Carrier profile · USDOT 3986121 · MC-1494012 · Updated Aug 30, 2026

Nextstep Trucking LLC

DBA MERLOCK TRUCKING

1 power unitavg 4 yrRegional · 3 statesABSECON, NJ74/100

CARRIER ACTIVEMC-1494012 ACTIVE

Observed fleet · trailing 24 mo daily

1Power units

1 observed · MCS-150

3Trailers seen

Decoded · vPIC

4.0Avg age (yr)

2019–2025 · vPIC

Call dispatch(609) 892-3847 Email dispatchjakemerlock@gmail.com

Click to see how we scored it

Load decision · FMCSA snapshot · Aug 30, 2026

Review before loading

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

Watch · 2

Vehicle out-of-service rate well above average66.7% of vehicle inspections were placed out of service vs the 22.26% national average.Driver out-of-service rate well above average20.0% of driver inspections were placed out of service vs the 6.7% national average.

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.No reported crashesNo DOT-reportable crashes are on this carrier's record.

USDOT registration

yr registered

Active for-hire

Insurance (BIPD)$0 in force

FMCSA L&I

Vehicle OOS · 24-mo66.7%

▲ 22.26% nat'l

Crashes · fatal

Clean · 24 mo

USDOT registration

yr registered

Active for-hire

Insurance (BIPD)$0 in force

FMCSA L&I

Vehicle OOS · 24-mo66.7%

▲ 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

Owner-operator

1 power unit. Brokers price each fleet type apart.

Fleet age vs peersNewer

4 yr

Model years 2019–2025 · peer benchmark unavailable.

Identity stabilityStable

3 yr unchanged

Same registration since 2022 — no chameleon / reincarnation signal.

Safety

5 inspections · 24 mo · vs national benchmarks

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

Vehicle OOS 66.7%24-mo cumulative

050%nat'l 22.26%

Driver OOS 20.0%24-mo cumulative

030%nat'l 6.67%

Every inspection in the window pooled — 3 vehicle and 5 driver inspections over 24 months.

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

50.0% · 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 16.7 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

5 inspections in the charted months · busiest month Nov '24 · 1

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.

Heavily inspected

Under-inspected

Expected

Well-monitored

Heavily inspected

≈2.5 / unit·yr

thin signalabundant signal

Among the more heavily-inspected carriers for its size — abundant roadside signal. Coverage isn't the question here; the out-of-service and crash record is.

Registered power units: 1
Inspections · 24 mo: 5
Annualized: ≈3 / yr
Coverage: ≈2.5 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 Driving3 · 0 OOS
393.75 Tires (defective / underinflated / worn)Vehicle Maintenance2 · 2 OOS
393.45 Brake tubing / hose defectsVehicle Maintenance1 · 0 OOS
393.43 Parts & accessories (vehicle condition)Vehicle Maintenance1 · 1 OOS
393.9 Inoperative required lampsVehicle Maintenance1 · 0 OOS
395.8 Record of duty status (log / ELD) not current or missingHOS Compliance1 · 1 OOS
396.17 Periodic (annual) inspectionVehicle Maintenance1 · 0 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: None
Broker: None

Insurance & bonds

BIPD / liability$0 in force

Cargo filing (census)Not recorded per census

Surety bond (census)Not recorded per census

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

$0 in forcegeneral-freight federal minimum

$750K floor

Filed BIPD coverage of $0 is below the $750K general-freight federal minimum — verify before tendering.

Insurance continuity· insurer · policy · lapses

$750K BIPD last filed ’24 · 2 insurers · 0 lapsesContinuous

Drive New’22–’24

beyond this history

20222023202420252026now

Shorter eras are too brief to label at this scale — all 2 insurers are named in the list below.

