AIR CARTAGE EXPRESS LLC, DOT #859758 FMCSA Safety & Compliance Report
5 of your 26 roadside inspections in the last 24 months ended with an out-of-service order, most recently Ohio on August 27.
Your latest, North Carolina on October 8, had 1 violation, none out of service.
Your MCS-150 lists 15 trucks and 14 drivers.
Every violation on this list stays on your FMCSA record for 24 months and counts toward the scores FMCSA uses to choose carriers for an investigation. The investigator asks for the files behind each one.
AIR CARTAGE EXPRESS LLC is a small fleet motor carrier based in STERLING, Virginia (USDOT #859758). As of October 24, 2026, it holds a Not Rated FMCSA safety rating and a FileFlo Carrier Intelligence Score of 59/100 (Elevated Risk), based on 36 recent inspection(s) and 38 recorded violation(s) in public FMCSA data.
What AIR CARTAGE EXPRESS LLC's record points to
- What out-of-service inspections trigger: the expedited safety audit (49 CFR 385.308)
Out of service on 5 inspections of 26 in the last 24 months, most recently August 27. - Have FileFlo run your compliance department
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59/100 Elevated Risk
| Category | Score | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Safety Rating | 22 | 30 |
| Inspection Pass Rate | 15 | 20 |
| Out-of-Service Rate (vs FMCSA national avg) | 9 | 15 |
| CSA BASIC percentiles | Not measured | n/a |
Three public FMCSA components, scored by FileFlo. CSA BASIC percentiles are not in FMCSA's public data, so they are shown as not measured.
AIR CARTAGE EXPRESS LLC's public FMCSA record, line by line
Roadside inspections in the last 24 months
- Oct. 8, 2026, North Carolina. 1 violation, none out of service. Written up for a driving rule violation (49 CFR 392.82).
- Sept. 2, 2026, Virginia. No violations.
- Aug. 27, 2026, Ohio. Out of service: 1 vehicle violation. Written up for a tire problem (49 CFR 393.75).
- Aug. 27, 2026, Maryland. 3 violations, none out of service. Written up for lights not working (49 CFR 393.95), an equipment problem (49 CFR 393.60), and a state or local traffic violation (49 CFR 392.2).
- Aug. 13, 2026, Virginia. 6 violations, none out of service. Written up for a false logbook entry (49 CFR 395.8), an equipment problem (49 CFR 393.53), and a brake problem (49 CFR 393.47).
- Dec. 29, 2025, North Carolina. No violations.
Operating authority and insurance
FMCSA's licensing record shows MC378730, motor property common carrier authority, reinstated on June 2, 2005.
AIR CARTAGE EXPRESS LLC: STERLING, Virginia Trucking Company
AIR CARTAGE EXPRESS LLC is a small fleet operating out of STERLING, Virginia with USDOT number 859758. The company operates 15 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, AIR CARTAGE EXPRESS LLC has a FileFlo Carrier Intelligence Score (CIS) of 59/100, classified as Elevated Risk.
FMCSA Safety Record & Inspection History
AIR CARTAGE EXPRESS LLC has undergone 36 recorded DOT inspections. The vehicle out-of-service rate is 13.9%, which is below the national average of 20.72%, suggesting solid vehicle maintenance practices. The driver out-of-service rate is 5.6%, above the national average of 5.51%. Common causes include hours-of-service violations, expired medical certificates, and CDL issues.
Recorded Violations and Out-of-Service Status
The public FMCSA record for AIR CARTAGE EXPRESS LLC carries 38 recorded violations, and the most recent inspection on file is dated October 8, 2026. Across 36 recorded inspections, the record carries 3 driver out-of-service violations and 5 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 59/100 Carrier Intelligence Score Means
The Carrier Intelligence Score is FileFlo's own summary of three public FMCSA components for AIR CARTAGE EXPRESS LLC: the safety rating, the inspection pass rate and the out-of-service rate against the national average. It is not an FMCSA score, and FMCSA does not use it to choose carriers for an investigation. 59 out of 100 falls in FileFlo's Elevated Risk band.
Virginia Trucking Compliance: STERLING Area Carriers
AIR CARTAGE EXPRESS LLC 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.
Authority Type, Hazmat Status, and Operating Profile
AIR CARTAGE EXPRESS LLC is classified by FMCSA as an interstate carrier.
