Critical regulatory warnings

No active BIPD/Primary insurance on file — uninsured for 1,283 days (since Mar 29, 2023). A carrier without active primary liability coverage cannot legally operate.

BRUCE MICHELS

DBA: BRUCE J MICHELS TRUCKING

Joins 1 roadside inspection (24 mo), 1 authority docket, no active BIPD on L&I from FMCSA public filings. Data as of Oct 2, 2026. Booking triage is above; confirm on SAFER before tendering.

Brokers & shippers · booking check

Do not book — hard regulatory blocker

One or more hard blockers are on file. Do not tender until the issue is cured and confirmed on FMCSA.

Do not book

Uninsured since · Mar 29, 2023

Coverage resumed · Jun 15, 2004

Common (Property) reinstated · Jan 23, 2012

Blockers

No active BIPD/Primary insurance on file Uninsured 1283 days (since Mar 29, 2023).

Review these

Prior insurance gap · 8 days Jun 7, 2004 → Jun 15, 2004
Common (Property) gap · 2786 days Inactive Jun 7, 2004 → reinstated Jan 23, 2012

On file

FMCSA cargo filing on file · BMC-34 GRINNELL MUTUAL REINSURANCE CO. · Filing evidence (BMC-34/83) — not a shipper COI Details →
BOC-3 process agent on file JOY B. FITZGERALD RESIDENT AGENT, INC. Details →

Built for brokers and shippers deciding whether to tender. Always confirm on FMCSA SAFER and L&I before booking — TruckCodex mirrors public filings and can lag by up to a day.

Plain-text risk summary (print / paste)

TruckCodex risk summary — BRUCE MICHELS (USDOT 98280)
Verdict: DO NOT BOOK
Do not book — hard regulatory blocker
One or more hard blockers are on file. Do not tender until the issue is cured and confirmed on FMCSA.

Authority / census status: Active

Blockers:
  • No active BIPD/Primary insurance on file — Uninsured 1283 days (since Mar 29, 2023).

Cautions:
  • Prior insurance gap · 8 days — Jun 7, 2004 → Jun 15, 2004
  • Common (Property) gap · 2786 days — Inactive Jun 7, 2004 → reinstated Jan 23, 2012

On file:
  • FMCSA cargo filing on file · BMC-34 — GRINNELL MUTUAL REINSURANCE CO. · Filing evidence (BMC-34/83) — not a shipper COI
  • BOC-3 process agent on file — JOY B. FITZGERALD RESIDENT AGENT, INC.

Source: https://truckcodex.com/usdot/98280/
As of: Oct 2, 2026
Always confirm on FMCSA SAFER and L&I before tendering — TruckCodex mirrors public filings and can lag by up to a day.

USDOT 98280 Active INDIVIDUAL AUTHORIZED FOR HIRE;EXEMPT FOR HIRE Owner: BRUCE MICHELS Grain / Feed / Hay Dry Bulk Based in INDEPENDENCE, IA

FMCSA census as of Oct 2, 2026 · Sources · Freshness · Methodology · Disclaimer

TruckCodex · filing & peer scorecard

TruckCodex filing & peer scorecard · F

Hard regulatory signal on file (OOS / revoked / Not Authorized / uninsured / Unsatisfactory). Composite mean of 4/5 scored components is 69/100 — letter capped at F. Expand for per-signal evidence. Heuristic — not an FMCSA rating, booking verdict, or legal advice.

F confidence 80% · 4/5 signals · expand

Authority / census

Active · 100/100

Active census status with no OOS order or revoked authority on file.

Insurance / BIPD

Uninsured · 0/100

No active BIPD/Primary on file since Mar 29, 2023.

OOS vs peers

On par with peers · 75/100

Driver OOS 0% vs peer median 0% (neutral). Vehicle OOS 0% vs peer median 0% (neutral). n=274077 same-size ACTIVE peers.

FMCSA safety rating

Unrated

FMCSA has not assigned this carrier a formal safety rating. We do not invent one.

NR reason: No published FMCSA safety_rating.

Insurance-watch tier

Not on watch · 100/100

No BMC-91 insurance-lapse watch classification on file for this USDOT.

TruckCodex filing & peer scorecard from authority, BIPD, peer OOS, FMCSA safety rating, and insurance-watch signals. Not a booking verdict and not legal advice. See methodology. Booking triage on this page: Do not book.

Operating authority

Insurance

Uninsured since Mar 29, 2023

BOC-3 agent

JOY B. FITZGERALD RESIDENT AGENT, INC.

Company profile

Company details

USDOT 98280

In FMCSA records since Jun 1, 1974 (~52y)

Entity INDIVIDUAL

Owner BRUCE MICHELS

Operation AUTHORIZED FOR HIRE;EXEMPT FOR HIRE

Cargo carried

Grain / Feed / Hay, Dry Bulk

Fleet size 2 units

Drivers 2

Annual mileage 115,000 mi

Contact & address

Phone: (319) 938-2872

Physical

2045 JAMESTOWN AVE

INDEPENDENCE, IA 50644

Mailing address matches physical.

