Fleet typeIdentity
Owner-operator
2 power units. Brokers price each fleet type apart.
Carrier profile · USDOT 3156833 · MC-108406
WILLOW BEND EXPRESS LLC
DBA WILLOW BEND EXPRESS
2 power unitsavg 13.7 yrRegional · 4 statesELKINS, WV
CARRIER ACTIVEMC-108406 ACTIVERATED SATISFACTORY
Observed fleet · trailing 24 mo daily
2Power units
4 observed · MCS-150
2Trailers seen
Decoded · vPIC
13.7Avg age (yr)
2000–2018 · vPIC
Click to see how we scored it
Load decision · FMCSA snapshot · 2026-06-13
High risk
Multiple serious issues on the federal record. Verify directly before any tender.
Active operating authorityInsurance on fileVehicle out-of-service rate well above average
Watch · 3
Vehicle out-of-service rate well above average60.0% of vehicle inspections were placed out of service vs the 22.3% national average.Driver out-of-service rate well above average20.0% of driver inspections were placed out of service vs the 6.7% national average.Reincarnated carrier — prior authority revokedFMCSA links this carrier to a previously revoked operating authority — the classic chameleon-carrier pattern. Verify it is not evading an enforcement history.
Operating authority88 yr active
since 2018Insurance (BIPD)On file
FMCSA L&IVehicle OOS · 24mo60.060.0 %
▲ 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 peersOlder
13.7 yr
Model years 2000–2018 · peer benchmark computing.
Identity stabilityFlagged
8 yr unchanged
Linked to a previously revoked authority — verify before tendering.
AI readFull read
Is WILLOW BEND EXPRESS LLC safe to work with?
Is WILLOW BEND EXPRESS LLC safe to load? WILLOW BEND EXPRESS LLC (USDOT 3156833, MC-108406) is an active owner-operator motor carrier based in ELKINS, WV, operating 2 power units and 3 drivers. Operating authority has been active 8 years (past the 24-month broker-confidence threshold). Across 7 roadside inspections, its vehicle out-of-service rate is 60.0% (above the 22.26% national average), with 0 reportable crashes in the last 24 months. FMCSA rates it Satisfactory. Vektor rates it high risk (59/100), with the leading concern: vehicle out-of-service rate well above average. Source: FMCSA SAFER/MCMIS, last updated 2026-06-13.
FMCSA fields + Vektor analysis · updated 2026-06-13
WBWILLOW BEND EXPRESS LLC 59
01
Safety
7 inspections · 24 mo · vs national benchmarks
Out-of-service rate· trailing 24 months vs national benchmark
Vehicle OOS 60.0% (24-mo)5 veh insp · 24-mo · nat'l 22.26%
050%nat'l 22.26%
Driver OOS 20.0% (24-mo)5 drv insp · 24-mo · nat'l 6.67%
030%nat'l 6.67%
OOS trajectory· trailing 6-mo vehicle-OOS rate vs national
57.1% 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
≈1.3 / unit·yr
thin signalabundant signal
Within the expected band for a 2-unit fleet — FMCSA has inspected this carrier often enough that the out-of-service and violation signals above are statistically trustworthy.
- Registered power units
- 2
- Inspections · 24 mo
- 5
- Annualized
- ≈3 / yr
- Coverage
- ≈1.3 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.
- 393.9 Inoperative required lampsVehicle Maintenance4
- 392.2 State/local traffic law violation (speeding, etc.)Unsafe Driving3
- 395.8 Record of duty status (log / ELD) not current or missingHOS Compliance3 · 1 OOS
- 383.23 Operating without a valid CDLDriver Fitness2 · 2 OOS
- 390.21 USDOT number marking on vehicleUnsafe Driving2
- 393.41 Parts & accessories (vehicle condition)Vehicle Maintenance2 · 2 OOS
- 393.43 Parts & accessories (vehicle condition)Vehicle Maintenance2 · 2 OOS
- 393.95 Emergency equipment (extinguisher, triangles)Vehicle Maintenance2
- 393.205 Parts & accessories (vehicle condition)Vehicle Maintenance1
- 393.11 Required lamps/reflectors missingVehicle Maintenance1
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 · 4 insurers · 0 lapsesInsurer churn
+4 earlier
Prime · 22–24
20222025
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.
