Carrier profile · USDOT 172153 · Updated Jun 21, 2026

THE MERRILL COMPANY

21 power unitsavg 3.7 yrLocal · 2 statesSPENCER, IA100/100

AUTHORITY STATUS UNKNOWNRATED CONDITIONALHAZMAT

Observed fleet · trailing 24 mo daily

21Power units

11 observed · MCS-150

3Trailers seen

Decoded · vPIC

3.7Avg age (yr)

2019–2025 · vPIC

Call dispatch(712) 262-1141

Click to see how we scored it

Load decision · FMCSA snapshot · Jun 21, 2026

Clear to load

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

Established 52 yearsOut-of-service rates below national average

Watch · 0

Nothing flagged.

In good standing · 2

Established 52 yearsOperating authority has been on file since 1974.Out-of-service rates below national averageBoth vehicle and driver OOS rates beat the national benchmark across 25 inspections.

USDOT registration

yr registered

Authority not on file

Insurance (BIPD)— unknown

No filing on record

Vehicle OOS · 24-mo7.7%

▼ 22.26% nat'l

Crashes · fatal

Clean · 24 mo

USDOT registration

yr registered

Authority not on file

Insurance (BIPD)— unknown

No filing on record

Vehicle OOS · 24-mo7.7%

▼ 22.26% nat'l

Crashes · fatal

Clean · 24 mo

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

Fleet typeIdentity

Asset-based

21 power units. Brokers price each fleet type apart.

Fleet age vs peersNewer

3.7 yr

Model years 2019–2025 · peer benchmark unavailable.

Identity stabilityStable

52 yr unchanged

Same registration since 1974 — no chameleon / reincarnation signal.

Safety

17 inspections · 24 mo · vs national benchmarks

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

Vehicle OOS 7.7%24-mo cumulative

050%nat'l 22.26%

Driver OOS 0.0%24-mo cumulative

030%nat'l 6.67%

Every inspection in the window pooled — 13 vehicle and 17 driver inspections over 24 months.

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

20.0% · 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 11.3 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

15 inspections in the charted months · busiest month Feb '25 · 2

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

≈0.4 / unit·yr

thin signalabundant signal

Roadside-inspection volume is about what you'd expect for a 21-unit fleet — enough signal to read the safety record, though not a heavy sample.

Registered power units: 21
Inspections · 24 mo: 17
Annualized: ≈9 / yr
Coverage: ≈0.4 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 Driving5 · 0 OOS
393.9 Inoperative required lampsVehicle Maintenance2 · 0 OOS
393.95 Emergency equipment (extinguisher, triangles)Vehicle Maintenance2 · 0 OOS
396.3 Inspection / repair / maintenance not performedVehicle Maintenance2 · 1 OOS
396.17 Periodic (annual) inspectionVehicle Maintenance1 · 0 OOS
393.47 Brake actuators / linings / componentsVehicle Maintenance1 · 0 OOS
177.817 Other violationOther1 · 0 OOS
393.45 Brake tubing / hose defectsVehicle Maintenance1 · 0 OOS
172.602 Other violationOther1 · 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): 21
Observed power (24 mo): 11
Trailers (towed): 3

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

Fleet age· model years · decoded VINs

3.7 yr

Average age

2025

Newest model yr

2019

Oldest model yr

21.4%

VINs decoded

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

Operations & lanes

Revealed by inspection density across 2 states · 24 mo

Operating footprint· revealed by roadside-inspection geography

Operating radiusLocal

revealed

States observed

US states

Inspections · 24 mo

IA busiest

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

Home base

SPENCER, IA

601 1ST AVE SW

Top corridor

IA 13 · NE 4

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 1161319Some overlap is legitimate (leased or sold equipment); review alongside the other signals.

Show all-time history (3 trucks · 3 carriers)

Across all inspections on record: USDOT 1161319 USDOT 2828163 USDOT 2311313

Shares a company officer with other carriers

eric johnson — 123 carriers: USDOT 572041 USDOT 648329 USDOT 669488 USDOT 743817 USDOT 908065 USDOT 976048 USDOT 984654 USDOT 1107966

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 & contact

FMCSA census + L&I dossier

Location

Physical address: 601 1ST AVE SW, SPENCER, IA, 51301
Mailing address: 601 1ST AVE SW, SPENCER, IA, 51301
Operation: Interstate· Hazmat

Contact

Phone: (712) 262-1141
Fax: (712) 262-1141
Email: —

Registration

Officers: Eric Johnson · Duane Bates
USDOT / docket: 172153
First registered: Jun 1, 1974
Last MCS-150: Jan 20, 2026 · 546,640 mi (2024)
FMCSA safety rating: Conditional · Aug 22, 1991
D-U-N-S: —

Fleet (self-reported · MCS-150)

Power units

Drivers

CDL drivers

546,640

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

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Verification summaryAuthority, insurance, safety and identity facts for THE MERRILL COMPANY.

THE MERRILL COMPANY (USDOT 172153) has a Vektor safety score of 100/100 and a Clear to load verdict, from the carrier's FMCSA record refreshed Jun 21, 2026.

The carrier has an unknown current for-hire authority status because no FMCSA L&I authority row is available as of Jun 21, 2026.

It has an unknown current BIPD insurance status because no FMCSA L&I active-filing snapshot is available as of Jun 21, 2026.

Its vehicle out-of-service rate was 7.7% over the last 24 months, versus the 22.26% CVSA national average, from FMCSA roadside-inspection data refreshed Jun 21, 2026.

The carrier received 17 roadside inspections in the last 24 months — 13 vehicle-level and 17 driver-level — across 2 states, according to FMCSA roadside-inspection data refreshed Jun 21, 2026.

The carrier has 0 reportable crashes in the last 24 months and 0 fatal crashes across the full FMCSA crash record available as of Jun 21, 2026.

It reports 21 power units and 14 drivers in its most recent MCS-150 filing dated Jan 20, 2026.

It has an FMCSA safety rating of Conditional assigned Aug 22, 1991 in the federal record refreshed Jun 21, 2026.

Frequently asked

What is THE MERRILL COMPANY's USDOT number?

THE MERRILL COMPANY's USDOT number is 172153.

Is THE MERRILL COMPANY authorized to operate?

As of Jun 21, 2026, THE MERRILL COMPANY is active in the FMCSA register.

What is THE MERRILL COMPANY's safety record?

THE MERRILL COMPANY has a 7.7% vehicle out-of-service rate (national average 22.26%) across 25 roadside inspections, with 0 reportable crashes in the last 24 months, and an FMCSA "Conditional" safety rating. Vektor's computed risk score is 100/100 (tier: clear).