Fleet typeIdentity
Asset-based
259 power units. Brokers price each fleet type apart.
Carrier profile · USDOT 309317
RALPH CLAYTON & SONS
259 power unitsavg 12.7 yrLocal · 1 statesNEPTUNE, NJ
CARRIER ACTIVERATED SATISFACTORYHAZMAT
Observed fleet · trailing 24 mo daily
259Power units
41 observed · MCS-150
1Trailers seen
Decoded · vPIC
12.7Avg age (yr)
2000–2025 · vPIC
Click to see how we scored it
Load decision · FMCSA snapshot · 2026-06-13
Clear to load
Active authority and a clean federal record. No blocking issues found.
Established 38 yearsOut-of-service rates below national averageFatal crash on record
Operating authority3838 yr active
since 1988Insurance (BIPD)Unknown
FMCSA L&IVehicle OOS · 24mo7.07.0 %
▼ 22.26% nat'lCrashes · fatal33
9 in 24moVektor intelligence · beyond the federal recordProprietary signals computed from VIN-decoded inspections & daily FMCSA snapshots
Fleet age vs peersOlder
12.7 yr
Model years 2000–2025 · peer benchmark computing.
Identity stabilityStable
38 yr unchanged
Same registration since 1988 — no chameleon / reincarnation signal.
AI readFull read
Is RALPH CLAYTON & SONS safe to work with?
Is RALPH CLAYTON & SONS safe to load? RALPH CLAYTON & SONS (USDOT 309317) is an active asset-based motor carrier based in NEPTUNE, NJ, operating 259 power units and 185 drivers. Operating authority has been active 38 years (past the 24-month broker-confidence threshold). Across 105 roadside inspections, its vehicle out-of-service rate is 7.0% (below the 22.26% national average), with 9 reportable crashes in the last 24 months. FMCSA rates it Satisfactory. Vektor rates it clear to load (88/100), with the leading concern: fatal crash on record. Source: FMCSA SAFER/MCMIS, last updated 2026-06-13.
FMCSA fields + Vektor analysis · updated 2026-06-13
RCRALPH CLAYTON & SONS 88
01
Safety
105 inspections · 24 mo · vs national benchmarks
Out-of-service rate· trailing 24 months vs national benchmark
Vehicle OOS 7.0% (24-mo)43 veh insp · 24-mo · nat'l 22.26%
050%nat'l 22.26%
Driver OOS 1.7% (24-mo)59 drv insp · 24-mo · nat'l 6.67%
030%nat'l 6.67%
OOS trajectory· trailing 6-mo vehicle-OOS rate vs national
13.0% now▲ Worsening
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
≈0.1 / unit·yr
thin signalabundant signal
Few roadside inspections for a 259-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
- 259
- Inspections · 24 mo
- 60
- Annualized
- ≈30 / yr
- Coverage
- ≈0.1 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 Driving39
- 393.9 Inoperative required lampsVehicle Maintenance4
- 393.78 Windshield wipersVehicle Maintenance3
- 393.75 Tires (defective / underinflated / worn)Vehicle Maintenance3 · 3 OOS
- 390.21 USDOT number marking on vehicleUnsafe Driving2
- 396.17 Periodic (annual) inspectionVehicle Maintenance2
- 396.3 Inspection / repair / maintenance not performedVehicle Maintenance2
- 393.134 Parts & accessories (vehicle condition)Vehicle Maintenance2 · 2 OOS
- 396.5 Oil and/or grease leakVehicle Maintenance1
- 391.41 No / expired medical certificateDriver Fitness1
02
Authority & insurance
Can they legally + adequately haul your load?
Insurance continuity· insurer · policy · lapses
No insurance filing history on record.
03
Equipment & fleet
VIN-decoded · NHTSA vPIC
Capacity· power units = haulable capacity; trailers are towed
- Registered power units (MCS-150)
- 259
- Observed power (24 mo)
- 41
- Trailers (towed)
- 1
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
2025
Newest model yr
2000
Oldest model yr
VINs decoded
04
Operations & lanes
Revealed by inspection density across 1 states · 24 mo
Operating footprint· revealed by roadside-inspection geography
Operating radiusLocal
revealedStates observed11
US statesInspections · 24 mo6060
NJ busiestInspection density by state· each tile = a state · shade = inspections, last 24 mo
Home base
NEPTUNE, NJ
Top corridor
NJ
Density
fewermore
05
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 1362764Some overlap is legitimate (leased or sold equipment); review alongside the other signals.
Show all-time history (2 trucks · 1 carriers)
Across all inspections on record: USDOT 1362764
Shares a registration email domain with other carriers
@claytonsonline.com — 5 carriers: USDOT 308427USDOT 471609USDOT 775304USDOT 3327797
Capacity consistency· registered vs roadside-observed power units
Registered (MCS-150)259259
Observed (24 mo)4141
Shared w/ other carriers22
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
- 1355 CAMPUS PARKWAY, NEPTUNE, NJ, 07753
- Mailing address
- PO BOX 3015, LAKEWOOD, NJ, 08701
- Operation
- Interstate· Hazmat
Contact
- Phone
- (732) 751-7668
- Fax
- (732) 751-7619
- Web domain
- claytonsonline.com
Registration
- Officers
- Lois Kapp · Douglas R Clayton
- USDOT / docket
- 309317
- First registered
- 02/03/1988
- Last MCS-150
- 04/08/2026 · 1,155,579 mi (2025)
- FMCSA safety rating
- Satisfactory · 04/15/2005
- D-U-N-S
- 63156657
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 RALPH CLAYTON & SONS. Reviews cover performance only — on-time delivery, payment speed, communication — and never affect the Vektor risk score.
Leave a review09
Frequently asked
What is RALPH CLAYTON & SONS's USDOT number?
RALPH CLAYTON & SONS's USDOT number is 309317.
Is RALPH CLAYTON & SONS authorized to operate?
As of 2026-06-13, RALPH CLAYTON & SONS is active in the FMCSA register.
What is RALPH CLAYTON & SONS's safety record?
RALPH CLAYTON & SONS has a 7.0% vehicle out-of-service rate (national average 22.26%) across 105 roadside inspections, with 9 reportable crashes in the last 24 months, and an FMCSA "Satisfactory" safety rating. Vektor's computed risk score is 88/100 (tier: clear).
How big is RALPH CLAYTON & SONS's fleet?
RALPH CLAYTON & SONS operates 259 power units and 185 drivers per its most recent MCS-150 filing.
Where is RALPH CLAYTON & SONS based?
RALPH CLAYTON & SONS is based in NEPTUNE, NJ, with roadside inspections recorded across 1 state.