HaulerCheck · https://haulercheck.com/carrier/172169-paul-michels/ · Checked 2026-10-20 10:32 UTC · Census and inspections Oct 19, 2026 · Authority and insurance: FMCSA Motus · Oct 19, 2026
PAUL MICHELS
Doing business as MICHELS TRUCKING
No risk signals found
How risk signals workNothing in the FMCSA record matched our risk signals. That is not a guarantee, and it does not confirm who you are talking to; follow the checks below.
No cargo cover filed with FMCSA
Green means the FMCSA record shows it. It does not confirm who you are talking to, or that a policy covers your specific load.
What to verify next
- Confirm authority and insurance on the official Motus record ↗. Safety record: SAFER ↗.
- Call back on the number on file, (319) 636-2600, not a number from an email or load board.
- Check that the MC number you were given is MC205544.
- Ask the insurer for a certificate of insurance naming you as holder, with cargo coverage that fits your load.
Insurance on file
Liability (BI&PD) pays for injury and damage to other people and property; it does not cover the freight. Cargo insurance covers the freight. FMCSA only requires cargo filings from household goods carriers and freight forwarders, so most carriers file none: ask for a cargo certificate that fits your load. No cargo cover filed with FMCSA.
| Type | Docket | Layer | Insurer | Coverage | Effective | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liability (BI&PD) | MC205544 | Primary | Sentry Select Insurance Company Policy A0203590001 · BMC-91X | $750,000 | Oct 22, 2024 | Active |
Insurance that ended since 2024 · 1 policy
| Ended | Type | Insurer | Effective | How it ended |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 22, 2024 | Liability (BI&PD) MC205544 | NORTHLAND INSURANCE COMPANY Policy WN337233 | Oct 22, 2022 | Replaced |
"Replaced" means a new filing took over the day the old one ended. "Cancelled" means the insurer or the company ended the policy; if no replacement was filed in time, the company was uninsured with FMCSA in between.
Source: FMCSA Motus · Oct 19, 2026. Identical filings repeated in the FMCSA data are shown once; a filing listed under two dockets is one policy, not extra coverage. Coverage is the maximum amount filed with FMCSA, not the full policy.
Confirm current filings: Motus record ↗ and ask the insurer for a certificate naming you as holder.
Roadside inspections Oct 19, 2024 – Oct 19, 2026
0 of 4 · Iowa avg 22.1%
0 of 9 · Iowa avg 3.1%
By quarter inspections and vehicle out-of-service rate
Bar height: inspections in the quarter. Percentage: vehicles put out of service, of vehicle inspections. The first and last quarters are partial.
Where it was inspected 4 states and provinces, 24 months
- IA 5 50.0%
- WI 3 30.0%
- IL 1 10.0%
- MN 1 10.0%
Vehicles seen at inspections different VINs, 24 months
Power units: 6
6 tractors
International 3Kenworth 3
5 power units declared on the MCS-150. Inspections see only part of a fleet, so fewer here is normal; many more can mean the registration is out of date.
Trailers: 6
6 semi-trailers
Timpte 7
Includes trailers the company pulled but does not own, such as shipper or leasing trailers.
Shippers named on inspection reports 24 months
NCS 1Pioneer 1
As written by roadside inspectors, who note the shipper on the bill of lading. Only names that appear on at least three different carriers' reports are shown, so private individuals are never listed. A shipper on a report is not a reference.
10 most recent inspections
| Date | State | Level | Violations | Out of service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 25, 2026 | IA | 3 | 4 | No |
| May 4, 2026 | MN | 4 | 3 | No |
| Sep 17, 2025 | WI | 2 | 2 | No |
| Aug 14, 2025 | IA | 3 | 1 | No |
| Aug 13, 2025 | WI | 2 | 9 | No |
| Jul 28, 2025 | IA | 3 | 2 | No |
| May 13, 2025 | IL | 2 | 2 | No |
| Dec 12, 2024 | WI | 2 | 5 | No |
| Dec 5, 2024 | IA | 3 | 0 | No |
| Dec 3, 2024 | IA | 3 | 2 | No |
How these rates are calculated
Period: Oct 19, 2024 – Oct 19, 2026. Vehicle rate = vehicle inspections with a vehicle out-of-service order ÷ vehicle inspections (levels 1, 2, 5 and 6). Driver rate uses levels 1, 2, 3 and 6. The Iowa average covers 31,590 vehicle and 64,972 driver inspections of all Iowa-based carriers in this period. It mixes every type of operation, so compare with care; rates based on a handful of inspections say little. FMCSA's own SMS measures are weighted differently: SMS profile ↗ · SAFER snapshot ↗
Violations in FMCSA's SMS last 24 months
23 violations counted in FMCSA's Safety Measurement System (SMS), 0 of them serious enough to put the driver or vehicle out of service.
