Home

Companies

Shared-Address Watch

Trust Score

Validation

For Carriers For Brokers For Shippers For Everyone

LoadBoard Services

Know Your Rights

For Carriers For Brokers For Everyone Regulatory Updates

Why LoadWrap How It Works Security Videos Case Studies About Us Contact TrustGuard Stories

Driver Hub Register

← Back to Search

VALIDATED

ERNEST MELVIN SMITH

Trust Score

Excellent Why this score?

Company CheckERNEST MELVIN SMITH · DOT 923297

DBA: FIRST CHOICE TRUCKING

1303 CIRCLE DRIVE, COUSHATTA, LA, 71019

DOT# 923297 MC# 398454 Coushatta, Louisiana 25 years

MOTOR CARRIER

★★★★★ Ratings & reviews

Save to favorites Watch, alerts on changes Write a review Add a private note Download PDF report

Create free account →

Free • 30 seconds • Already a member? Log in

1

Power Units

1

Drivers

0

Crashes (24-Month)

Not reported

Insurance

Not Rated

Safety Rating

0

Inspections

Is this your company? Claim your profile →

Just researching? Create a free account →

Deep records on this carrier, only on LoadWrap

SMS BASIC Scores→ Safety & Inspections→ Licensing & Insurance→ Know Your Rights→ VIN Watch & CARB Check→ Get Change Alerts→

Company Information

Legal NameERNEST MELVIN SMITH

DBA NameFIRST CHOICE TRUCKING

DOT Number923297

MC Number398454

Entity TypeMotor Carrier

Operating StatusA - Active

LocationCoushatta, Louisiana

Added12/15/2000

MCS-15004/09/2006

Contact Details

PhoneSign in to view

EmailSign in to view

Physical Address1303 CIRCLE DRIVE, COUSHATTA, LA, 71019

Mailing Address1303 CIRCLE DRIVE, COUSHATTA, LA, 71019

Operating Authorities

Authority TypeAUTHORIZED FOR HIRE

Carrier OperationC - Intrastate (Non-Hazmat)

DocketMC398454

CommonInactive

ContractNot Active

BrokerNot Active

Operating25 years

Operation Classification

Authorized For Hire

SMS BASIC Scores

FMCSA safety categories, last 24 months. Above Cutoff = FMCSA flags a problem · Below cutoff = within limits · Clean = no violations.

Unsafe Driving

measure 0 · 0 insp with violations

Clean

Hours-of-Service Compliance

measure 0 · 0 insp with violations

Clean

Driver Fitness

measure 0 · 0 insp with violations

Clean

Controlled Substances / Alcohol

measure 0 · 0 insp with violations

Clean

Vehicle Maintenance

measure 0 · 0 insp with violations

Clean

Source: FMCSA SMS, updated monthly.

Drivers

1

Interstate

0

Intrastate

0

CDL

1

Total

Interstate >100mi0

Interstate <100mi0

Intrastate >100mi0

Intrastate <100mi0

Safety Summary

Safety RatingNot Rated

Total Crashes (24-mo)0

Fatal0

Driver OOS0.0% avg 5.5%

Vehicle OOS0.0% avg 20.7%

SmartWay PartnerNo

Quick Facts

StatusActive

TypeMotor Carrier

Fleet1 units

Drivers1

Operating25 years

MCS-15004/2006

Safety & Inspection Data

Crash Summary

Total Crashes (24-mo)0

Fatal0

Injury0

Tow-Away0

Driver Inspections

Total0

Out of Service0

OOS Rate0.0%

National Avg5.5%

Vehicle Inspections

Total0

Out of Service0

OOS Rate0.0%

National Avg20.7%

Licensing & Insurance

Form	Type	Insurance Company	Policy	Coverage	Effective	Cancel Date	Method
34	CARGO	UNDERWRITERS AT LLOYDS LONDON	LCA-4395	$0	12/28/2000	10/02/2001	Replaced
91X	BIPD/Primary	CANAL INDEMNITY COMPANY	L017859	$1,000,000	12/28/2000	12/28/2001	Cancelled
34	CARGO	CANAL INDEMNITY COMPANY	MTC002913	$0	10/02/2001	01/05/2002	Cancelled
91X	BIPD/Primary	CANAL INDEMNITY COMPANY	L041630	$750,000	07/01/2005	01/02/2006	Cancelled
91X	BIPD/Primary	CANAL INDEMNITY COMPANY	L041630	$750,000	04/28/2005	07/01/2005	Replaced
91X	BIPD/Primary	CANAL INDEMNITY COMPANY	L041630	$750,000	04/28/2005	08/03/2005	Cancelled
34	CARGO	CANAL INDEMNITY COMPANY	MTC007759	$0	04/02/2002	04/02/2003	Cancelled
91X	BIPD/Primary	CANAL INDEMNITY COMPANY	L041630	$750,000	03/02/2005	04/28/2005	Replaced
91X	BIPD/Primary	CANAL INDEMNITY COMPANY	L041630	$750,000	03/02/2005	06/03/2005	Cancelled
91X	BIPD/Primary	CANAL INSURANCE CO.	PDA00101501	$750,000	01/03/2007	12/13/2015	Cancelled
91X	BIPD/Primary	CANAL INDEMNITY COMPANY	L045741	$750,000	01/02/2006	01/02/2007	Cancelled
91X	BIPD/Primary	CANAL INDEMNITY COMPANY	L041630	$1,000,000	01/02/2005	03/02/2005	Replaced
91X	BIPD/Primary	CANAL INDEMNITY COMPANY	L041630	$1,000,000	01/02/2005	04/06/2005	Cancelled
91X	BIPD/Primary	CANAL INDEMNITY COMPANY	L032865	$1,000,000	01/02/2004	01/02/2005	Cancelled
91X	BIPD/Primary	CANAL INDEMNITY COMPANY	L032373	$1,000,000	01/02/2003	01/02/2004	Cancelled
91X	BIPD/Primary	CANAL INDEMNITY COMPANY	L030677	$1,000,000	01/02/2002	01/02/2003	Cancelled

No active insurance policies.

