Carrier profile · USDOT 253615 · MC-179963 · Updated Aug 20, 2026

Empire Express Inc

140 power unitsavg 5.4 yrNational · 25 statesMEMPHIS, TN81/100

CARRIER ACTIVEMC-179963 ACTIVERATED SATISFACTORYHAZMAT

Observed fleet · trailing 24 mo daily

140Power units

142 observed · MCS-150

191Trailers seen

Decoded · vPIC

5.4Avg age (yr)

1997–2026 · vPIC

Call dispatch(901) 942-3300 Email dispatchjackie@empireexpress.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

Vehicle out-of-service rate above average31.8% vs the 22.26% national average.Fatal crash on record8 crash(es) involving a fatality are on this carrier's record.

In good standing · 3

Active operating authorityActive for-hire authority is on file with FMCSA.Insurance on fileBIPD (liability) insurance is on file with FMCSA.Established 42 yearsOperating authority has been on file since 1984.

USDOT registration

yr registered

Active for-hire

Insurance (BIPD)$3M in force

FMCSA L&I

Vehicle OOS · 24-mo31.8%

▲ 22.26% nat'l

Crashes · fatal

10 in 24 mo

USDOT registration

yr registered

Active for-hire

Insurance (BIPD)$3M in force

FMCSA L&I

Vehicle OOS · 24-mo31.8%

▲ 22.26% nat'l

Crashes · fatal

10 in 24 mo

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

Fleet typeIdentity

Asset-based

140 power units. Brokers price each fleet type apart.

Fleet age vs peersNewer

5.4 yr

Model years 1997–2026 · peer benchmark unavailable.

Identity stabilityStable

41 yr unchanged

Same registration since 1984 — no chameleon / reincarnation signal.

Safety

276 inspections · 24 mo · vs national benchmarks

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

Vehicle OOS 31.8%24-mo cumulative

050%nat'l 22.26%

Driver OOS 1.1%24-mo cumulative

030%nat'l 6.67%

Every inspection in the window pooled — 170 vehicle and 276 driver inspections over 24 months.

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

38.5% · latest 6-mo window▲ Rising

Share of vehicle-level roadside inspections in each trailing six-month window that resulted in a vehicle out-of-service order. Trending up 5.5 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

269 inspections in the charted months · busiest month Mar '25 · 20

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.

Well-monitored

Under-inspected

Expected

Well-monitored

Heavily inspected

≈1.0 / unit·yr

thin signalabundant signal

Within the expected band for a 140-unit fleet — FMCSA has inspected this carrier often enough that the out-of-service and violation signals above are statistically trustworthy.

Registered power units: 140
Inspections · 24 mo: 276
Annualized: ≈138 / yr
Coverage: ≈1.0 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 Driving79 · 0 OOS
393.75 Tires (defective / underinflated / worn)Vehicle Maintenance50 · 45 OOS
393.9 Inoperative required lampsVehicle Maintenance35 · 6 OOS
393.47 Brake actuators / linings / componentsVehicle Maintenance24 · 0 OOS
393.53 Automatic brake adjusters / indicatorsVehicle Maintenance15 · 0 OOS
395.24 ELD — record edits / dataHOS Compliance14 · 0 OOS
395.30 ELD — use / data transferHOS Compliance13 · 0 OOS
393.45 Brake tubing / hose defectsVehicle Maintenance12 · 4 OOS
395.3 Driving beyond hours-of-service limitsHOS Compliance11 · 0 OOS
393.207 Parts & accessories (vehicle condition)Vehicle Maintenance10 · 9 OOS

Explore full safety record — inspections, BASICs, crashes

Authority & Insurance

Can they legally + adequately haul your load?

Operating authority· 49 CFR · per type

Operating authority

Common: Active
Contract: Active
Broker: Active

Insurance & bonds

BIPD / liability$3,000,000 in force

Cargo filing (census)Not recorded per census

Surety bond (census)Recorded per census

Insurance adequacy· filed BIPD vs the $750K federal floor

$3M in forcegeneral-freight federal minimum

$750K floor

Filed BIPD coverage of $3M meets or exceeds the $750K federal minimum for general freight (49 CFR 387.9). Some commodities (hazmat, larger vehicles) require $1M–$5M — confirm against your load.

Insurance continuity· insurer · policy · lapses

$1M BIPD last filed ’23 · 8 insurers · 1 lapseCoverage lapse

First City’89–’13

Reliance National’94–’98

Cherokee’02–’16

Cherokee’16–’22

Gemini’22–now

1989199920092019now

Shorter eras are too brief to label at this scale — all 9 insurers are named in the list below.

