Carrier profile · USDOT 972558 · Updated Aug 20, 2026

Vertical Earth Inc

4 power unitsavg 3.7 yrLocal · 1 statesCUMMING, GA84/100

AUTHORITY STATUS UNKNOWN

Observed fleet · trailing 24 mo daily

4Power units

3 observed · MCS-150

—Trailers seen

None observed · 24 mo

3.7Avg age (yr)

2022–2023 · vPIC

Call dispatch(770) 888-2224 Email dispatchdon@vertical-earth.com

Click to see how we scored it

Load decision · FMCSA snapshot · Aug 20, 2026

Review before loading

Operating, but with flags a broker should weigh before tendering freight.

Watch · 2

Driver out-of-service rate well above average33.3% of driver inspections were placed out of service vs the 6.7% national average.MCS-150 update dueThe biennial MCS-150 update is overdue.

In good standing · 1

Established 25 yearsOperating authority has been on file since 2001.

USDOT registration

yr registered

Authority not on file

Insurance (BIPD)— unknown

No filing on record

Vehicle OOS · 24-mo0.0%

Crashes · fatal

1 in 24 mo

USDOT registration

yr registered

Authority not on file

Insurance (BIPD)— unknown

No filing on record

Vehicle OOS · 24-mo0.0%

Crashes · fatal

1 in 24 mo

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

Fleet typeIdentity

Small fleet

4 power units. Brokers price each fleet type apart.

Fleet age vs peersNewer

3.7 yr

Model years 2022–2023 · peer benchmark unavailable.

Identity stabilityStable

25 yr unchanged

Same registration since 2001 — no chameleon / reincarnation signal.

Safety

3 inspections · 24 mo

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

Vehicle OOS 0.0%24-mo cumulative

050%

Driver OOS 33.3%24-mo cumulative

030%nat'l 6.67%

Every inspection in the window pooled — 2 vehicle and 3 driver inspections over 24 months.

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

0.0% · latest 6-mo window

Share of vehicle-level roadside inspections in each trailing six-month window that resulted in a vehicle out-of-service order. More resolved windows are needed to establish a trend. 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

3 inspections in the charted months · busiest month Sep '25 · 2

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.

Expected band

Under-inspected

Expected

Well-monitored

Heavily inspected

≈0.4 / unit·yr

thin signalabundant signal

Roadside-inspection volume is about what you'd expect for a 4-unit fleet — enough signal to read the safety record, though not a heavy sample.

Registered power units: 4
Inspections · 24 mo: 3
Annualized: ≈2 / yr
Coverage: ≈0.4 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 Driving6 · 0 OOS
393.95 Emergency equipment (extinguisher, triangles)Vehicle Maintenance3 · 0 OOS
391.41 No / expired medical certificateDriver Fitness2 · 1 OOS
392.16 Failure to use seat beltUnsafe Driving2 · 0 OOS
390.21 USDOT number marking on vehicleUnsafe Driving2 · 0 OOS
396.17 Periodic (annual) inspectionVehicle Maintenance2 · 0 OOS
393.60 Windshield / glazingVehicle Maintenance1 · 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): 4
Observed power (24 mo): 3
Trailers (towed): 0

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

Fleet age· model years · decoded VINs

3.7 yr

Average age

2023

Newest model yr

2022

Oldest model yr

33.3%

VINs decoded

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

Operations & Lanes

Revealed by inspection density across 1 states · 24 mo

Operating footprint· revealed by roadside-inspection geography

Operating radiusLocal

revealed

States observed

US states

Inspections · 24 mo

GA busiest

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

Home base

CUMMING, GA

6025 MATT HWY

Top corridor

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

No shared-VIN flow in the last 12 months

None of this carrier's trucks were inspected under another USDOT in the last 12 months — any shared equipment is historical, not active.

Show all-time history (2 trucks · 1 carriers)

Across all inspections on record: USDOT 4223152

Shares a registration email domain with other carriers

@vertical-earth.com — 2 carriers: USDOT 4223152

Shares a company officer with other carriers

brett johnson — 16 carriers: USDOT 924034 USDOT 1094565 USDOT 1638148 USDOT 1852606 USDOT 1992484 USDOT 2005305 USDOT 2359713 USDOT 2554938

Capacity consistency· registered vs roadside-observed power units

Registered (MCS-150)

Observed (24 mo)

Shared w/ other carriers

Registered and roadside-observed capacity are broadly consistent.

Explore the carrier network & VIN cross-links

Identity & Federal

FMCSA census + L&I dossier

Location

Physical address: 6025 MATT HWY, CUMMING, GA, 30028
Operation: Intrastate (Non-Hazmat)

Contact

Phone: (770) 888-2224
Fax: (678) 947-3672
Email: don@vertical-earth.com
Web domain: vertical-earth.com

Registration

Officers: Donald W. Lehrkinder · Brett Johnson
USDOT / docket: 972558
First registered: Aug 13, 2001
Last MCS-150: Jul 30, 2024 · 300,000 mi (2023)
FMCSA safety rating: Not rated
Recordable crash rate: 0.00
D-U-N-S: —

Fleet (self-reported · MCS-150)

Power units

Drivers

CDL drivers

300,000

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

Be the first broker or shipper to rate VERTICAL EARTH INC. Reviews cover performance only — on-time delivery, payment speed, communication — and never affect the Vektor risk score.

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Verification summaryAuthority, insurance, safety and identity facts for VERTICAL EARTH INC.

VERTICAL EARTH INC (USDOT 972558) has a Vektor safety score of 84/100 and a Review before loading 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 0.0% over the last 24 months, versus the 22.26% CVSA national average, from FMCSA roadside-inspection data refreshed Aug 20, 2026.

The carrier received 3 roadside inspections in the last 24 months — 2 vehicle-level and 3 driver-level — across 1 state, according to FMCSA roadside-inspection data refreshed Aug 20, 2026.

The carrier has 1 reportable crash in the last 24 months and 0 fatal crashes across the full FMCSA crash record available as of Aug 20, 2026.

It reports 4 power units and 4 drivers in its most recent MCS-150 filing dated Jul 30, 2024.

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

Frequently asked

What is VERTICAL EARTH INC's USDOT number?

VERTICAL EARTH INC's USDOT number is 972558.

Is VERTICAL EARTH INC authorized to operate?

As of Aug 20, 2026, VERTICAL EARTH INC is active in the FMCSA register.

What is VERTICAL EARTH INC's safety record?

VERTICAL EARTH INC has a 0.0% vehicle out-of-service rate (national average 22.26%) across 8 roadside inspections, with 1 reportable crash in the last 24 months, and is not currently rated by FMCSA. Vektor's computed risk score is 84/100 (tier: review).

How big is VERTICAL EARTH INC's fleet?

VERTICAL EARTH INC operates 4 power units and 4 drivers per its most recent MCS-150 filing.

Where is VERTICAL EARTH INC based?

VERTICAL EARTH INC is based in CUMMING, GA, with roadside inspections recorded across 1 state.

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