Carrier profile · USDOT 1816770 · Updated Aug 20, 2026

Hightower Communications Inc

98 power unitsavg 8.8 yrRegional · 4 statesLA GRANGE, NC86/100

AUTHORITY STATUS UNKNOWN

Observed fleet · trailing 24 mo daily

98Power units

17 observed · MCS-150

14Trailers seen

Decoded · vPIC

8.8Avg age (yr)

1999–2026 · vPIC

Call dispatch(252) 566-9835 Email dispatchkdixon@hightowernc.com

Click to see how we scored it

Load decision · FMCSA snapshot · Aug 20, 2026

Clear to load

Clear under the current scoring — review the flagged signal below before loading.

Watch · 1

Vehicle out-of-service rate well above average36.8% of vehicle inspections were placed out of service vs the 22.26% national average.

In good standing · 2

Established 18 yearsOperating authority has been on file since 2008.No reported crashesNo DOT-reportable crashes are on this carrier's record.

USDOT registration

yr registered

Authority not on file

Insurance (BIPD)— unknown

No filing on record

Vehicle OOS · 24-mo36.8%

▲ 22.26% nat'l

Crashes · fatal

Clean · 24 mo

USDOT registration

yr registered

Authority not on file

Insurance (BIPD)— unknown

No filing on record

Vehicle OOS · 24-mo36.8%

▲ 22.26% nat'l

Crashes · fatal

Clean · 24 mo

Vektor intelligence · beyond the federal recordProprietary signals computed from VIN-decoded inspections & daily FMCSA snapshots

Fleet typeIdentity

Asset-based

98 power units. Brokers price each fleet type apart.

Fleet age vs peersTypical

8.8 yr

Model years 1999–2026 · peer benchmark unavailable.

Identity stabilityStable

17 yr unchanged

Same registration since 2008 — no chameleon / reincarnation signal.

Safety

28 inspections · 24 mo · vs national benchmarks

Out-of-service rate· 24-mo cumulative · vs national

Vehicle OOS 36.8%24-mo cumulative

050%nat'l 22.26%

Driver OOS 3.6%24-mo cumulative

030%nat'l 6.67%

Every inspection in the window pooled — 19 vehicle and 28 driver inspections over 24 months.

Vehicle OOS rate· vehicle OOS · vehicle-level inspections · 6-month trailing

42.9% · latest 6-mo window▼ Falling

Share of vehicle-level roadside inspections in each trailing six-month window that resulted in a vehicle out-of-service order. Trending down 8.1 pts across the window. The national vehicle benchmark uses the same metric and is shown on the chart.

Roadside inspection history· 24 charted calendar months · vehicle / driver level · any-OOS overlay

27 inspections in the charted months · busiest month Apr '25 · 3

Vehicle-levelDriver-levelAny OOS

Monthly FMCSA roadside inspections across the 24 charted calendar months. Bars show level-qualified vehicle and driver populations; one inspection can qualify for both. The line shows inspections with any out-of-service result.

Inspection coverage· expected vs observed · the fraud signal

Inspection coverage

How heavily FMCSA inspects this fleet for its size — it tells you how much to trust the safety signals above. Thin coverage on a young authority is a fraud signal nobody else surfaces.

Thin coverage

Under-inspected

Expected

Well-monitored

Heavily inspected

≈0.1 / unit·yr

thin signalabundant signal

Few roadside inspections for a 98-unit fleet — the out-of-service and violation signals above rest on a small sample, so weight them cautiously. Thin coverage on a young authority is itself a flag.

Registered power units: 98
Inspections · 24 mo: 28
Annualized: ≈14 / yr
Coverage: ≈0.1 inspections / unit · yr

Violation themes· decoded · grouped by BASIC

What this carrier actually gets cited for — FMCSA violation codes decoded into plain English, ranked by frequency.

392.2 State/local traffic law violation (speeding, etc.)Unsafe Driving10 · 0 OOS
396.17 Periodic (annual) inspectionVehicle Maintenance8 · 0 OOS
393.9 Inoperative required lampsVehicle Maintenance5 · 1 OOS
393.43 Parts & accessories (vehicle condition)Vehicle Maintenance5 · 5 OOS
391.41 No / expired medical certificateDriver Fitness3 · 0 OOS
393.75 Tires (defective / underinflated / worn)Vehicle Maintenance3 · 3 OOS
393.11 Required lamps/reflectors missingVehicle Maintenance2 · 0 OOS
393.95 Emergency equipment (extinguisher, triangles)Vehicle Maintenance2 · 0 OOS
395.8 Record of duty status (log / ELD) not current or missingHOS Compliance2 · 0 OOS
393.78 Windshield wipersVehicle Maintenance2 · 0 OOS

Explore full safety record — inspections, BASICs, crashes

Authority & Insurance

Can they legally + adequately haul your load?

Insurance continuity· insurer · policy · lapses

No insurance filing history on record.

This timeline is the FMCSA filing history, and it ends at the most recent superseded filing — current policy status is not tracked here. Request a certificate of insurance to confirm active coverage before tendering.

Explore full authority & insurance record

Equipment

VIN-decoded · NHTSA vPIC

Capacity· power units = haulable capacity; trailers are towed

Registered power units (MCS-150): 98
Observed power (24 mo): 17
Trailers (towed): 14

Capacity is power units only — trailers are towed equipment and are never summed into a fleet-size figure.