Registration & safety rating

USDOT 98280

In FMCSA records since Jun 1, 1974 (~52y)

Entity INDIVIDUAL

Operation AUTHORIZED FOR HIRE;EXEMPT FOR HIRE

Annual mileage (MCS-150) 115,000 mi

vs. National Average

Vehicle OOS Rate 0.0% vs 23.4% -23.4 pts

Driver OOS Rate 0.0% vs 6.7% -6.7 pts

Violations per Inspection 0.00 vs 1.80 -1.80

Peer tier (small fleets (≤10 power units)) median OOS rate: 50%

FMCSA cargo filing (BMC-34/83)

FMCSA L&I filing evidence — not a shipper certificate of insurance (COI). Cargo (BMC-34) is primarily an HHG / household-goods requirement; general freight carriers often have none.

Broker bond / trust (BMC-84/85)

No active broker surety bond or trust fund on file.

BMC-84 is a surety bond; BMC-85 is a trust-fund agreement. Required for property brokers / freight forwarders — not motor-carrier BIPD liability insurance.

Broker setup by MC age

Open MC age checker · Check brokers for this MC age

Based on FMCSA authority grant of 2012-01-23 (2,000+ days). Published gates only — not a guarantee they will accept. Confirm with the broker.

Related filings

Insurance
GRINNELL MUTUAL REINSURANCE CO.
Policy effective Apr 1, 2007
Process Agent
JOY B. FITZGERALD RESIDENT AGENT, INC.
BOC-3 on file

Fleet details (MCS-150)

Vehicle type	Owned	Term leased	Trip leased
Truck tractors	2	0	0
Trailers	2	0	0

Self-reported on the carrier’s Form MCS-150 (FMCSA Company Census).

Inspections (24 months)

All 3 inspections →

	Driver	Vehicle	Hazmat
Inspections	1	1	0
OOS inspections	0	0	0
OOS percentage	0%	0%	—
National average	6.7%	23.4%	4.4%

Roadside inspections in the last 24 months. National averages are FMCSA MCSAP reference rates (driver ~6.7%, vehicle ~23.4%, hazmat ~4.4%).

Power Units

Drivers

Inspections

FMCSA roadside history on file

OOS Rate (peak)

—

Crashes

None in last 24 months · all-time on file

Authorities

0 active

Risk Signals

Authority revoked

2 revocations on record.

Out-of-Service rate vs same-size peers FMCSA roadside inspections, % placed out-of-service

Compared against 274,077 ACTIVE carriers operating 1–3 power units (±50% of this carrier's 2 unit fleet).

This carrier — Driver OOS

Drivers placed out-of-service at roadside inspections

Peer median

Median across 274,077 same-size peers

Verdict

On par with peers

Delta 0 pts vs peer median (lower is safer)

This carrier — Vehicle OOS

Vehicles placed out-of-service at roadside inspections

Peer median

Median across 274,077 same-size peers

Verdict

On par with peers

Delta 0 pts vs peer median (lower is safer)

Authority gap detected (1)

Common (Property) authority was inactive from Jun 7, 2004 to Jan 23, 2012 (2786 days)

Historical coverage gap detected (1)

No active BIPD/Primary insurance from Jun 7, 2004 to Jun 15, 2004 (8 days)

Inspection Analytics Monthly activity · BASIC mix · state map

Monthly Inspection Activity (3 months)

2023-12 2026-09

Activity by State

States this carrier has been inspected in over the past 24 months.

State	Inspections	OOS	OOS %	Last Inspection
Iowa (IA)	1	0	0.0%	Sep 21, 2026

Vehicle Fleet Top makes and models observed in roadside inspections

Make	Model	Inspections
Freightliner		3
Wilson		3

SMS BASIC Scores FMCSA Safety Measurement System per-BASIC scores

BASIC	Serious	Alert	As Of
Driver Fitness	—	—	Sep 28, 2026
Controlled Substances / Alcohol	—	—	Sep 28, 2026
Hours of Service	—	—	Sep 28, 2026
Unsafe Driving	—	—	Sep 28, 2026
Vehicle Maintenance	—	—	Sep 28, 2026

Higher percentiles indicate worse performance relative to peer carriers. Carriers at or above the FMCSA intervention threshold are marked ALERT.

