Carrier profile · USDOT 594048 · Updated Jun 13, 2026

UNIVERSAL SCRAP METALS INC

33 power unitsavg 11 yrRegional · 3 statesCHICAGO, IL68/100

AUTHORITY STATUS UNKNOWN

Observed fleet · trailing 24 mo daily

33Power units

17 observed · MCS-150

11Trailers seen

Decoded · vPIC

11.0Avg age (yr)

2001–2026 · vPIC

Call dispatch(312) 666-0011 Email dispatchpermits@usmrecycles.com

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Load decision · FMCSA snapshot · Jun 13, 2026

Review before loading

Operating, but with flags a broker should weigh before tendering freight.

Established 31 yearsVehicle out-of-service rate well above average

Watch · 3

Vehicle out-of-service rate well above average42.9% of vehicle inspections were placed out of service vs the 22.26% national average.Driver out-of-service rate above average13.0% vs the 6.7% national average.Fatal crash on record1 crash(es) involving a fatality are on this carrier's record.

In good standing · 1

Established 31 yearsOperating authority has been on file since 1995.

USDOT registration

yr registered

Authority not on file

Insurance (BIPD)— unknown

No filing on record

Vehicle OOS · 24-mo42.9%

▲ 22.26% nat'l

Crashes · fatal

2 in 24 mo

USDOT registration

yr registered

Authority not on file

Insurance (BIPD)— unknown

No filing on record

Vehicle OOS · 24-mo42.9%

▲ 22.26% nat'l

Crashes · fatal

2 in 24 mo

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

Fleet typeIdentity

Asset-based

33 power units. Brokers price each fleet type apart.

Fleet age vs peersTypical

11 yr

Model years 2001–2026 · peer benchmark unavailable.

Identity stabilityStable

31 yr unchanged

Same registration since 1995 — no chameleon / reincarnation signal.

Safety

23 inspections · 24 mo · vs national benchmarks

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

Vehicle OOS 42.9%24-mo cumulative

050%nat'l 22.26%

Driver OOS 13.0%24-mo cumulative

030%nat'l 6.67%

Every inspection in the window pooled — 14 vehicle and 23 driver inspections over 24 months.

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

50.0% · latest 6-mo window▼ Falling

Share of vehicle-level roadside inspections in each trailing six-month window that resulted in a vehicle out-of-service order. Trending down 2.4 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

21 inspections in the charted months · busiest month Jul '25 · 3

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.

Thin coverage

Under-inspected

Expected

Well-monitored

Heavily inspected

≈0.3 / unit·yr

thin signalabundant signal

Few roadside inspections for a 33-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: 33
Inspections · 24 mo: 23
Annualized: ≈12 / yr
Coverage: ≈0.3 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 Driving24 · 0 OOS
393.9 Inoperative required lampsVehicle Maintenance17 · 1 OOS
393.47 Brake actuators / linings / componentsVehicle Maintenance10 · 0 OOS
396.3 Inspection / repair / maintenance not performedVehicle Maintenance7 · 4 OOS
393.75 Tires (defective / underinflated / worn)Vehicle Maintenance6 · 6 OOS
393.55 Antilock brake system (ABS)Vehicle Maintenance5 · 0 OOS
396.17 Periodic (annual) inspectionVehicle Maintenance4 · 0 OOS
396.5 Oil and/or grease leakVehicle Maintenance4 · 1 OOS
393.45 Brake tubing / hose defectsVehicle Maintenance4 · 0 OOS
393.11 Required lamps/reflectors missingVehicle Maintenance4 · 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): 33
Observed power (24 mo): 17
Trailers (towed): 11

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

Fleet age· model years · decoded VINs

11.0 yr

Average age

2026

Newest model yr

2001

Oldest model yr

21.4%

VINs decoded

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

Operations & lanes

Revealed by inspection density across 3 states · 24 mo

Operating footprint· revealed by roadside-inspection geography

Operating radiusRegional

revealed

States observed

US states

Inspections · 24 mo

IL busiest

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

Home base

CHICAGO, IL

2500 WEST FULTON STREET

Top corridor

IL 19 · IN 3 · WI 1

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-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 · 1 carriers)

Across all inspections on record: USDOT 4179932

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: 2500 WEST FULTON STREET, CHICAGO, IL, 60612
Operation: Interstate

Contact

Phone: (312) 666-0011
Fax: (312) 666-8515
Email: permits@usmrecycles.com
Web domain: usmrecycles.com

Registration

Officers: Jason Zeid · Dennis Klein
USDOT / docket: 594048
First registered: Mar 16, 1995
Last MCS-150: Aug 6, 2024 · 989,000 mi (2023)
FMCSA safety rating: Not rated
D-U-N-S: 59453811

Fleet (self-reported · MCS-150)

Power units

Drivers

CDL drivers

989,000

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

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Verification summaryAuthority, insurance, safety and identity facts for UNIVERSAL SCRAP METALS INC.

UNIVERSAL SCRAP METALS INC (USDOT 594048) has a Vektor safety score of 68/100 and a Review before loading verdict, from the carrier's FMCSA record refreshed Jun 13, 2026.

The carrier has an unknown current for-hire authority status because no FMCSA L&I authority row is available as of Jun 13, 2026.

It has an unknown current BIPD insurance status because no FMCSA L&I active-filing snapshot is available as of Jun 13, 2026.

Its vehicle out-of-service rate was 42.9% over the last 24 months, versus the 22.26% CVSA national average, from FMCSA roadside-inspection data refreshed Jun 13, 2026.

The carrier received 23 roadside inspections in the last 24 months — 14 vehicle-level and 23 driver-level — across 3 states, according to FMCSA roadside-inspection data refreshed Jun 13, 2026.

The carrier has 2 reportable crashes in the last 24 months and 1 fatal crash across the full FMCSA crash record available as of Jun 13, 2026.

It reports 33 power units and 26 drivers in its most recent MCS-150 filing dated Aug 6, 2024.

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

Frequently asked

What is UNIVERSAL SCRAP METALS INC's USDOT number?

UNIVERSAL SCRAP METALS INC's USDOT number is 594048.

Is UNIVERSAL SCRAP METALS INC authorized to operate?

As of Jun 13, 2026, UNIVERSAL SCRAP METALS INC is active in the FMCSA register.

What is UNIVERSAL SCRAP METALS INC's safety record?

UNIVERSAL SCRAP METALS INC has a 42.9% vehicle out-of-service rate (national average 22.26%) across 35 roadside inspections, with 2 reportable crashes in the last 24 months, and is not currently rated by FMCSA. Vektor's computed risk score is 68/100 (tier: review).