Fleet age· model years · decoded VINs

8.8 yr

Average age

2026

Newest model yr

1999

Oldest model yr

29.0%

VINs decoded

Explore full fleet — VIN roster, equipment mix, age distribution

Operations & Lanes

Revealed by inspection density across 4 states · 24 mo

Operating footprint· revealed by roadside-inspection geography

Operating radiusRegional

revealed

States observed

US states

Inspections · 24 mo

NC busiest

Inspection density by state· each tile = a state · shade = inspections, last 24 mo

Home base

LA GRANGE, NC

6995 US HWY 70 WEST

Top corridor

NC 20 · VA 4 · GA 3

Density

fewermore

Shade = roadside inspections, last 24 mo.

See the full operating map — state density, top lanes

Network & Fraud

Affiliated entities & reincarnation signals · for review, not a verdict

Last 12 months: 1 truck also ran under 1 other carrier

VINs inspected under this carrier were recently inspected under other USDOTs too — the active double-broker / shared-equipment signal: USDOT 2476167Some overlap is legitimate (leased or sold equipment); review alongside the other signals.

Show all-time history (3 trucks · 4 carriers)

Across all inspections on record: USDOT 2476167 USDOT 3159148 USDOT 99856 USDOT 1038369

Shares a registration email domain with other carriers

@hightowernc.com — 2 carriers: USDOT 4129348

Capacity consistency· registered vs roadside-observed power units

Registered (MCS-150)

Observed (24 mo)

Shared w/ other carriers

Registered capacity materially exceeds what is observed roadside — the MCS-150 may be stale or the fleet under-utilized.

Explore the carrier network & VIN cross-links

Identity & Federal

FMCSA census + L&I dossier

Location

Physical address: 6995 US HWY 70 WEST, LA GRANGE, NC, 28551
Mailing address: PO BOX 67, KINSTON, NC, 28502
Operation: Interstate

Contact

Phone: (252) 566-9835
Fax: (252) 566-0386
Email: kdixon@hightowernc.com
Web domain: hightowernc.com

Registration

Officers: Joel D. Hightower · Jd Hightower
USDOT / docket: 1816770
First registered: Oct 1, 2008
Last MCS-150: Sep 5, 2025 · 2,122,126 mi (2024)
FMCSA safety rating: Not rated
D-U-N-S: —

Fleet (self-reported · MCS-150)

Power units

104

Drivers

CDL drivers

2,122,126

Annual mileage

Open the full identity & federal record

Federal activity

Daily-captured FMCSA licensing & insurance changes — monitored by Vektor

Federal record activity· monitored daily by Vektor

No licensing or insurance changes captured since Vektor began monitoring this carrier (June 2026). Quiet is usually good.

Open the full federal-record activity feed

Reviews

Verified broker, shipper & driver reviews — moderated

Performance ratings only — never the Vektor risk score

No verified reviews yet

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Verification summaryAuthority, insurance, safety and identity facts for HIGHTOWER COMMUNICATIONS INC.

HIGHTOWER COMMUNICATIONS INC (USDOT 1816770) has a Vektor safety score of 86/100 and a Clear to load verdict, from the carrier's FMCSA record refreshed Aug 20, 2026.

The carrier has an unknown current for-hire authority status because no FMCSA L&I authority row is available as of Aug 20, 2026.

It has an unknown current BIPD insurance status because no FMCSA L&I active-filing snapshot is available as of Aug 20, 2026.

Its vehicle out-of-service rate was 36.8% over the last 24 months, versus the 22.26% CVSA national average, from FMCSA roadside-inspection data refreshed Aug 20, 2026.

The carrier received 28 roadside inspections in the last 24 months — 19 vehicle-level and 28 driver-level — across 4 states, according to FMCSA roadside-inspection data refreshed Aug 20, 2026.

The carrier has 0 reportable crashes in the last 24 months and 0 fatal crashes across the full FMCSA crash record available as of Aug 20, 2026.

It reports 98 power units and 104 drivers in its most recent MCS-150 filing dated Sep 5, 2025.

It has no FMCSA-assigned safety rating in the federal record refreshed Aug 20, 2026.

Frequently asked

What is HIGHTOWER COMMUNICATIONS INC's USDOT number?

HIGHTOWER COMMUNICATIONS INC's USDOT number is 1816770.

Is HIGHTOWER COMMUNICATIONS INC authorized to operate?

As of Aug 20, 2026, HIGHTOWER COMMUNICATIONS INC is active in the FMCSA register.

What is HIGHTOWER COMMUNICATIONS INC's safety record?

HIGHTOWER COMMUNICATIONS INC has a 36.8% vehicle out-of-service rate (national average 22.26%) across 44 roadside inspections, with 0 reportable crashes in the last 24 months, and is not currently rated by FMCSA. Vektor's computed risk score is 86/100 (tier: clear).

How big is HIGHTOWER COMMUNICATIONS INC's fleet?

HIGHTOWER COMMUNICATIONS INC operates 98 power units and 104 drivers per its most recent MCS-150 filing.

Where is HIGHTOWER COMMUNICATIONS INC based?

HIGHTOWER COMMUNICATIONS INC is based in LA GRANGE, NC, with roadside inspections recorded across 4 states.

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