CARTER MACHINERY COMPANY INC is a large fleet motor carrier based in SALEM, Virginia (USDOT #32541). As of 2026-09-30T06:07:48.958Z, it holds a Conditional FMCSA safety rating and a FileFlo Carrier Intelligence Score of 58/100 (Elevated Risk), based on 50 recent inspection(s) and 27 recorded violation(s) in public FMCSA data.
Free FMCSA Audit · 60 seconds · No signup
Run a CFR-cited gap audit on CARTER MACHINERY COMPANY INC
Pulls the same Socrata data shown above. Grades against the rule pack FileFlo runs internally. Every gap names its 49 CFR section.
Take the book. Free.
238 pages on the paperwork side of trucking. Every checklist in it, yours.
The complete digital edition · Every checklist and template · Unsubscribe anytime
58/100 Elevated Risk
| Category | Score | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Safety Rating | 10 | 30 |
| Inspection Pass Rate | 15 | 20 |
| Out-of-Service Rate (vs FMCSA national avg) | 13 | 15 |
| CSA BASIC percentiles | Not measured | n/a |
CIS subtotal normalizes 3 publicly-available FMCSA components (Safety Rating + Inspection Pass Rate + OOS Rate) to a 0-100 surface. CSA SMS BASIC percentiles are not published in FMCSA's public Socrata datasets and the SMS portal at ai.fmcsa.dot.gov is not crawlable at scale, so we surface a transparent "Not measured" rather than fabricate a score component. Carriers with a Compliance Review on record may have published BASIC data on the SAFER snapshot for that DOT.
CARTER MACHINERY COMPANY INC is a large fleet operating out of SALEM, Virginia with USDOT number 32541. The company operates 713 power units and holds a current FMCSA safety rating of Conditional. Based on our analysis of federal safety data, CARTER MACHINERY COMPANY INC has a FileFlo Carrier Intelligence Score (CIS) of 58/100, classified as Elevated Risk.
CARTER MACHINERY COMPANY INC has undergone 50 recorded DOT inspections. The vehicle out-of-service rate is 12.0%, which is below the national average of 20.72%, suggesting solid vehicle maintenance practices. The driver out-of-service rate is 2%, within acceptable range compared to the 5.51% national average.
The public FMCSA record for CARTER MACHINERY COMPANY INC carries 27 recorded violations, and the most recent inspection on file is dated 20260917. Across 50 recorded inspections, the record carries 1 driver out-of-service violation and 7 vehicle out-of-service violations.
A recorded violation is what an inspector wrote down at the roadside. It is not a penalty, and it is not an amount owed: FMCSA assesses civil penalties only after a compliance review classifies specific cited violations. The step that changes this record is the document behind each line, so the next move is to see which records an investigator would ask for and which of them exist today.
A CIS score of 58 places CARTER MACHINERY COMPANY INC in the Elevated Risk category. Carriers at this level are more likely to be selected for compliance reviews and roadside inspections. Immediate attention to driver qualification files, hours-of-service records, and vehicle maintenance logs is recommended.
Motor carriers operating in Virginia must comply with both federal FMCSA regulations and state-specific transportation requirements. The SALEM, VA corridor is monitored by FMCSA field offices and state highway patrol units conducting roadside inspections. Carriers based in SALEM should ensure driver qualification files, vehicle inspection reports, and hours-of-service records are current and audit-ready at all times.
CARTER MACHINERY COMPANY INC falls under the Eastern Service Center for FMCSA field-office oversight (region code 03). Service-center territory drives which FMCSA Investigator team would conduct a new-entrant audit or compliance review if one is triggered for this carrier.
FileFlo helps Virginia trucking companies automate compliance document tracking across 600+ document types, including CDL medical cards, annual vehicle inspections, drug & alcohol testing records, and driver training certifications.
CARTER MACHINERY COMPANY INC is classified by FMCSA as an interstate carrier.
The carrier is classified as Private Property, meaning it transports its own goods incidental to its primary business, exempt from MC-number authority but still subject to safety regulations under 49 CFR Part 390.
Business organization type: Corporation.
CARTER MACHINERY COMPANY INC is flagged in FMCSA Census as a hazardous materials carrier (HM indicator: Y). Hazmat carriers are subject to additional regulations under 49 CFR Subchapter C, including HM-126 reporting, HM-232 security planning, and the Hazmat Cargo Tank Annual Inspection requirement (49 CFR 180.407). Hazmat violations carry their own, higher penalty schedule, separate from the general FMCSA schedule.
Operational range per MCS-150 filing: interstate beyond 100 miles (long-haul, 101 drivers); interstate within 100 miles (short-haul, 286 drivers); intrastate beyond 100 miles (15 drivers); intrastate within 100 miles (204 drivers). The 100-mile boundary matters because drivers operating within a 100-air-mile radius qualify for the short-haul exception under 49 CFR 395.1(e)(1), which removes the requirement to maintain RODS for the day.
Self-reported MCS-150 annual mileage: 13,950,000 miles. MCS-150 mileage feeds the FMCSA SafeStat exposure denominator: drastically understated mileage can artificially inflate CSA BASIC percentile scores by reducing the per-mile exposure baseline. Updates are required every 24 months under 49 CFR 390.19.
Owned equipment per the FMCSA Census filing: 657 straight trucks, 56 tractors, 54 trailers. Owned-vs-leased equipment matters for compliance documentation, owned trailers require the carrier to retain annual inspection certificates under 49 CFR 396.17, while leased trailers shift that documentation responsibility to the lease agreement.
The carrier reports 424 CDL-holding drivers on file. Each CDL driver must have a current Driver Qualification File (DQF) maintained per 49 CFR 391.51, including a Medical Examiner's Certificate, an annual MVR review, and a record of road-test results.
