What Verdica's 813 score means for CHARLESTON STEEL & METAL
CHARLESTON STEEL & METAL received a composite score of 813 out of 850, placing it in the excellent range (800–850). This score reflects strong overall compliance with federal motor carrier safety standards as measured by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
For a business owner or shipper evaluating this provider, an 813 score signals low regulatory risk. The entity demonstrates consistent adherence to licensing, insurance, and safety inspection requirements tracked by federal regulators. This is a meaningful distinction: the gap between an 813 and a 740 (the floor of "strong") is small in absolute terms, but scores below 740 indicate either historical compliance concerns or gaps in inspection coverage that warrant closer scrutiny. CHARLESTON STEEL & METAL sits well above that threshold.
It's important to note that no independent customer reviews are currently indexed for this entity on Verdica's platform, so the score reflects regulatory compliance only, not service quality, responsiveness, or customer satisfaction. A high compliance score does not guarantee on-time delivery, communication, or problem resolution—dimensions that independent reviews would help illuminate.
How the sub-scores break down
Authority & Insurance (850/850): This perfect sub-score indicates CHARLESTON STEEL & METAL holds valid USDOT authority and maintains required liability and cargo insurance coverage without lapse or deficiency. In trucking, this is the regulatory floor; carriers cannot operate legally without it. A perfect score here means zero findings of missing, expired, or insufficient insurance on record with FMCSA.
Safety Record (845/850): This score reflects the entity's performance on FMCSA's BASIC (Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories) metrics, which measure safety outcomes across multiple dimensions: unsafe driving, crash involvement, hours-of-service violations, vehicle maintenance, hazmat compliance, and driver fitness. An 845 is excellent; it suggests the carrier maintains low violation density relative to miles operated and has few or no serious safety incidents in recent regulatory history.
Inspection History (710/850): This is the lowest of the three sub-scores, though 710 still falls in the acceptable range (670–739). This score is derived from FMCSA roadside inspections, vehicle condition reports, and driver qualification file audits. A lower inspection score often reflects one or more of the following: higher inspection frequency (which can be neutral or flag elevated regulatory scrutiny), documented defects or violations during inspections, or areas where compliance gaps were identified and corrected. Without specific violation details, it's not possible to know whether 710 reflects active compliance improvements or routine inspection findings.
What regulators in SC track for trucking providers
The FMCSA maintains the SAFER system (Safety & Fitness Evaluation Repository), a public database of carrier compliance. South Carolina trucking providers are subject to the same federal standards regardless of state. Regulators track:
- Licensing & Authority: Current USDOT number, MC authority status, and operating authority type.
- Insurance: Continuous coverage for liability, cargo, and specialized coverages (if applicable).
- BASIC Scores: Percentile rankings in seven safety categories—unsafe driving, crashes, hours-of-service, vehicle maintenance, hazmat, driver fitness, and controlled substances.
- Inspection Results: Out-of-service findings (which suspend operations) and reportable violations (which do not).
- Crash Data: Preventable and non-preventable crashes, injuries, and fatalities reported by the carrier.
Scores move up when violations are resolved and time passes without new findings. They move down when violations accumulate, crashes occur, or inspections reveal systemic defects.
Bottom line
CHARLESTON STEEL & METAL scores in the excellent compliance band with particular strength in insurance and safety metrics. The inspection history sub-score, while still acceptable, is the area with the most room for improvement. Before engaging this provider, confirm references with shippers, verify insurance limits meet your cargo value, and request recent inspection reports if available through your freight broker or the carrier directly.