Recent Inspections (3 rows) View all 3 →

Inspection #	Date ▼	State	Level	Station	Vehicle	Violations	Top Codes	OOS
89052177	Sep 21, 2026	IA	3	MUSCATINE IA	FREIGHTLINER TRUCK TRACTOR IA JG8930 · 1FUJA3BDX1LH37575	2	392.2-SLLEWA3, 390.19A2	No
80942443	Feb 25, 2024	IA	3	HWY 17 SB	FREIGHTLINER TRUCK TRACTOR IA JG8930 · 1FUJA3BDX1LH37575	1	392.2	No
80448844	Dec 11, 2023	IA	3	—	FREIGHTLINER TRUCK TRACTOR IA JG8930 · 1FUJA3BDX1LH37575	1	392.2	No

Recent Crashes (2 rows)

Report #	Date ▼	State	Fatalities	Injuries	Tow	Hazmat	Severity
IL0007798757	Feb 13, 2003	IL	0	0	Yes	No	Tow
WI000001597A	Jan 8, 1992	WI	0	0	Yes	No	Tow

Authority Records (1 docket)

View full authority record →

Revocations & Inactive Status

Authority actions other than active status — revocations, voluntary surrenders, and dormant dockets.

Date	Docket	Authority	Status	Applied
Unknown	MC139344	common	INACTIVE	—

MC Certificate Documents (3 letters, 2 PDFs available)

Authority Records (above) are FMCSA docket status and lifecycle events. MC Certificate Documents here are the archived PDF letters for each action — grants, reinstatements, revocations, name changes, and transfers. They are related but not the same dataset: one row per PDF letter, not one file per docket.

Each row is a distinct FMCSA letter (grant, reinstatement, revocation, name change, transfer, etc.). When a PDF is archived, click the link to open that letter. Rows without a link still show the action type and date from our index. FMCSA stopped publishing new daily certificate PDFs after the May 2026 Motus cutover — rows below are historical archive only.

Some letters share the same legacy archived file path — we show one PDF link for the primary document and list the other actions as metadata (type + date) until per-letter PDFs are re-extracted.

Date	Docket	Action	Authority	PDF
Jan 23, 2012	MC139344-C	Reinstatement Letter	Reinstatement	Reinstatement Letter →
May 3, 2004	MC139344	Name Change	Revocation	Metadata only
May 3, 2004	MC139344	Daily Register	Revocation	Daily Register →

Insurance Coverage Timeline (7 rows)

Every insurance policy on file, newest effective date first. Amber rows mark BIPD/Primary coverage gaps.

Insurer	Policy #	Type	Limit	Effective	Cancel	Status
GRINNELL MUTUAL REINSURANCE CO.	0010062802	34	—	Apr 1, 2007	On file	ACTIVE
GRINNELL MUTUAL REINSURANCE CO.	0010062802	BIPD/Primary	—	Apr 1, 2007	Mar 29, 2023	CANCELLED
GRINNELL MUTUAL REINSURANCE CO.	0010062802	BIPD/Primary	—	Apr 1, 2007	Apr 1, 2007	REPLACED
GRINNELL MUTUAL REINSURANCE CO.	0010062802	BIPD/Primary	—	Jun 15, 2004	Apr 1, 2007	REPLACED
Coverage gap — 8 days without BIPD/Primary coverage from Jun 7, 2004 to Jun 15, 2004
UNION AUTOMOBILE INDEMNITY ASSOCIATION	AA4 657292	CARGO	—	Dec 14, 1993	Jun 7, 2004	NAME CHANGED
UNION AUTOMOBILE INDEMNITY ASSOCIATION	AA4 657292	BIPD	—	Dec 14, 1993	Jun 7, 2004	NAME CHANGED

Compliance Timeline Merged authority / insurance / enforcement events

Apr 4, 2023

authority

REVOKED — MOTOR PROPERTY COMMON CARRIER
Details →
Apr 4, 2023

authority

Authority revoked — INVOLUNTARY REVOCATION
Mar 29, 2023

insurance

CANCEL — GRINNELL MUTUAL REINSURANCE CO.
Apr 1, 2007

insurance

TERM/REPL — GRINNELL MUTUAL REINSURANCE CO.
Jun 7, 2004

authority

REVOKED — MOTOR PROPERTY COMMON CARRIER
Details →
Jun 7, 2004

insurance

NAMECHG — UNION AUTOMOBILE INDEMNITY ASSOCIATION
Jun 7, 2004

authority

Authority revoked — INVOLUNTARY REVOCATION
Jun 7, 2004

insurance gap

Coverage gap: 8 days without BIPD/Primary insurance (through Jun 15, 2004)
Jun 7, 2004

authority gap

Common (Property) authority inactive: 2786 days (through Jan 23, 2012)
Jan 7, 1994

authority

DISCONTINUED REVOCATION — COMMON
Details →

Top Stations & Violation Codes Where this carrier gets inspected and what they get cited for

Most-Inspected Stations

Station	State	Inspections	OOS
HWY 17 SB	IA	1	0
MUSCATINE IA	IA	1	0

Top Violation Codes Cited

Code	Description	Category	Cited	OOS
392.2	Violation of Local Laws	Unsafe Driving	2	0

Related Records

Iowa carriers Independence carriers GRINNELL MUTUAL REINSURANCE CO. UNION AUTOMOBILE INDEMNITY ASSOCIATION 3 inspections 2 reportable crashes

All cross-references Authority, BOC-3, explainers, and more