MELS TRANSPORTATION LLC
USDOT 3814548MC-Docket MC1377950COLUMBIA, SC
Review before tendering1 power units
MELS TRANSPORTATION LLC (USDOT 3814548) in COLUMBIA, SC — has findings to review before tendering. FMCSA authority, fleet size, BASIC safety measures, crash and inspection history.
- Has active operating authority that's tenderable today (common or contract).
- No pending authority revocation.
- 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.
- No history of insurance lapses.
- 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 and vehicle out-of-service rate is above the national roadside average.
- No preventable crashes in the last 24 months; recordable crash rate 15.62 not elevated.
- No fatal crashes in the last 24 months.
- No link to a prior revoked authority.
- 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 58
Hours of service
No alert
measure 1.52
Driver fitness
No alert
measure 0
Controlled substance
No alert
measure 0
Vehicle maintenance
No alert
measure 18.18
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
0
Crashes
9
Inspections
3
OOS inspections
8
OOS violations
Insurance
- BIPD on file
- $1,000,000
- Cargo insurance
- No
- Bond on file
- No
Fleet
- Power units
- 1
- Total drivers
- 1
- Years in business
- 4
- Hazmat authority
- No
Crash risk
- Preventable crashes (24 mo)
- 0 of 0 total crash(es)
- Recordable crash rate
- 15.62
- Driver OOS rate
- 10%Above national
- Vehicle OOS rate
- 60%Above national
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
- None on file
- Physical address
- No address flags
- Federal OOS / safety action
- None on file
- MCS-150 self-report
- 2024-08-09
- Insurance lapse history
- No lapses on record
- Last compliance review
- None on file
Inspection history (all-time)
16
Inspections
7
OOS inspections
56
Violations
11
OOS violations
1
Post-accident
Record spans 2023-06-29 → 2026-05-05.
Crash history (last 24 months)
No crashes recorded in the last 24 months.
Violation pattern (all-time, by area)
| Area (49 CFR part) | Violations | Out of service | Most recent |
|---|---|---|---|
Vehicle parts & maintenance 393
|
35 | 9 | 2026-03-02 |
Hours of service 395
|
9 | 1 | 2026-05-05 |
Unsafe driving 392
|
9 | 0 | 2026-05-05 |
Driver qualifications 391
|
2 | 1 | 2023-11-02 |
Vehicle inspection & repair 396
|
1 | 0 | 2026-03-02 |
Recent violations (last 24 months, worst first)
| Date | Category | Violation | OOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-05 | Hours-of-Service Compliance | HOS (Property) - Failing to have a record of duty status using the method prescribed | OOS |
| 2026-05-05 | Unsafe Driving | Driver - Failed to use seat belt while operating a CMV | — |
| 2026-05-05 | Unsafe Driving | State/Local Laws - Failed to obey a traffic control device - Permanent or Temporary - e.g. safety official signal sign l | — |
| 2026-03-02 | Vehicle Maintenance | Conspicuity Systems - Truck tractor upper rear retro reflective sheeting missing on vehicle manufactured on or after Jul | — |
| 2026-03-02 | Vehicle Maintenance | Lubrication - Oil or grease leak | — |
| 2026-03-02 | Vehicle Maintenance | Lighting - Side marker lamp(s) inoperative | — |
| 2026-03-02 | Vehicle Maintenance | Windshield / Windows - Tinting permits less than 70% of light transmittance | — |
| 2026-02-12 | Vehicle Maintenance | Metal Coils - Improper Securement of coils transported with eyes vertical in/on a vehicle with anchor points | OOS |
| 2026-02-12 | Vehicle Maintenance | Steering - Modified or has a condition that interferes with the free movement of steering | OOS |
| 2026-02-12 | Vehicle Maintenance | Cargo - Loose or unfastened tiedown | — |
| 2025-12-15 | Unsafe Driving | State/Local Laws - Speeding 6-10 miles per hour over the speed limit | — |
| 2025-11-26 | Vehicle Maintenance | Tires - All others leaking or inflation less than 50% of the maximum inflation pressure on tire not equipped with ATIS | OOS |
| 2025-11-26 | Vehicle Maintenance | Lighting - Stop lamps - Both inoperative when required to be on | OOS |
| 2025-11-26 | Vehicle Maintenance | Lighting - Turn signal - Any inoperative on the rearmost vehicle. | OOS |
| 2025-11-26 | Vehicle Maintenance | Lighting - Turn signal -Any inoperative on a unit that is not the rearmost unit | — |
| 2025-11-26 | Vehicle Maintenance | Lighting - Headlamp(s) fail to operate on low and high beam | — |
| 2025-11-26 | Vehicle Maintenance | Lighting - Hazard warning signal(s) inoperative | — |
| 2025-11-26 | Vehicle Maintenance | Wiring Systems - Copper wire exposed | — |
| 2025-11-26 | Vehicle Maintenance | Lighting - Identification lamp(s) inoperative | — |
| 2025-11-26 | Vehicle Maintenance | Lighting - License plate lamp inoperative | — |
| 2025-11-26 | Vehicle Maintenance | Emergency Equipment - Fire Extinguishers - unsecured | — |
| 2025-11-26 | Vehicle Maintenance | Emergency Equipment - Stopped vehicle warning devices missing or improper | — |
| 2025-10-09 | Unsafe Driving | State/Local Laws - Failure to maintain lane | — |
| 2025-09-19 | Hours-of-Service Compliance | HOS (Property) - No driver may make a false report in connection with a duty status. Explain | — |
| 2025-01-29 | Vehicle Maintenance | Tires - All others leaking or inflation less than 50% of the maximum inflation pressure on tire not equipped with ATIS | OOS |
| 2025-01-29 | Vehicle Maintenance | Dressed Lumber/Similar Building Products - Improper Securement of bundles transported using more than one tier. | OOS |
| 2025-01-29 | Vehicle Maintenance | Cargo - Loose or unfastened tiedown | — |
| 2024-08-01 | Vehicle Maintenance | Air Brake - ABS malfunction lamp defective on trailers manufactured on or after March 1 1998 | — |
| 2024-08-01 | Vehicle Maintenance | Windshield / Windows - Tinting permits less than 70% of light transmittance | — |
Recent inspections (with violations, newest first)
Showing the 15 most-recent inspections that had violations. Clean inspections aren't listed here — they're counted in the all-time inspection totals above.