The carrier holds an 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.
AIR CARTAGE EXPRESS LLC 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, 10 drivers); interstate within 100 miles (short-haul, 4 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: 742,000 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: 3 straight trucks, 12 tractors, 19 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 12 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.
FMCSA Crash History
The FMCSA Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) crash dataset records 6 crash events involving AIR CARTAGE EXPRESS LLC in the available reporting window. Of these, 0 involved a fatality, 3 involved a reported injury, and 4 resulted in a tow-away. 6 events meet the federal-recordable threshold under 49 CFR 390.5 (fatality, injury treated away from the scene, OR tow-away of any vehicle).
Most recent recorded event: IR 270, COLUMBUS, OH on August 17, 2026.
AIR CARTAGE EXPRESS LLC's Inspection Fingerprint: Geographic Pattern and Trend
Inspections cluster geographically across North Carolina (10), Virginia (8), Maryland (8). The concentration in North Carolina is consistent with the carrier's primary lanes and tends to correlate with which state DOT inspector teams AIR CARTAGE EXPRESS LLC's drivers encounter most often at roadside checkpoints.
How AIR CARTAGE EXPRESS LLC Compares to the National Average
Across the 36 recorded inspections, AIR CARTAGE EXPRESS LLC's 13.9% vehicle out-of-service rate sits slightly below the FMCSA 2024 national average of 20.72%. The 5.6% driver out-of-service rate sits moderately above the 2024 national average of 5.51%.
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Recent DOT Inspections: AIR CARTAGE EXPRESS LLC
Open any inspection for the records an auditor would ask for behind it: free, from USDOT 859758, no signup.
| Date | State | Driver OOS | Vehicle OOS | Next step |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-08 | NC | 0 | 0 | Audit check |
| 2026-09-02 | VA | 0 | 0 | Audit check |
| 2026-08-27 | OH | 0 | 1 | Audit check |
| 2026-08-27 | MD | 0 | 0 | Audit check |
| 2026-08-13 | VA | 0 | 0 | Audit check |
| 2025-12-29 | NC | 0 | 0 | Audit check |
| 2025-12-22 | NC | 0 | 1 | Audit check |
| 2025-12-22 | PA | 0 | 0 | Audit check |
| 2025-12-12 | NC | 0 | 0 | Audit check |
| 2025-10-08 | MD | 0 | 1 | Audit check |
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Frequently asked questions about AIR CARTAGE EXPRESS LLC
What is AIR CARTAGE EXPRESS LLC's FMCSA safety rating?
AIR CARTAGE EXPRESS LLC (USDOT #859758) 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 59/100 (Elevated Risk) from the public inspection and out-of-service data that is available.
How large is AIR CARTAGE EXPRESS LLC's fleet?
Per its most recent FMCSA MCS-150 filing, AIR CARTAGE EXPRESS LLC operates 15 power unit(s) and 14 driver(s), classifying it as a small fleet. Fleet counts are self-reported to FMCSA and can lag a carrier's current operation.
Where is AIR CARTAGE EXPRESS LLC based?
AIR CARTAGE EXPRESS LLC is registered with the FMCSA at a physical address in STERLING, Virginia, under USDOT number 859758.
What is AIR CARTAGE EXPRESS LLC's DOT inspection and violation history?
FileFlo shows 36 recent DOT inspection(s) and 38 recorded violation(s) for AIR CARTAGE EXPRESS LLC (USDOT #859758), 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 AIR CARTAGE EXPRESS LLC's FileFlo Carrier Intelligence Score?
AIR CARTAGE EXPRESS LLC scores 59/100 (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.
Federal rules a carrier like AIR CARTAGE EXPRESS LLC 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 →
More Virginia carriers on file
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- MAC LEASE INC, HARRISONBURG (USDOT 863513)
- L & J FAMILY TRUCKING INC, WARSAW (USDOT 865236)
- A & J DEVELOPMENT & EXCAVATION INC, MT CRAWFORD (USDOT 868184)
- POTOMAC METALS INC, STERLING (USDOT 869277)
- JOHNSON TRUCKING COMPANY INC, BOYCE (USDOT 872809)
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Data sourced from FMCSA public records and the Socrata transportation dataset. Last updated: October 24, 2026. Information may not reflect the carrier's current status. Dispute this record · Claim this profile