Fleet typeIdentity
Small fleet
11 power units. Brokers price each fleet type apart.
Carrier profile · USDOT 3520148 · MC-1168148
WHEELZ DOWN LLC
11 power unitsavg 5.1 yrNational · 20 statesRIPON, WI
CARRIER ACTIVEMC-1168148 ACTIVE
Observed fleet · trailing 24 mo daily
11Power units
20 observed · MCS-150
18Trailers seen
Decoded · vPIC
5.1Avg age (yr)
2000–2026 · vPIC
Click to see how we scored it
Load decision · FMCSA snapshot · 2026-06-30
Review before loading
Operating, but with flags a broker should weigh before tendering freight.
Active operating authorityInsurance on fileVehicle out-of-service rate well above average
Watch · 2
In good standing · 4
Operating authority55 yr active
since 2020Insurance (BIPD)On file
FMCSA L&IVehicle OOS · 24mo42.442.4 %
▲ 22.26% nat'lCrashes · fatal00
clean 24 moVektor intelligence · beyond the federal recordProprietary signals computed from VIN-decoded inspections & daily FMCSA snapshots
Fleet age vs peersNewer
5.1 yr
Model years 2000–2026 · peer benchmark computing.
Identity stabilityStable
5 yr unchanged
Same registration since 2020 — no chameleon / reincarnation signal.
AI readFull read
Is WHEELZ DOWN LLC safe to work with?
Is WHEELZ DOWN LLC safe to load? WHEELZ DOWN LLC (USDOT 3520148, MC-1168148) is an active small-fleet motor carrier based in RIPON, WI, operating 11 power units and 4 drivers. Operating authority has been active 5 years (past the 24-month broker-confidence threshold). Across 44 roadside inspections, its vehicle out-of-service rate is 42.4% (above the 22.26% national average), with 0 reportable crashes in the last 24 months. FMCSA has not assigned a safety rating. Vektor rates it review before loading (74/100), with the leading concern: vehicle out-of-service rate well above average. Source: FMCSA SAFER/MCMIS, last updated 2026-06-30.
FMCSA fields + Vektor analysis · updated 2026-06-30
WDWHEELZ DOWN LLC 74
01
Safety
44 inspections · 24 mo · vs national benchmarks
Out-of-service rate· trailing 24 months vs national benchmark
Vehicle OOS 42.4% (24-mo)33 veh insp · 24-mo · nat'l 22.26%
050%nat'l 22.26%
Driver OOS 57.1% (24-mo)42 drv insp · 24-mo · nat'l 6.67%
030%nat'l 6.67%
OOS trajectory· trailing 6-mo vehicle-OOS rate vs national
66.7% 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
≈1.9 / unit·yr
thin signalabundant signal
Among the more heavily-inspected carriers for its size — abundant roadside signal. Coverage isn't the question here; the out-of-service and crash record is.
- Registered power units
- 11
- Inspections · 24 mo
- 42
- Annualized
- ≈21 / yr
- Coverage
- ≈1.9 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 · 2 OOS
- 395.8 Record of duty status (log / ELD) not current or missingHOS Compliance24 · 17 OOS
- 393.9 Inoperative required lampsVehicle Maintenance15 · 1 OOS
- 383.23 Operating without a valid CDLDriver Fitness13 · 13 OOS
- 390.21 USDOT number marking on vehicleUnsafe Driving10
- 393.95 Emergency equipment (extinguisher, triangles)Vehicle Maintenance10
- 393.75 Tires (defective / underinflated / worn)Vehicle Maintenance10 · 7 OOS
- 396.17 Periodic (annual) inspectionVehicle Maintenance8
- 395.22 ELD — provider/registration/malfunctionHOS Compliance8
- 393.60 Windshield / glazingVehicle Maintenance7
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
$1M BIPD · 2 insurers · 0 lapsesContinuous
+1 earlier
Artisan Truckers · 21–24
20212024
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.
2 insurer eras · collapsed from 6 filings
| Insurer | Period | Limit | Renewals |
|---|---|---|---|
| GEICO MARINE INSURANCE COMPANY | Nov 2024 → Nov 2024 | $1M | 3 |
| ARTISAN & TRUCKERS CASUALTY COMPANY | Jul 2021 → Nov 2024 | $1M | 3 |
03
Equipment & fleet
VIN-decoded · NHTSA vPIC
Capacity· power units = haulable capacity; trailers are towed
- Registered power units (MCS-150)
- 11
- Observed power (24 mo)
- 20
- Trailers (towed)
- 18
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
2000
Oldest model yr
VINs decoded
04
Operations & lanes
Revealed by inspection density across 20 states · 24 mo
Operating footprint· revealed by roadside-inspection geography
Operating radiusNational
revealedStates observed2020
US statesInspections · 24 mo4242
MO busiestInspection density by state· each tile = a state · shade = inspections, last 24 mo
Home base
RIPON, WI
Top corridor
MO ⇄ WI
Density
fewermore
05
Network & fraud
Affiliated entities & reincarnation signals · for review, not a verdict
Last 12 months: 5 trucks also ran under 2 other carriers
VINs inspected under this carrier were recently inspected under other USDOTs too — the active double-broker / shared-equipment signal: USDOT 3087944USDOT 4263992Some overlap is legitimate (leased or sold equipment); review alongside the other signals.
Show all-time history (7 trucks · 5 carriers)
Across all inspections on record: USDOT 4023758USDOT 4264094USDOT 3087944USDOT 4263992USDOT 3836653
Shares a company officer with other carriers
douglas curtis — 3 carriers: USDOT 2154918USDOT 2537561
Capacity consistency· registered vs roadside-observed power units
Registered (MCS-150)1111
Observed (24 mo)2020
Shared w/ other carriers77
Roadside-observed power units materially exceed the registered MCS-150 fleet — confirm the carrier is operating within its filed capacity.
06
Identity & contact
FMCSA census + L&I dossier
Location
- Physical address
- N6999 METOVALE RD, RIPON, WI, 54971
- Operation
- Interstate
Contact
- Phone
- (920) 428-2456
- djcurtis16@yahoo.com
Registration
- Officer
- Douglas Curtis
- USDOT / docket
- 3520148 · MC-1168148
- First registered
- 11/11/2020
- Last MCS-150
- 04/06/2026 · 85,000 mi (2026)
- FMCSA safety rating
- Not rated
- Recordable crash rate
- 0.00
- D-U-N-S
- —
Fleet (self-reported · MCS-150)
—CDL drivers
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 WHEELZ DOWN 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 WHEELZ DOWN LLC's USDOT number?
WHEELZ DOWN LLC's USDOT number is 3520148, and its motor carrier number is MC-1168148.
Is WHEELZ DOWN LLC authorized to operate?
As of 2026-06-30, WHEELZ DOWN LLC is active in the FMCSA register with common, contract, broker operating authority on file.
What is WHEELZ DOWN LLC's safety record?
WHEELZ DOWN LLC has a 42.4% vehicle out-of-service rate (national average 22.26%) across 44 roadside inspections, with 0 reportable crashes in the last 24 months, and is not currently rated by FMCSA. Vektor's computed risk score is 74/100 (tier: review).
How big is WHEELZ DOWN LLC's fleet?
WHEELZ DOWN LLC operates 11 power units and 4 drivers per its most recent MCS-150 filing.
Where is WHEELZ DOWN LLC based?
WHEELZ DOWN LLC is based in RIPON, WI, with roadside inspections recorded across 20 states.