FIRST WAY INC
USDOT 2564775MC-Docket MC895452PALATINE, IL
Do not tender20 power units
FIRST WAY INC (USDOT 2564775) in PALATINE, IL — carries a hard disqualifier. FMCSA authority, fleet size, BASIC safety measures, crash and inspection history.
- Has active operating authority that's tenderable today (common or contract).
- Authority revocation is currently pending — carrier may lose operating authority soon.
- Not under an uncleared federal out-of-service or safety action.
- BIPD on file: $1,000,000.
- No cargo insurance on file. Required for many shipper contracts.
- 1 prior insurance lapse(s) on record, most recent began 2018-10-10 — the carrier let required coverage lapse before.
- Current BIPD policy (NATIONAL UNION FIRE INS. CO. OF PITSBGH. PA) was filed 41 day(s) after the last involuntary revocation (2025-04-21) — a refile-to-reinstate pattern worth a closer look.
- Unrated by FMCSA. Most carriers are unrated — unrated is not the same as unsafe.
- No BASIC alerts in any of the five public SMS categories.
- Driver out-of-service rate is above the national roadside average.
- 3 preventable crash(es) in the last 24 months; recordable crash rate 0.
- No fatal crashes in the last 24 months.
- No link to a prior revoked authority.
- Authority involuntarily revoked 10 times, most recent 2025-04-21 — recurring instability (typically insurance-lapse / reinstate cycles).
- Crash Indicator and Hazmat Compliance BASICs are statutorily withheld from public SMS under the FAST Act — their absence is not a clean record; use the crash-risk signals above instead.
Built from FMCSA's public Safety Management System data — guidance, not legal advice. Verify directly with the carrier and your cargo policy before tendering.
Authority
- Common authority
- Active
- Contract authority
- Not applicable
Safety & BASIC scorecard
BASIC safety measures
Unsafe driving
No alert
measure 4.56
Hours of service
No alert
measure 0.2
Driver fitness
No alert
measure 0.17
Controlled substance
No alert
measure 0
Vehicle maintenance
No alert
measure 2.72
Under the FAST Act, FMCSA publishes an absolute per-category measure (not a 0–100 percentile) for these five BASICs — the alert flag, not the raw number, is the risk signal. The Crash Indicator and Hazmat Compliance BASICs are statutorily withheld from public view.
Last 24 months
0
Fatalities
0
Injuries
3
Crashes
42
Inspections
7
OOS inspections
8
OOS violations
Insurance
- BIPD on file
- $1,000,000
- Cargo insurance
- No
- Bond on file
- No
Fleet
- Power units
- 20
- Total drivers
- 20
- Years in business
- 12
- Hazmat authority
- No
Crash risk
- Preventable crashes (24 mo)
- 3 of 3 total crash(es)
- Recordable crash rate
- 0
- Driver OOS rate
- 6.8%Above national
- Vehicle OOS rate
- 16%
The official Crash Indicator BASIC is withheld from public SMS under the FAST Act — these derived signals stand in for it; their absence is not a clean record.
Compliance & history
- Reincarnation / chameleon
- No prior revoked authority
- Involuntary revocations
- 10 times last 2025-04-21
- Physical address
- No address flags
- Federal OOS / safety action
- None on file
- MCS-150 self-report
- 2026-03-05
- Insurance lapse history
- 1 lapse(s) most recent 2018-10-10
- Last compliance review
- None on file
Inspection history (all-time)
60
Inspections
9
OOS inspections
44
Violations
11
OOS violations
1
Post-accident
Record spans 2023-06-15 → 2026-05-12.
Crash history (last 24 months)
2026-01-17
GA
Tow-away
2025-12-09
NC
Tow-away
2024-11-11
WI
Tow-away
Violation pattern (all-time, by area)
| Area (49 CFR part) | Violations | Out of service | Most recent |
|---|---|---|---|
Vehicle parts & maintenance 393
|
12 | 7 | 2026-03-26 |
Unsafe driving 392
|
12 | 0 | 2026-04-01 |
Vehicle inspection & repair 396
|
2 | 0 | 2024-11-03 |
Driver qualifications 391
|
1 | 0 | 2025-03-25 |
Hours of service 395
|
1 | 0 | 2024-02-16 |
Recent violations (last 24 months, worst first)
| Date | Category | Violation | OOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-01 | Unsafe Driving | State/Local Laws - Lane restriction violation | — |
| 2026-03-26 | Vehicle Maintenance | Tires - All others leaking or inflation less than 50% of the maximum inflation pressure on tire not equipped with ATIS | OOS |
| 2026-03-26 | Vehicle Maintenance | Wheel/Rim - Two or more cracks anywhere. | OOS |
| 2025-12-27 | Vehicle Maintenance | Tires - All others leaking or inflation less than 50% of the maximum inflation pressure on tire not equipped with ATIS | OOS |
| 2025-10-29 | Vehicle Maintenance | Inoperable Required Lamp | — |
| 2025-08-06 | Unsafe Driving | State/Local Laws - Speeding 15 or more miles per hour over the speed limit | — |
| 2025-08-06 | Unsafe Driving | Driver - Failed to use seat belt while operating a CMV | — |
| 2025-07-02 | Unsafe Driving | Failure to obey traffic control device | — |
| 2025-06-06 | Vehicle Maintenance | Tires - All others leaking or inflation less than 50% of the maximum inflation pressure on tire not equipped with ATIS | OOS |
| 2025-05-02 | Unsafe Driving | State/Local Laws - Speeding work/construction zone | — |
