JAMES E FULTON & SONS INC, DOT #383663 FMCSA Safety & Compliance Report

KALAMAZOO, Michigan · DOT #383663 · 21 trucks · 21 drivers · Safety Rating: Not Rated

JAMES E FULTON & SONS INC is a mid-size fleet motor carrier based in KALAMAZOO, Michigan (USDOT #383663). As of 2026-10-15T01:57:39.536Z, it holds a Not Rated FMCSA safety rating and a FileFlo Carrier Intelligence Score of 63/100 (Moderate Risk), based on 6 recent inspection(s) and 18 recorded violation(s) in public FMCSA data.

Carrier Intelligence Score

63/100 Moderate Risk

Category	Score	Max
Safety Rating	22	30
Inspection Pass Rate	10	20
Out-of-Service Rate (vs FMCSA national avg)	9	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.

JAMES E FULTON & SONS INC: KALAMAZOO, Michigan Trucking Company

JAMES E FULTON & SONS INC is a mid-size fleet operating out of KALAMAZOO, Michigan with USDOT number 383663. The company operates 21 power units and has no published FMCSA safety rating (most active carriers are unrated unless they have undergone a compliance review). Based on our analysis of federal safety data, JAMES E FULTON & SONS INC has a FileFlo Carrier Intelligence Score (CIS) of 63/100, classified as Moderate Risk.

FMCSA Safety Record & Inspection History

JAMES E FULTON & SONS INC has undergone 6 recorded DOT inspections. The vehicle out-of-service rate is 33.3%, which is above the national average of 20.72%. This elevated rate indicates potential maintenance or pre-trip inspection deficiencies that could lead to roadside violations.

Recorded Violations and Out-of-Service Status

The public FMCSA record for JAMES E FULTON & SONS INC carries 18 recorded violations, and the most recent inspection on file is dated 20260807. Across 6 recorded inspections, the record carries 0 driver out-of-service violations and 9 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.

What a 63/100 Carrier Intelligence Score Means

A CIS score of 63 places JAMES E FULTON & SONS INC in the Moderate Risk category. While not in immediate danger of targeted enforcement, there are areas for improvement. Common issues at this level include inconsistent driver qualification file maintenance, lapsed vehicle inspection schedules, or minor CSA BASIC score creep.

Michigan Trucking Compliance: KALAMAZOO Area Carriers

Motor carriers operating in Michigan must comply with both federal FMCSA regulations and state-specific transportation requirements. The KALAMAZOO, MI corridor is monitored by FMCSA field offices and state highway patrol units conducting roadside inspections. Carriers based in KALAMAZOO should ensure driver qualification files, vehicle inspection reports, and hours-of-service records are current and audit-ready at all times.

JAMES E FULTON & SONS INC falls under the Midwestern Service Center for FMCSA field-office oversight (region code 05). Service-center territory drives which FMCSA Investigator team would conduct a new-entrant audit or compliance review if one is triggered for this carrier.

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Authority Type, Hazmat Status, and Operating Profile

JAMES E FULTON & SONS INC is classified by FMCSA as an interstate carrier.

The carrier holds an Private Property;Authorized For Hire classification, meaning it transports cargo or passengers for compensation under FMCSA operating authority and is subject to MC-number requirements at 49 CFR Part 365.

Business organization type: Corporation.

JAMES E FULTON & SONS 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, 8 drivers); intrastate beyond 100 miles (1 drivers); intrastate within 100 miles (12 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: 290,000 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.

Fleet Composition and Driver Profile

Owned equipment per the FMCSA Census filing: 9 straight trucks, 12 tractors, 29 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 21 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: 13. Intrastate drivers may be subject to state-specific CDL endorsement and hours-of-service variances depending on the state.

FMCSA Crash History

The FMCSA Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) crash dataset records 15 crash events involving JAMES E FULTON & SONS INC in the available reporting window. Of these, 0 involved a fatality, 5 involved a reported injury, and 14 resulted in a tow-away. 15 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: MOSEL, Kalamazoo Twp, MI on 20260527.

JAMES E FULTON & SONS INC's Inspection Fingerprint: Geographic Pattern and Trend

Inspections cluster geographically across Michigan (5), Indiana (1). The concentration in Michigan is consistent with the carrier's primary lanes and tends to correlate with which state DOT inspector teams JAMES E FULTON & SONS INC's drivers encounter most often at roadside checkpoints.

How JAMES E FULTON & SONS INC Compares to the National Average

Across the 6 recorded inspections, JAMES E FULTON & SONS INC's 33.3% vehicle out-of-service rate sits substantially above the FMCSA 2024 national average of 20.72%. The 0.0% driver out-of-service rate sits materially 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.

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Recent DOT Inspections: JAMES E FULTON & SONS INC

Open any inspection for the records an auditor would ask for behind it: free, from USDOT 383663, no signup.

Date	State	Driver OOS	Vehicle OOS	Next step
2026-08-07	MI	0	2	Audit check
2026-07-29	MI	0	0	Audit check
2026-07-16	MI	0	7	Audit check
2026-01-15	MI	0	0	Audit check
2025-09-16	MI	0	0	Audit check
2024-06-24	IN	0	0	Audit check

Frequently asked questions about JAMES E FULTON & SONS INC

What is JAMES E FULTON & SONS INC's FMCSA safety rating?

JAMES E FULTON & SONS INC (USDOT #383663) does not currently carry a published FMCSA safety rating. A "Not Rated" status is common for carriers that have never had a compliance review: it is not a negative finding. FileFlo scores the carrier at 63/100 (Moderate Risk) from the public inspection and out-of-service data that is available.

How large is JAMES E FULTON & SONS INC's fleet?

Per its most recent FMCSA MCS-150 filing, JAMES E FULTON & SONS INC operates 21 power unit(s) and 21 driver(s), classifying it as a mid-size fleet. Fleet counts are self-reported to FMCSA and can lag a carrier's current operation.

Where is JAMES E FULTON & SONS INC based?

JAMES E FULTON & SONS INC is registered with the FMCSA at a physical address in KALAMAZOO, Michigan, under USDOT number 383663.

What is JAMES E FULTON & SONS INC's DOT inspection and violation history?

FileFlo shows 6 recent DOT inspection(s) and 18 recorded violation(s) for JAMES E FULTON & SONS INC (USDOT #383663), sourced from FMCSA public records and the Socrata transportation datasets. The inspection table on this page lists dates, states, and out-of-service counts.

What is JAMES E FULTON & SONS INC's FileFlo Carrier Intelligence Score?

JAMES E FULTON & SONS INC scores 63/100 (Moderate 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.

Federal rules a carrier like JAMES E FULTON & SONS INC is audited against

The 49 CFR sections a DOT compliance review actually checks, plain-English:

• 49 CFR 395.8, Hours of service & ELD records
• 49 CFR 391.51, Driver qualification files (DQF)
• 49 CFR 396.3, Vehicle inspection, repair & maintenance
• 49 CFR 382.301, Pre-employment drug & alcohol testing

Compliance terms: CSA score · out-of-service order · hours of service · driver qualification file. See DOT compliance software & document management →

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Data sourced from FMCSA public records and the Socrata transportation dataset. Last updated: 2026-10-15T01:57:39.536Z. Information may not reflect the carrier's current status. Dispute this record · Claim this profile