Carrier profile · USDOT 259225 · MC-205999 · Updated Jun 13, 2026

Merchants Publishing Company

DBA UNIVERSAL LITHO

1 power unitKALAMAZOO, MI80/100

CARRIER ACTIVEMC-205999 ACTIVE

Observed fleet · trailing 24 mo daily

1Power units

Self-reported · MCS-150

—Trailers seen

None observed · 24 mo

—Avg age (yr)

Not yet decoded

Call dispatch(269) 345-1175

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.

Watch · 2

No inspection history despite active fleetAn established carrier reporting 1 power units has no roadside inspections — a common shell/paper-carrier signal.MCS-150 census data outdatedThe biennial MCS-150 update is 20.3 years old; fleet/mileage figures may be unreliable.

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 41 yearsOperating authority has been on file since 1985.

USDOT registration

yr registered

Active for-hire

Insurance (BIPD)$5M in force

FMCSA L&I

Vehicle OOS · 24-mo—

No inspections · 24 mo

Crashes · fatal—

No crash record

USDOT registration

yr registered

Active for-hire

Insurance (BIPD)$5M in force

FMCSA L&I

Vehicle OOS · 24-mo—

No inspections · 24 mo

Crashes · fatal—

No crash record

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 peersDecoding

—

Not yet decoded

Identity stabilityStable

41 yr unchanged

Same registration since 1985 — no chameleon / reincarnation signal.

Safety

Roadside inspections, BASICs & crash history

Out-of-service rate· 24-mo cumulative

No roadside inspections on record.

Roadside inspection history· 24 charted calendar months · vehicle / driver level · any-OOS overlay

No roadside inspections on the FMCSA record in this window

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: None
Contract: Active
Broker: None

Insurance & bonds

BIPD / liability$5,000,000 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

$5M in forcegeneral-freight federal minimum

$750K floor

Filed BIPD coverage of $5M 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 ’95 · 1 insurer · 0 lapsesContinuous

beyond this history

1993200220112020now

Shorter eras are too brief to label at this scale — all 1 insurers are named in the list below.

BIPD in force — $5,000,000 · FEDERATED MUTUAL INSURANCE CO. · since Sep 1995

All 1 insurer era · dates, limits, renewals

Insurer	Period	Limit	Renewals
CITIZENS INSURANCE CO. OF AMERICA	Aug 1993 → Sep 1995	$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): 1
Observed power (24 mo): —
Trailers (towed): —

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

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

Operations & Lanes

Revealed by inspection density · 24 mo

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

Home base

KALAMAZOO, MI

20 MILLS ST

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-identity links detected — no reincarnation flag, shared trucks, registration domain, or officer overlap with other carriers.

Explore the carrier network & VIN cross-links

Identity & Federal

FMCSA census + L&I dossier

Location

Physical address: 20 MILLS ST, KALAMAZOO, MI, 49048
Operation: Interstate

Contact

Phone: (269) 345-1175
Fax: (269) 345-6999
Email: —

Registration

Officers: Mj Flemming · Carol Fleming
USDOT / docket: 259225 · MC-205999
First registered: May 7, 1985
Last MCS-150: May 2, 2006 · 10,000 mi (2005)
FMCSA safety rating: Not rated
D-U-N-S: 5371349

Fleet (self-reported · MCS-150)

Power units

Drivers

CDL drivers

10,000

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 MERCHANTS PUBLISHING COMPANY. Reviews cover performance only — on-time delivery, payment speed, communication — and never affect the Vektor risk score.

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Verification summaryAuthority, insurance, safety and identity facts for MERCHANTS PUBLISHING COMPANY.

MERCHANTS PUBLISHING COMPANY (USDOT 259225) has a Vektor safety score of 80/100 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 $5,000,000 limit in force from FEDERATED MUTUAL INSURANCE CO. effective Sep 26, 1995 in FMCSA L&I's current snapshot as of Jun 13, 2026.

The carrier received 0 roadside inspections in the last 24 months — 0 vehicle-level and 0 driver-level, according to FMCSA roadside-inspection data refreshed Jun 13, 2026.

It reports 1 power unit and 2 drivers in its most recent MCS-150 filing dated May 2, 2006.

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

Frequently asked

What is MERCHANTS PUBLISHING COMPANY's USDOT number?

MERCHANTS PUBLISHING COMPANY's USDOT number is 259225, and its motor carrier number is MC-205999.

Is MERCHANTS PUBLISHING COMPANY authorized to operate?

As of Jun 13, 2026, MERCHANTS PUBLISHING COMPANY is inactive in the FMCSA register with common, contract, broker operating authority on file.

How big is MERCHANTS PUBLISHING COMPANY's fleet?

MERCHANTS PUBLISHING COMPANY operates 1 power unit and 2 drivers per its most recent MCS-150 filing.

Where is MERCHANTS PUBLISHING COMPANY based?

MERCHANTS PUBLISHING COMPANY is based in KALAMAZOO, MI.

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