Docket	Type	Action	Served	Disposition	Disp Date
MC398454	COMMON	INVOLUNTARY REVOCATION	12/06/2006	DISCONTINUED REVOCATION	01/05/2007
MC398454	COMMON	INVOLUNTARY REVOCATION	12/06/2005	DISCONTINUED REVOCATION	01/04/2006
MC398454	COMMON	INVOLUNTARY REVOCATION	12/06/2004	DISCONTINUED REVOCATION	01/03/2005
MC398454	COMMON	INVOLUNTARY REVOCATION	02/01/2002	DISCONTINUED REVOCATION	02/12/2002
MC398454	COMMON	INVOLUNTARY REVOCATION	01/12/2004	DISCONTINUED REVOCATION	01/13/2004
MC398454	MOTOR PROPERTY COMMON CARRIER	GRANTED	01/08/2001	REVOKED	12/21/2015

No revocation records.

Stay ahead of changes

You are checking ERNEST MELVIN SMITH today. We can keep watching them for you.

Authority gets revoked, insurance lapses, and a company that looks clean today can change overnight. Create an account, add this company to your list,
and the moment their authority, insurance, safety or contact details change, you see it on your dashboard, or get it by email with Pro.

Add them to your list

Keep this company and every partner you vet in one place you can come back to.

Get a change alert

The moment authority, insurance or safety status moves, you hear about it first.

See the full history

Trust Score over time and the complete authority and insurance timeline, not just today.

Register Log in

88/100

Excellent

VERIFIED

Every carrier starts at 100. We subtract points for each missing requirement or risk factor below. Verified means all four core requirements pass.

Score breakdown, from 100 to 88

88

−10

Starts at 100−12 totalFinal 88

MCS-150 update overdue−10

No email address on file−2

Verification, 4 core requirements

Active operating authority

FMCSA shows the USDOT registration and authority are active.

Authorized for hire

Holds active for-hire (common or contract) authority.

Active insurance on file

Active for-hire authority on file, FMCSA requires insurance to keep it active.

Safety rating not Unsatisfactory

No Unsatisfactory rating on file.

What's lowering this score

-10

MCS-150 update overdue

The required biennial MCS-150 update has not been filed on time (score factor, not a verification failure).

-2

No email address on file

No public email address on record.

How we calculate the Trust Score

Every company starts at 100

We subtract points for each missing requirement or risk factor. Verified means all the core requirements for that company's type pass. Nothing is added back, the score is a deduction model built only on public FMCSA data. No pay-to-play, no opinions.

Requirements differ by company type

Each company is judged fairly on its own FMCSA obligations. Anything that doesn't apply shows as a grey N/A, not required, never a penalty.

Carrier (for-hire)

Operating authority, authorized-for-hire, insurance on file, safety rating.

Broker

Broker authority + $75k surety bond (BMC-84/85). MCS-150 not required (no fleet).

Freight forwarder

FF authority + $75k bond + BOC-3. MCS-150 not required (no trucks).

Private carrier

Active USDOT + MCS-150 + safety. No operating authority / for-hire / insurance filing required (hauls its own goods).

Crashes are scaled, not flat

Crash history is proportional. We don't apply a flat penalty, we scale it to (a) crashes per vehicle in the fleet and (b) the share of those crashes that were fatal. So a big, safe fleet barely moves; a small fleet with many (and fatal) crashes takes a large hit.

0 pts deductedscaled by rate & severityup to −28 pts

Low end

50,000 vehicles + 1 crash → ~0 pts. A huge fleet with very few crashes per vehicle is almost untouched.

High end

5 vehicles + 3 crashes incl. fatal → large deduction (near the −28 cap). Many crashes per truck, fatal-heavy.

Mechanics: deduction is capped at 28 points, weighted roughly 60% on crashes-per-vehicle and 40% on the fatal ratio. Zero crashes = zero deduction. If fleet size is unknown, only crash severity can move the score (conservative).

Out-of-service rate vs. the national average

Driver and vehicle out-of-service rates are measured against the FMCSA national average, not a flat number. A company only takes the deduction when it sits above the national benchmark, for example “Vehicle OOS 37% vs national avg 20.7%”.

Point reference, the full menu

Every factor and exactly how many points it can remove. Knockout factors (they also fail Verification) are marked.

Factor	Points
USDOT / authority not active with FMCSA knockout	−25
Missing operating authority (when required) knockout	−15
No insurance or surety bond on file (when required) knockout	−25
Unsatisfactory safety rating knockout	−30
Conditional safety rating	−12
MCS-150 biennial update overdue (carriers)	−10
Crashes, rate-adjusted (per-vehicle & fatal share)	0 to −28
Driver OOS rate above national average	−5
Vehicle OOS rate above national average	−5
Very new carrier (under 1 year)	−10
Limited operating history (1-3 years)	−6
Moderate operating history (3-5 years)	−3
Operating history unknown	−3
No public phone number	−3
No public email address	−2

All inputs come from public FMCSA records (operating authority, insurance/bond filings, the SAFER/SMS safety profile, crash & inspection reports). If FMCSA updates a record, the score updates with it. For the full deduction table, see the methodology page.