2026-05-05 3 viols· 1 OOS
| Area (part) | Section | OOS | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unsafe driving 392 | 16-D | — | — |
| Unsafe driving 392 | 2-SLLTCD | — | — |
| Hours of service 395 | 8A1-HOSP | OOS | — |
2026-03-02 4 viols
| Area (part) | Section | OOS | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle inspection & repair 396 | 5B-L | — | — |
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 60D | — | — |
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 11A1-CSURR | — | — |
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 9A-LSML | — | — |
2026-02-12 3 viols· 2 OOS
| Area (part) | Section | OOS | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 209D-STSM | OOS | — |
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 120B-CDL | OOS | — |
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 104F3-C | — | — |
2025-12-15 1 viol
| Area (part) | Section | OOS | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unsafe driving 392 | 2-SLLS2 | — | — |
2025-11-26 13 viols· 3 OOS
| Area (part) | Section | OOS | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 9A-LHWS | — | — |
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 28-WS | — | — |
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 95A4-EEUS | — | — |
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 95F | — | — |
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 9A-LLPL | — | — |
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 9A-LIL | — | — |
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 9A-LIL | — | — |
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 9A-HLLH | — | — |
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 9A-LTSIR | — | — |
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 9A-LHWS | — | — |
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 75A3-TAOL | OOS | — |
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 9A-LSLIWR | OOS | — |
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 9A-LTSI | OOS | — |
2025-10-09 1 viol
| Area (part) | Section | OOS | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unsafe driving 392 | 2-SLLML | — | — |
2025-09-19 3 viols
| Area (part) | Section | OOS | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hours of service 395 | 8E-HOSPD | — | — |
| Hours of service 395 | 8E-HOSPD | — | — |
| Unsafe driving 392 | 2-SLLTL | — | — |
2025-01-29 3 viols· 2 OOS
| Area (part) | Section | OOS | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 75A3-TAOL | OOS | — |
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 104F3-C | — | — |
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 118D-CDL | OOS | — |
2024-08-01 2 viols
| Area (part) | Section | OOS | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 60(d) | — | — |
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 55(e) | — | — |
2024-03-22 2 viols· 1 OOS
| Area (part) | Section | OOS | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 78 | — | — |
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 23 | OOS | — |
2023-11-02 1 viol
| Area (part) | Section | OOS | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driver qualifications 391 | 15(a) | — | — |
2023-08-15 10 viols
| Area (part) | Section | OOS | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unsafe driving 392 | 2 | — | — |
| Hours of service 395 | 22(g) | — | — |
| Hours of service 395 | 22(h)(1) | — | — |
| Hours of service 395 | 22(h)(2) | — | — |
| Hours of service 395 | 22(h)(3) | — | — |
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 60(d) | — | — |
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 55(e) | — | — |
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 9(a) | — | — |
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 75(c) | — | — |
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 75(a)(1) | — | — |
2023-07-28 5 viols· 1 OOSPost-accident
| Area (part) | Section | OOS | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hours of service 395 | 8(e)(1) | — | — |
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 205(c) | — | — |
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 9(a) | — | — |
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 207(f) | — | — |
| Vehicle parts & maintenance 393 | 9(a) | OOS | — |
2023-07-25 2 viols
| Area (part) | Section | OOS | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unsafe driving 392 | 2 | — | — |
| Hours of service 395 | 24(c)(2)(iii) | — | — |
2023-06-29 3 viols· 1 OOS
| Area (part) | Section | OOS | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unsafe driving 392 | 2 | — | — |
| Unsafe driving 392 | 2 | — | — |
| Driver qualifications 391 | 41(a)(1) | OOS | — |
Verify on FMCSA
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