Fleet typeIdentity
Asset-based
29 power units. Brokers price each fleet type apart.
Carrier profile · USDOT 3420026 · MC-1105290
UNIVERSAL FREIGHT LLC
DBA UNIVERSAL FREIGHT EXPRESS
29 power unitsavg 5.2 yrNational · 17 statesCRESCO, IA
CARRIER ACTIVEMC-1105290 ACTIVE
Observed fleet · trailing 24 mo daily
29Power units
10 observed · MCS-150
14Trailers seen
Decoded · vPIC
5.2Avg age (yr)
2013–2026 · vPIC
Click to see how we scored it
Load decision · FMCSA snapshot · 2026-07-18
Clear to load
Active authority and a clean federal record. No blocking issues found.
Active operating authorityInsurance on file
Watch · 0
Nothing flagged.
In good standing · 4
Active operating authorityActive for-hire authority is on file with FMCSA.Insurance on fileBIPD (liability) insurance is on file with FMCSA.Established 6 yearsOperating authority has been on file since 2020.Out-of-service rates below national averageBoth vehicle and driver OOS rates beat the national benchmark across 52 inspections.
Operating authority66 yr active
since 2020Insurance (BIPD)On file
FMCSA L&IVehicle OOS · 24mo6.36.3 %
▼ 22.26% nat'lCrashes · fatal00
1 in 24moVektor intelligence · beyond the federal recordProprietary signals computed from VIN-decoded inspections & daily FMCSA snapshots
Fleet age vs peersNewer
5.2 yr
Model years 2013–2026 · peer benchmark computing.
Identity stabilityStable
6 yr unchanged
Same registration since 2020 — no chameleon / reincarnation signal.
AI readFull read
Is UNIVERSAL FREIGHT LLC safe to work with?
Is UNIVERSAL FREIGHT LLC safe to load? UNIVERSAL FREIGHT LLC (USDOT 3420026, MC-1105290) is an active asset-based motor carrier based in CRESCO, IA, operating 29 power units and 23 drivers. Operating authority has been active 6 years (past the 24-month broker-confidence threshold). Across 52 roadside inspections, its vehicle out-of-service rate is 6.3% (below the 22.26% national average), with 1 reportable crash in the last 24 months. FMCSA has not assigned a safety rating. Vektor rates it clear to load (100/100). Source: FMCSA SAFER/MCMIS, last updated 2026-07-18.
FMCSA fields + Vektor analysis · updated 2026-07-18
UFUNIVERSAL FREIGHT LLC 100
01
Safety
52 inspections · 24 mo · vs national benchmarks
Out-of-service rate· trailing 24 months vs national benchmark
Vehicle OOS 6.3% (24-mo)16 veh insp · 24-mo · nat'l 22.26%
050%nat'l 22.26%
Driver OOS 0.0% (24-mo)24 drv insp · 24-mo · nat'l 6.67%
030%nat'l 6.67%
OOS trajectory· trailing 6-mo vehicle-OOS rate vs national
12.5% 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
≈0.4 / unit·yr
thin signalabundant signal
Roadside-inspection volume is about what you'd expect for a 29-unit fleet — enough signal to read the safety record, though not a heavy sample.
- Registered power units
- 29
- Inspections · 24 mo
- 24
- Annualized
- ≈12 / 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 Driving9
- 396.17 Periodic (annual) inspectionVehicle Maintenance4
- 393.95 Emergency equipment (extinguisher, triangles)Vehicle Maintenance3
- 393.9 Inoperative required lampsVehicle Maintenance2 · 1 OOS
- 393.48 Brakes inoperativeVehicle Maintenance2
- 393.11 Required lamps/reflectors missingVehicle Maintenance2
- 395.30 ELD — use / data transferHOS Compliance1
- 391.41 No / expired medical certificateDriver Fitness1
- 396.5 Oil and/or grease leakVehicle Maintenance1
- 392.82 Using a hand-held mobile phoneUnsafe Driving1
02
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 (required)Filed with FMCSA
CargoNone
Surety bond (BMC-84)None
Insurance continuity· insurer · policy · lapses
$750k BIPD · 3 insurers · 0 lapsesContinuous
+1 earlier
Hartford Fire · 19–21
Liberty · 21–24
20192025
No BIPD policy is currently in force in the filing history. The authority record may still list one on file — request a COI to confirm current coverage.