5 insurer eras · collapsed from 8 filings
| Insurer | Period | Limit | Renewals |
|---|---|---|---|
| BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOMESTATE INSURANCE COMPAN | May 2025 → Aug 2025 | $750k | 2 |
| PROGRESSIVE CLASSIC INSURANCE COMPANY | Aug 2024 → May 2025 | $750k | 1 |
| CLASSIC INSURANCE CO | Jul 2024 → Aug 2024 | $750k | 1 |
| PRIME INSURANCE COMPANY | Jul 2022 → Jul 2024 | $750k | 2 |
| CLASSIC INSURANCE CO | Apr 2022 → Jul 2022 | $750k | 2 |
03
Equipment & fleet
VIN-decoded · NHTSA vPIC
Capacity· power units = haulable capacity; trailers are towed
- Registered power units (MCS-150)
- 2
- Observed power (24 mo)
- 4
- Trailers (towed)
- 2
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
2018
Newest model yr
2000
Oldest model yr
VINs decoded
04
Operations & lanes
Revealed by inspection density across 4 states · 24 mo
Operating footprint· revealed by roadside-inspection geography
Operating radiusRegional
revealedStates observed44
US statesInspections · 24 mo55
WV busiestInspection density by state· each tile = a state · shade = inspections, last 24 mo
Home base
ELKINS, WV
Top corridor
WV
Density
fewermore
05
Network & fraud
Affiliated entities & reincarnation signals · for review, not a verdict
Reincarnated carrier — prior authority was revoked
FMCSA links this carrier to a previously revoked authority: USDOT 3156833. Reincarnation is a primary chameleon-carrier pattern.
Named as the prior authority of newer carriers
1 carrier list this USDOT as their revoked predecessor: USDOT 3156833.
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 968308
Capacity consistency· registered vs roadside-observed power units
Registered (MCS-150)22
Observed (24 mo)44
Shared w/ other carriers11
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
- 924 BEVERLY PIKE, ELKINS, WV, 26241
- Operation
- Interstate
Contact
- Phone
- (304) 637-7368
- Cell
- (304) 704-4435
- Fax
- (304) 630-0703
Registration
- Officers
- Walt Schmidlen Iii · Walt Schmidlen Iii
- USDOT / docket
- 3156833 · MC-108406
- First registered
- 07/05/2018
- Last MCS-150
- 10/02/2024 · 187,610 mi (2023)
- FMCSA safety rating
- Satisfactory · 12/17/2024
- 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 WILLOW BEND EXPRESS 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 WILLOW BEND EXPRESS LLC's USDOT number?
WILLOW BEND EXPRESS LLC's USDOT number is 3156833, and its motor carrier number is MC-108406.
Is WILLOW BEND EXPRESS LLC authorized to operate?
As of 2026-06-13, WILLOW BEND EXPRESS LLC is active in the FMCSA register with common, contract, broker operating authority on file.
What is WILLOW BEND EXPRESS LLC's safety record?
WILLOW BEND EXPRESS LLC has a 60.0% vehicle out-of-service rate (national average 22.26%) across 7 roadside inspections, with 0 reportable crashes in the last 24 months, and an FMCSA "Satisfactory" safety rating. Vektor's computed risk score is 59/100 (tier: high_risk).
How big is WILLOW BEND EXPRESS LLC's fleet?
WILLOW BEND EXPRESS LLC operates 2 power units and 3 drivers per its most recent MCS-150 filing.
Where is WILLOW BEND EXPRESS LLC based?
WILLOW BEND EXPRESS LLC is based in ELKINS, WV, with roadside inspections recorded across 4 states.