

Registered (MCS-150)

Observed (24 mo)

Shared w/ other carriers

Roadside-observed power units materially exceed the registered MCS-150 fleet — confirm the carrier is operating within its filed capacity.

Explore the carrier network & VIN cross-links

Identity & contact

FMCSA census + L&I dossier

Location

Physical address: 51 SIMMONS DRIVE, CLOVERDALE, VA, 24077-3131
Mailing address: P O BOX 12308, ROANOKE, VA, 24024-2308
Operation: Interstate· Hazmat

Contact

Phone: (540) 591-3205
Cell: (540) 676-3411
Fax: (540) 966-3203
Email: fred_lackey@howellsmotor.com
Web domain: howellsmotor.com

Registration

Officers: Fred Lackey · Harry G Norris
USDOT / docket: 84329 · MC-116886
First registered: Jun 1, 1974
Last MCS-150: Jul 8, 2026 · 6,261,028 mi (2026)
FMCSA safety rating: Satisfactory · Dec 17, 2003
D-U-N-S: —

Fleet (self-reported · MCS-150)

Power units

Drivers

CDL drivers

6,261,028

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

No verified reviews yet

Be the first broker or shipper to rate HOWELL'S MOTOR FREIGHT INC. Reviews cover performance only — on-time delivery, payment speed, communication — and never affect the Vektor risk score.

Leave a review

Open reviews

Verification summaryAuthority, insurance, safety and identity facts for HOWELL'S MOTOR FREIGHT INC.

HOWELL'S MOTOR FREIGHT INC (USDOT 84329) has a Vektor safety score of 81/100 and a Review before loading verdict, from the carrier's FMCSA record refreshed Aug 2, 2026.

The carrier holds active common and contract for-hire operating authority per FMCSA L&I as of Aug 2, 2026.

It has an active BIPD insurance filing with a $750,000 limit in force from THE TRAVELERS INDEMNITY CO. OF CONNECTICUT effective Mar 1, 2014 in FMCSA L&I's current snapshot as of Aug 2, 2026.

Its vehicle out-of-service rate was 25.0% over the last 24 months, versus the 22.26% CVSA national average, from FMCSA roadside-inspection data refreshed Aug 2, 2026.

The carrier received 83 roadside inspections in the last 24 months — 32 vehicle-level and 83 driver-level — across 9 states, according to FMCSA roadside-inspection data refreshed Aug 2, 2026.

The carrier has 8 reportable crashes in the last 24 months and 2 fatal crashes across the full FMCSA crash record available as of Aug 2, 2026.

It reports 1 power unit and 1 driver in its most recent MCS-150 filing dated Jul 8, 2026.

It has an FMCSA safety rating of Satisfactory assigned Dec 17, 2003 in the federal record refreshed Aug 2, 2026.

Frequently asked

What is HOWELL'S MOTOR FREIGHT INC's USDOT number?

HOWELL'S MOTOR FREIGHT INC's USDOT number is 84329, and its motor carrier number is MC-116886.

Is HOWELL'S MOTOR FREIGHT INC authorized to operate?

As of Aug 2, 2026, HOWELL'S MOTOR FREIGHT INC is active in the FMCSA register with common, contract, broker operating authority on file.

What is HOWELL'S MOTOR FREIGHT INC's safety record?

HOWELL'S MOTOR FREIGHT INC has a 25.0% vehicle out-of-service rate (national average 22.26%) across 151 roadside inspections, with 8 reportable crashes in the last 24 months, and an FMCSA "Satisfactory" safety rating. Vektor's computed risk score is 81/100 (tier: review).