BIPD in force — $3,000,000 · GEMINI INSURANCE COMPANY · since Jul 2023

All 9 insurer eras · dates, limits, renewals

Insurer	Period	Limit	Renewals
GEMINI INSURANCE COMPANY	Aug 2022 → Jul 2023	$1M	2
CHEROKEE INSURANCE COMPANY	Jul 2016 → Jul 2022	$1M	5
LEXINGTON INSURANCE COMPANY	Jul 2013 → Jul 2016	$1M	1
CHEROKEE INSURANCE COMPANY	Jul 2002 → Jul 2016	$1M	3
THE INSURANCE CO OF THE STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA	Jul 2001 → Jul 2002	$1M	1
XL SPECIALTY INSURANCE COMPANY	Jul 2000 → Jul 2000	$1M	2
AMERICAN MOTORISTS INSURANCE CO.	Jul 1998 → Jul 2000	$1M	2
RELIANCE NATIONAL INDEMNITY COMPANY	Jul 1994 → Jul 1998	$1M	4
FIRST CITY, A FEDERAL SAVINGS BANK	Dec 1989 → Oct 2013	$1M	1

Explore full authority & insurance record

Equipment

VIN-decoded · NHTSA vPIC

Capacity· power units = haulable capacity; trailers are towed

Registered power units (MCS-150): 140
Observed power (24 mo): 142
Trailers (towed): 191

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

Fleet age· model years · decoded VINs

5.4 yr

Average age

2026

Newest model yr

1997

Oldest model yr

51.1%

VINs decoded

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

Operations & Lanes

Revealed by inspection density across 25 states · 24 mo

Operating footprint· revealed by roadside-inspection geography

Operating radiusNational

revealed

States observed

US states

Inspections · 24 mo

275

TX busiest

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

Home base

MEMPHIS, TN

3710 TULANE ROAD

Top corridor

TX ⇄ TN

TX 73 · AR 42 · TN 37

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: 4 trucks also ran under 5 other carriers

VINs inspected under this carrier were recently inspected under other USDOTs too — the active double-broker / shared-equipment signal: USDOT 3051417 USDOT 3813076 USDOT 3577289 USDOT 580685 USDOT 732512Some overlap is legitimate (leased or sold equipment); review alongside the other signals.

Show all-time history (65 trucks · 52 carriers)

Across all inspections on record: USDOT 2576801 USDOT 3908663 USDOT 4067949 USDOT 652055 USDOT 1154126 USDOT 3748391 USDOT 3750856 USDOT 3051417

Shares a registration email domain with other carriers

@empireexpress.com — 2 carriers: USDOT 3753172

Shares a company officer with other carriers

tim gatlin — 2 carriers: USDOT 3753172

Capacity consistency· registered vs roadside-observed power units

Registered (MCS-150)

140

Observed (24 mo)

142

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: 3710 TULANE ROAD, MEMPHIS, TN, 38116-3928
Operation: Interstate· Hazmat

Contact

Phone: (901) 942-3300
Fax: (901) 251-1236
Email: jackie@empireexpress.com
Web domain: empireexpress.com

Registration

Officers: Tim Gatlin · Jackie Buckingham
USDOT / docket: 253615 · MC-179963
First registered: Dec 12, 1984
Last MCS-150: May 13, 2026 · 11,542,760 mi (2025)
FMCSA safety rating: Satisfactory · Dec 14, 2005
D-U-N-S: 605667716

Fleet (self-reported · MCS-150)

140

Power units

116

Drivers

116

CDL drivers

11,542,760

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

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Verification summaryAuthority, insurance, safety and identity facts for EMPIRE EXPRESS INC.

EMPIRE EXPRESS INC (USDOT 253615) has a Vektor safety score of 81/100 and a Review before loading verdict, from the carrier's FMCSA record refreshed Aug 20, 2026.

The carrier holds active common and contract for-hire operating authority per FMCSA L&I as of Aug 20, 2026.

It has an active BIPD insurance filing with a $3,000,000 limit in force from GEMINI INSURANCE COMPANY effective Jul 1, 2023 in FMCSA L&I's current snapshot as of Aug 20, 2026.

Its vehicle out-of-service rate was 31.8% over the last 24 months, versus the 22.26% CVSA national average, from FMCSA roadside-inspection data refreshed Aug 20, 2026.

The carrier received 276 roadside inspections in the last 24 months — 170 vehicle-level and 276 driver-level — across 25 states, according to FMCSA roadside-inspection data refreshed Aug 20, 2026.

The carrier has 10 reportable crashes in the last 24 months and 8 fatal crashes across the full FMCSA crash record available as of Aug 20, 2026.

It reports 140 power units and 116 drivers in its most recent MCS-150 filing dated May 13, 2026.

It has an FMCSA safety rating of Satisfactory assigned Dec 14, 2005 in the federal record refreshed Aug 20, 2026.

Frequently asked

What is EMPIRE EXPRESS INC's USDOT number?

EMPIRE EXPRESS INC's USDOT number is 253615, and its motor carrier number is MC-179963.

Is EMPIRE EXPRESS INC authorized to operate?

As of Aug 20, 2026, EMPIRE EXPRESS INC is active in the FMCSA register with common, contract, broker operating authority on file.

What is EMPIRE EXPRESS INC's safety record?

EMPIRE EXPRESS INC has a 31.8% vehicle out-of-service rate (national average 22.26%) across 435 roadside inspections, with 10 reportable crashes in the last 24 months, and an FMCSA "Satisfactory" safety rating. Vektor's computed risk score is 81/100 (tier: review).

How big is EMPIRE EXPRESS INC's fleet?

EMPIRE EXPRESS INC operates 140 power units and 116 drivers per its most recent MCS-150 filing.

Where is EMPIRE EXPRESS INC based?

EMPIRE EXPRESS INC is based in MEMPHIS, TN, with roadside inspections recorded across 25 states.

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