Intrastate driver count: 219. Intrastate drivers may be subject to state-specific CDL endorsement and hours-of-service variances depending on the state.
The FMCSA Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) crash dataset records 20 crash events involving CARTER MACHINERY COMPANY INC in the available reporting window. Of these, 0 involved a fatality, 10 involved a reported injury, and 19 resulted in a tow-away. 20 events meet the federal-recordable threshold under 49 CFR 390.5 (fatality, injury treated away from the scene, OR tow-away of any vehicle).
Federal-recordable crashes feed the Crash Indicator BASIC in CSA: carriers above the intervention threshold are 7-10x more likely to be selected for a compliance review than peer carriers below the threshold. Insurance carriers also pull federal-recordable crash counts during quoting; a single recordable crash in a 24-month look-back can drive a 10-20% premium increase for owner-operators and small fleets.
Most recent recorded event: I-64 WESTBOUND AT 100FT W OF RT 33/ ELTHAM RD, Not Reported, VA on 20260902.
Inspections cluster geographically across Maryland (22), Virginia (18), West Virginia (4). The concentration in Maryland is consistent with the carrier's primary lanes and tends to correlate with which state DOT inspector teams CARTER MACHINERY COMPANY INC's drivers encounter most often at roadside checkpoints.
Across the 50 recorded inspections, CARTER MACHINERY COMPANY INC's 12.0% vehicle out-of-service rate sits slightly below the FMCSA 2024 national average of 20.72%. The 2.0% driver out-of-service rate sits well below the 2024 national average of 5.51%. Vehicle OOS-rate variance is the strongest predictor of Vehicle Maintenance BASIC scores in CSA; driver OOS-rate variance is the strongest predictor of Hours-of-Service Compliance + Driver Fitness BASIC scores.
FMCSA's intervention thresholds (the percentile bands that trigger investigator outreach) are roughly 65th percentile for non-passenger non-hazmat carriers (75th for hazmat, 70th for passenger) on each BASIC. Carriers that consistently sit above the national average across multiple BASICs accumulate intervention risk faster than carriers with mixed performance. A single high BASIC alone rarely triggers enforcement; sustained over-threshold performance does.
Your last out-of-service was 26 days ago.
The self-serve Audit-Ready Setup covers carriers up to 50 power units. A fleet of 713 power units is scoped with a person: tell us how USDOT 32541 is run, how many drivers and files are in scope, and we come back with the scope and the price for that.
Talk to us about CARTER MACHINERY COMPANY INC
Want the gap list first? Run the free FMCSA audit for CARTER MACHINERY COMPANY INC: sixty seconds, no signup, every gap cited to the 49 CFR section. See pricing. Read the founder's FMCSA Audit Survival Guide.
Insurance brokers, freight brokers, and DOT compliance consultants vet hundreds of carriers a month. FileFlo's free carrier intelligence is built for you, and clients who use FileFlo get lower insurance premiums, fewer audit findings, and stronger CSA scores.
See the Partner Program → · 5-min application · Approved within 1 business day · Lifetime commission on every referral
| Date | State | Driver OOS | Vehicle OOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20260917 | VA | 0 | 0 |
| 20260917 | MD | 0 | 0 |
| 20260915 | VA | 0 | 0 |
| 20260914 | MD | 0 | 0 |
| 20260904 | MD | 0 | 1 |
| 20260904 | VA | 0 | 0 |
| 20260903 | MD | 0 | 0 |
| 20260901 | WV | 0 | 0 |
| 20260826 | MD | 0 | 0 |
| 20260826 | VA | 0 | 1 |
Free · No signup
Run a free FMCSA audit on your fleet
Walks every 49 CFR section a new-entrant audit or compliance review actually checks. Every gap names the CFR section that cites it. No signup, no credit card.
CARTER MACHINERY COMPANY INC (USDOT #32541) holds a "Conditional" FMCSA safety rating. FileFlo's Carrier Intelligence Score for the carrier is 58/100 (Elevated Risk), derived from its safety rating, inspection pass rate, and out-of-service rate versus the FMCSA national average.
Per its most recent FMCSA MCS-150 filing, CARTER MACHINERY COMPANY INC operates 713 power unit(s) and 0 driver(s), classifying it as a large fleet. Fleet counts are self-reported to FMCSA and can lag a carrier's current operation.
CARTER MACHINERY COMPANY INC is registered with the FMCSA at a physical address in SALEM, Virginia, under USDOT number 32541.
FileFlo shows 50 recent DOT inspection(s) and 27 recorded violation(s) for CARTER MACHINERY COMPANY INC (USDOT #32541), sourced from FMCSA public records and the Socrata transportation datasets. The inspection table on this page lists dates, states, and out-of-service counts.
CARTER MACHINERY COMPANY INC scores 58/100 (Elevated Risk) on FileFlo's Carrier Intelligence Score. The score normalizes three public FMCSA components (safety rating, inspection pass rate, and out-of-service rate versus the national average) into one 0-100 surface. CSA SMS BASIC percentiles are not published in FMCSA's public data and are excluded rather than estimated.
The 49 CFR sections a DOT compliance review actually checks, plain-English:
Compliance terms: CSA score · out-of-service order · hours of service · driver qualification file. See DOT compliance software & document management →
← Browse All Carriers · Virginia Carriers · 2026 FMCSA Penalty Guide · Free FMCSA Audit
Compare the best FMCSA audit prep software →
Data sourced from FMCSA public records and the Socrata transportation dataset. Last updated: 2026-09-30T06:07:48.958Z. Information may not reflect the carrier's current status. Dispute this record · Claim this profile