| 2025-03-26 | Vehicle Maintenance | Lighting - Stop lamps - Any inoperative. | — |
| 2025-03-25 | Driver Fitness | Driver cannot satisfy the English language proficiency requirements of 391.11(b)(2) as per FMCSA Enforcement Guidance M | — |
| 2025-03-25 | Vehicle Maintenance | Emergency Equipment - Fire Extinguishers - unsecured | — |
| 2025-03-25 | Vehicle Maintenance | Lighting - Side marker lamp(s) inoperative | — |
| 2024-11-26 | Driver Fitness | Operating a CMV without a CDL | OOS |
| 2024-11-19 | Hours-of-Service Compliance | HOS (ELD) - Driver failing to review records and certify the accuracy of the information. | — |
| 2024-11-19 | Hours-of-Service Compliance | HOS (Form) - Paper Log/Logging Programs Form and Manner | — |
| 2024-11-13 | Hours-of-Service Compliance | HOS (Property) - Failing to have a record of duty status using the method prescribed | OOS |
| 2024-11-12 | Unsafe Driving | State/Local Laws - Failed to obey a traffic control device - Permanent or Temporary - e.g. safety official signal sign l | — |
| 2024-11-11 | Unsafe Driving | State/Local Laws - Failure to maintain lane | — |
| 2024-11-03 | Vehicle Maintenance | Oil and/or grease leak | — |
| 2024-10-17 | Vehicle Maintenance | Axle positioning parts defective/missing | OOS |
| 2024-10-17 | Vehicle Maintenance | Brake Connections with Leaks - Connection to Power Unit | — |
| 2024-10-17 | Vehicle Maintenance | Brakes (general) Explain: | — |
| 2024-09-04 | Unsafe Driving | State/Local Laws - Speeding work/construction zone | — |
| 2024-08-09 | Hours-of-Service Compliance | HOS (Manner) - Driver failed to retain a copy of each record of duty status for the previous 7 consecutive days which sh | OOS |
| 2024-05-29 | Unsafe Driving | Failure to obey traffic control device | — |
Recent inspections (with violations, newest first)
Showing the 18 most-recent inspections that had violations. Clean inspections aren't listed here — they're counted in the all-time inspection totals above.
2026-04-01 2 viols
| Area (part) | Section | OOS | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unsafe driving 392 | 2-SLLS1 | — | — |
| Unsafe driving 392 | 2-SLLLR | — | — |
2026-03-26 3 viols· 3 OOS
| Area (part) | Section | OOS | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 75A3-TAOL | OOS | — |
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 75A3-TAOL | OOS | — |
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 205A-WRTC | OOS | — |
2026-03-05 2 viols
| Area (part) | Section | OOS | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unsafe driving 392 | 2-SLLED | — | — |
| Unsafe driving 392 | 2-SLL | — | — |
2025-12-27 1 viol· 1 OOS
| Area (part) | Section | OOS | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 75A3-TAOL | OOS | — |
2025-10-29 1 viol
| Area (part) | Section | OOS | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 9 | — | — |
2025-08-06 2 viols
| Area (part) | Section | OOS | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unsafe driving 392 | 2-SLLS4 | — | — |
| Unsafe driving 392 | 16-D | — | — |
2025-07-02 1 viol
| Area (part) | Section | OOS | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unsafe driving 392 | 2C | — | — |
2025-06-06 1 viol· 1 OOS
| Area (part) | Section | OOS | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 75A3-TAOL | OOS | — |
2025-05-02 1 viol
| Area (part) | Section | OOS | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unsafe driving 392 | 2-SLLSWZ | — | — |
2025-03-26 1 viol
| Area (part) | Section | OOS | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 9A-LSLI | — | — |
2025-03-25 3 viols
| Area (part) | Section | OOS | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driver qualifications 391 | 11B2-Q | — | — |
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 95A4-EEUS | — | — |
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 9A-LSML | — | — |
2024-11-03 1 viol
| Area (part) | Section | OOS | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle inspection & repair 396 | 5B | — | — |
2024-10-17 3 viols· 1 OOS
| Area (part) | Section | OOS | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 207A | OOS | — |
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 45DLPC | — | — |
| Vehicle inspection & repair 396 | 3A1B | — | — |
2024-09-04 1 viol
| Area (part) | Section | OOS | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unsafe driving 392 | 2-SLLSWZ | — | — |
2024-05-29 1 viol
| Area (part) | Section | OOS | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unsafe driving 392 | 2 | — | — |
2024-02-16 2 viols· 1 OOS
| Area (part) | Section | OOS | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 100(b) | OOS | — |
| Hours of service 395 | 24 | — | — |
2023-12-12 1 viol
| Area (part) | Section | OOS | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unsafe driving 392 | 2 | — | — |
2023-10-26 1 viol
| Area (part) | Section | OOS | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unsafe driving 392 | 2-SLLLR | — | — |
Verify on FMCSA
FMCSA is the system of record. One click through to the official source.