3 insurer eras · collapsed from 7 filings
| Insurer | Period | Limit | Renewals |
|---|---|---|---|
| PRAETORIAN INSURANCE COMPANY | Jul 2024 → Jun 2025 | $750k | 1 |
| LIBERTY INSURANCE CORPORATION | Jun 2021 → Jul 2024 | $750k | 4 |
| HARTFORD FIRE INSURANCE COMPANY | Jun 2019 → Jun 2021 | $750k | 2 |
03
Equipment & fleet
VIN-decoded · NHTSA vPIC
Capacity· power units = haulable capacity; trailers are towed
- Registered power units (MCS-150)
- 29
- Observed power (24 mo)
- 10
- Trailers (towed)
- 14
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
2026
Newest model yr
2013
Oldest model yr
VINs decoded
04
Operations & lanes
Revealed by inspection density across 17 states · 24 mo
Operating footprint· revealed by roadside-inspection geography
Operating radiusNational
revealedStates observed1717
US statesInspections · 24 mo2424
SD busiestInspection density by state· each tile = a state · shade = inspections, last 24 mo
Home base
CRESCO, IA
Top corridor
SD ⇄ IA
Density
fewermore
05
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 · 5 carriers)
Across all inspections on record: USDOT 203107USDOT 257552USDOT 1080426USDOT 1758447USDOT 4180200
Shares a registration email domain with other carriers
@fthr.com — 2 carriers: USDOT 435929
Capacity consistency· registered vs roadside-observed power units
Registered (MCS-150)2929
Observed (24 mo)1010
Shared w/ other carriers11
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
- 13380 HIGHWAY 63, CRESCO, IA, 52136
- Operation
- Interstate
Contact
- Phone
- (563) 547-6000
- cjohnson@fthr.com
- Web domain
- fthr.com
Registration
- Officers
- Timothy J Masud · Curt Johnson
- USDOT / docket
- 3420026 · MC-1105290
- First registered
- 04/21/2020
- Last MCS-150
- 10/08/2025 · 1,258,928 mi (2024)
- FMCSA safety rating
- Not rated
- Recordable crash rate
- 0.00
- D-U-N-S
- 194394789
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 UNIVERSAL FREIGHT LLC. Reviews cover performance only — on-time delivery, payment speed, communication — and never affect the Vektor risk score.
Leave a review09
Frequently asked
What is UNIVERSAL FREIGHT LLC's USDOT number?
UNIVERSAL FREIGHT LLC's USDOT number is 3420026, and its motor carrier number is MC-1105290.
Is UNIVERSAL FREIGHT LLC authorized to operate?
As of 2026-07-18, UNIVERSAL FREIGHT LLC is active in the FMCSA register with common, contract, broker operating authority on file.
What is UNIVERSAL FREIGHT LLC's safety record?
UNIVERSAL FREIGHT LLC has a 6.3% vehicle out-of-service rate (national average 22.26%) across 52 roadside inspections, with 1 reportable crash in the last 24 months, and is not currently rated by FMCSA. Vektor's computed risk score is 100/100 (tier: clear).
How big is UNIVERSAL FREIGHT LLC's fleet?
UNIVERSAL FREIGHT LLC operates 29 power units and 23 drivers per its most recent MCS-150 filing.
Where is UNIVERSAL FREIGHT LLC based?
UNIVERSAL FREIGHT LLC is based in CRESCO, IA, with roadside inspections recorded across 17 states.