BILL ORTWEIN SIGNS INC is a corporation based in CHATTANOOGA, TN, registered with the FMCSA under USDOT 927840. The carrier is currently active in FMCSA's records, and has not yet received a formal FMCSA safety rating. MCS-150 self-reporting puts the fleet at 3 power units and 3 drivers, with 5 roadside inspections on file and a peak out-of-service rate of 100.0%. Use this page to verify the carrier's authority and insurance, review its inspection and crash history, and cross-reference live data on FMCSA SAFER before booking a load or onboarding a partner.
Carrier is unrated
FMCSA has not assigned this carrier a formal safety rating. Most carriers are unrated until they undergo a compliance review — being unrated is not, by itself, a red flag, but it does mean federal investigators have not formally evaluated the carrier's safety management practices. Use the inspection history and BASIC scores below to assess on-road performance.
BILL ORTWEIN SIGNS INC is a small fleet, operating 3 power units and 3 drivers, organized as a corporation, based in Chattanooga, TN. Across 3 roadside inspections in the last 24 months, the fleet recorded a 66.7% out-of-service rate, with no reportable crashes on file. The carrier currently has no active BIPD/Primary coverage on file, and no operating authority record was located.
Safety Snapshot
3 roadside inspections over the last 24 months, up 50% versus the prior 24 months, concentrated in GA (2) and TN (1), with Level 3 inspections the most common.
66.7% out-of-service rate; led by Unsafe Driving (50.0% of violations); top code 392.16-D (Failing to use seat belt (49 CFR)) cited 2 times.
The fleet comprises 3 power units (small fleet) and 3 drivers; Ford is the most-inspected make.
Compliance
Risk Signals
Out-of-Service rate vs same-size peers FMCSA roadside inspections, % placed out-of-service
Compared against 338,685 ACTIVE carriers operating 2–5 power units (±50% of this carrier's 3 unit fleet).
Inspection Analytics Monthly activity · BASIC mix · state map
Monthly Inspection Activity (24 months)
Violations by BASIC Category
Vehicle Fleet Top makes and models observed in roadside inspections
SMS BASIC Scores FMCSA Safety Measurement System per-BASIC scores
SMS data not available
FMCSA's Safety Measurement System has not published per-BASIC scores for this carrier yet. This typically means the carrier doesn't meet minimum exposure thresholds (inspections/power units), or their SMS snapshot hasn't been ingested.
Recent Inspections (5 rows) View all 5 →
| Inspection # | Date ▼ | State | Level | Station | Vehicle | Violations | Top Codes | OOS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 85378373 | Jul 30, 2025 | TN | 2 | MANCHESTER TN |
FORD STRAIGHT TRUCK
|
1 | 393.100B-C | Yes |
| 83123756 | Nov 4, 2024 | GA | 3 | TRENTON GA |
FORD STRAIGHT TRUCK
|
5 | 383.23A2-LCDLN, 392.16-D, 392.2-SLLUCR | Yes |
| 82308517 | Jul 31, 2024 | GA | 3 | TRENTON GA |
FORD STRAIGHT TRUCK
|
2 | 392.2, 391.41(a) | No |
| 80286876 | Nov 28, 2023 | OK | 2 | ok-interstate-i-35-s.-exit-5 |
KENW TRUCK TRACTOR
|
0 | — | No |
| 79544036 | Aug 21, 2023 | GA | 3 | HIGH CRASH RURAL ROUTE |
INTL STRAIGHT TRUCK
|
2 | 392.16(a), 392.2 | No |
Top Stations & Violation Codes Where this carrier gets inspected and what they get cited for
Most-Inspected Stations
| Station | State | Inspections | OOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| TRENTON GA | GA | 2 | 1 |
| HIGH CRASH RURAL ROUTE | GA | 1 | 0 |
| MANCHESTER TN | TN | 1 | 1 |
Related Records Cross-references to every adjacent page
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Tennessee carriers
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Chattanooga carriers
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Stations in Tennessee
Where this carrier might be inspected
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5 inspections
Full roadside inspection history
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Fleet recall search
NHTSA recalls covering this fleet's vehicle years/makes
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How to verify BILL ORTWEIN SIGNS INC
- Verify USDOT and MC numbers match the carrier's documents. Compare the USDOT number and MC docket on this page to the numbers on the carrier's invoice, rate confirmation, or load-board listing. A mismatch between the carrier's claimed numbers and the registered legal name is the single most common red flag.
- Check active operating authority and insurance status. Confirm the Authority Records show at least one ACTIVE docket for the type of operation you're booking, and that the Active Insurance card lists a current BIPD/Primary policy. A revoked authority or uninsured carrier cannot legally operate.
- Review safety rating and SMS BASIC scores. Check the carrier's FMCSA safety rating (if any) and the SMS BASIC table. A high percentile in any BASIC category — especially Unsafe Driving, HOS, or Vehicle Maintenance — is worth investigating before tendering a load.
- Examine inspection and crash history. Open the Inspection History and Crash History subpages for the full record. Look for patterns: repeat OOS findings on the same unit, multiple crashes in a short window, or violations clustered in one BASIC category.
- Cross-reference real-time data with FMCSA SAFER. For the most current snapshot — within 24 hours of any insurer filing or authority change — click through to the FMCSA SAFER lookup. TruckCodex mirrors SAFER and L&I daily; SAFER itself reflects filings within 24 hours.
Frequently asked questions about BILL ORTWEIN SIGNS INC
Is BILL ORTWEIN SIGNS INC an active motor carrier? ▾
What is BILL ORTWEIN SIGNS INC's safety rating? ▾
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What is BILL ORTWEIN SIGNS INC's out-of-service rate? ▾
Where is BILL ORTWEIN SIGNS INC based? ▾
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About FMCSA carrier records
Every commercial motor carrier operating in the United States is required to register with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and obtain a USDOT number. The USDOT number is a permanent, unique identifier — once assigned, it stays with the carrier for life and is never reissued to another company. Carriers must update their registration every two years on Form MCS-150 to keep their address, fleet size, and operating data current.
Carrier safety data lives in FMCSA's Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS): roadside inspections, crashes, out-of-service findings, and the seven Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories (BASICs) that make up the SMS scoring methodology. For-hire carriers must also hold operating authority — an MC, FF, or MX docket number — which is separate from the USDOT number and requires continuous insurance and BOC-3 process-agent filings to remain active.
TruckCodex mirrors FMCSA's public SAFER and L&I systems on a daily refresh cycle. Every record on this page reflects what FMCSA has on file. We do not edit or modify carrier data — for real-time confirmation immediately before a transaction, click through to the FMCSA SAFER lookup linked in the related records section above. Safety ratings, when present, come from formal compliance reviews; most active carriers have not been reviewed and are correctly listed as unrated.
Data sources & freshness
TruckCodex aggregates official public-sector datasets. See the Source registry for dataset-level coverage and the Freshness log for last-import timestamps.
Census, SAFER, SMS, Licensing & Insurance (L&I), roadside inspections, crashes, and authority history.
Vehicle recall campaigns, defect investigations, and consumer safety complaints (SCRS).
Cross-border carrier registry and Canadian recall campaigns where applicable.
TruckCodex is an independent aggregator; it is not affiliated with FMCSA, NHTSA, EIA, or Transport Canada. Always verify compliance-critical information directly with the originating agency.