Why is this different from the 30 violations above?
The inspections section's number counts every violation written on the inspection reports in our Oct 19, 2024 – Oct 19, 2026 window. The SMS count comes from FMCSA's own monthly SMS snapshot, which uses its own 24-month window and only the violations it scores. Both are FMCSA figures; they measure different things.
| Category (FMCSA BASIC) | Violations | Out of service | Share | Iowa share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle Maintenance | 14 | 0 | 60.9% | 60.1% |
| Unsafe Driving | 9 | 0 | 39.1% | 23.4% |
10 most frequent violations
| Violation | Times | Out of service |
|---|---|---|
| Failing to use seat belt while operating a CMV Seat Belt · Unsafe Driving · code 39216 | 4 | 0 |
| Air Brake - ABS malfunction lamp defective on trailers manufactured on or after March 1 1998 Brakes All Others · Vehicle Maintenance · code 39355EB | 2 | 0 |
| State/Local Laws - Failure to maintain lane Dangerous Driving · Unsafe Driving · code 3922SLLML | 1 | 0 |
| State/Local Laws - Failed to obey a traffic control device - Permanent or Temporary - e.g. safety official signal sign light lane marking other Dangerous Driving · Unsafe Driving · code 3922SLLTCD | 1 | 0 |
| Driver - Failed to use seat belt while operating a CMV Seat Belt · Unsafe Driving · code 39216D | 1 | 0 |
| State/Local Laws - Speeding 6-10 miles per hour over the speed limit Speeding 2 · Unsafe Driving · code 3922SLLS2 | 1 | 0 |
| State/Local Laws - Speeding 11-14 miles per hour over the speed limit Speeding 3 · Unsafe Driving · code 3922SLLS3 | 1 | 0 |
| Air Brake - Audible air leak at a proper connection Brakes All Others · Vehicle Maintenance · code 39345DB | 1 | 0 |
| Truck Tractor manufactured on or after March 1 1997 not equipped with an antilock brake system Brakes All Others · Vehicle Maintenance · code 39355C1 | 1 | 0 |
| Air Brake - ABS malfunction lamp defective on truck-tractor manufactured on or after March 1 2001 for towed vehicle. Brakes All Others · Vehicle Maintenance · code 39355D2B | 1 | 0 |
Source: FMCSA SMS violation file, inspections in the last 24 months, published Oct 19, 2026. "Share" is this company's mix of violations; the Iowa column is the mix across all Iowa-based carriers, so you can see which kinds of problems stand out. A high count partly reflects fleet size and how often trucks are inspected.
Crashes Oct 19, 2024 – Oct 19, 2026
Crash details
| Date | Location | Fatalities | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 15, 2025 | Triadelphia, WV | 0 | 0 |
Reportable crashes do not imply the carrier was at fault.
Company details FMCSA census · Oct 19, 2026
| USDOT number | 172169 |
|---|---|
| MC / docket | MC205544 |
| Legal name | PAUL MICHELS |
| DBA name | MICHELS TRUCKING |
| Operation | Interstate |
| Business type | Individual |
| Power units | 5 |
| Drivers | 6 |
| Annual mileage | 200,000 (2026) |
| Hazmat | No |
| Safety rating | Satisfactory (Apr 27, 2007) |
| USDOT number added | Jun 1, 1974 · 52 years ago |
| Last MCS-150 update | Oct 7, 2026 |
| Email domain on file | @yahoo.com (free email service) |
Equipment as declared on the MCS-150
| Owned | Term-leased | |
|---|---|---|
| Tractors | 5 | 0 |
| Trailers | 7 | 0 |
Term-leased equipment usually belongs to owner-operators driving under this company's authority.
Cargo carried
General FreightBuilding MaterialsGrain, Feed, HayCommodities Dry BulkConstructionOtherFertilizer
Change history
No changes to name, contact details, authority or insurance since we started tracking on Oct 18, 2026. We compare every company's FMCSA record each day.
to see it on your watchlist when something changes.
Questions about PAUL MICHELS
What does PAUL MICHELS's operating authority allow?
MC205544: Motor carrier (may haul regulated property for hire).
Which information about PAUL MICHELS is old or missing?
There are too few vehicle inspections in the last 24 months to judge the out-of-service rate.
What should I verify before booking PAUL MICHELS?
Confirm the authority and insurance on the Motus record for USDOT 172169. Call the company back on the phone number on file, (319) 636-2600, not a number from an email or load board message. Check that the MC number the dispatcher gave you matches MC205544, and ask the insurer for a certificate of insurance naming you as holder, with cargo coverage that fits your load.
Other trucking companies in Hazleton, IA →
Company details from the FMCSA Company Census File (Oct 19, 2026). Inspections and crashes from FMCSA MCMIS files. About our data · Report an error on this page (how corrections work).
Page generated 2026-10-20 10:32 UTC.