BIPD in force — $0 · OOIDA RISK RETENTION GROUP, INC. · since Nov 2024

All 2 insurer eras · dates, limits, renewals

Insurer	Period	Limit	Renewals
DRIVE NEW JERSEY INSURANCE COMPANY	Nov 2022 → Nov 2024	$750K	3
PROGRESSIVE COUNTY MUTUAL	Nov 2022 → Nov 2022	$750K	1

Explore full authority & insurance record

Equipment

VIN-decoded · NHTSA vPIC

Capacity· power units = haulable capacity; trailers are towed

Registered power units (MCS-150): 1
Observed power (24 mo): 1
Trailers (towed): 3

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

Fleet age· model years · decoded VINs

4.0 yr

Average age

2025

Newest model yr

2019

Oldest model yr

75.0%

VINs decoded

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

Operations & Lanes

Revealed by inspection density across 3 states · 24 mo

Operating footprint· revealed by roadside-inspection geography

Operating radiusRegional

revealed

States observed

US states

Inspections · 24 mo

KY busiest

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

Home base

ABSECON, NJ

105 WEST CHURCH STREET

Top corridor

KY ⇄ NJ

KY 2 · WV 2 · NC 1

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-identity links detected — no reincarnation flag, shared trucks, registration domain, or officer overlap with other carriers.

Capacity consistency· registered vs roadside-observed power units

Registered (MCS-150)

Observed (24 mo)

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: 105 WEST CHURCH STREET, ABSECON, NJ, 08201
Operation: Interstate

Contact

Phone: (609) 892-3847
Email: jakemerlock@gmail.com

Registration

Officer: John Merlock
USDOT / docket: 3986121 · MC-1494012
First registered: Nov 15, 2022
Last MCS-150: Dec 31, 2025 · 123,735 mi (2024)
FMCSA safety rating: Not rated
Recordable crash rate: 0.00
D-U-N-S: 66733431

Fleet (self-reported · MCS-150)

Power units

Drivers

CDL drivers

123,735

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 NEXTSTEP TRUCKING LLC.

NEXTSTEP TRUCKING LLC (USDOT 3986121) has a Vektor safety score of 74/100 and a Review before loading verdict, from the carrier's FMCSA record refreshed Aug 30, 2026.

The carrier holds active common for-hire operating authority per FMCSA L&I as of Aug 30, 2026.

It has an active BIPD insurance filing with a $0 limit in force from OOIDA RISK RETENTION GROUP, INC. effective Nov 20, 2024 in FMCSA L&I's current snapshot as of Aug 30, 2026.

Its vehicle out-of-service rate was 66.7% over the last 24 months, versus the 22.26% CVSA national average, from FMCSA roadside-inspection data refreshed Aug 30, 2026.

The carrier received 5 roadside inspections in the last 24 months — 3 vehicle-level and 5 driver-level — across 3 states, according to FMCSA roadside-inspection data refreshed Aug 30, 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 30, 2026.

It reports 1 power unit and 1 driver in its most recent MCS-150 filing dated Dec 31, 2025.

It has no FMCSA-assigned safety rating in the federal record refreshed Aug 30, 2026.

Frequently asked

What is NEXTSTEP TRUCKING LLC's USDOT number?

NEXTSTEP TRUCKING LLC's USDOT number is 3986121, and its motor carrier number is MC-1494012.

Is NEXTSTEP TRUCKING LLC authorized to operate?

As of Aug 30, 2026, NEXTSTEP TRUCKING LLC is active in the FMCSA register with common, contract, broker operating authority on file.

What is NEXTSTEP TRUCKING LLC's safety record?

NEXTSTEP TRUCKING LLC has a 66.7% vehicle out-of-service rate (national average 22.26%) across 9 roadside inspections, with 0 reportable crashes in the last 24 months, and is not currently rated by FMCSA. Vektor's computed risk score is 74/100 (tier: review).

How big is NEXTSTEP TRUCKING LLC's fleet?

NEXTSTEP TRUCKING LLC operates 1 power unit and 1 driver per its most recent MCS-150 filing.

Where is NEXTSTEP TRUCKING LLC based?

NEXTSTEP TRUCKING LLC is based in ABSECON, NJ, with roadside inspections recorded across 3 states.

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