MoverAudit  ›  ON  ›  Chatham  ›  DESERT WEST EXPRESS LTD
A

DESERT WEST EXPRESS LTD

USDOT 1008524  •  CHATHAM, ON
MoverAudit grade: A, based on federal records below
✓ No major red flags found
Type
Carrier, interstate
Own trucks
1
Status
Active
Complaints, 4 yrs
0

Complaint history

No federal complaints on record in the last 4 years. Records checked against the FMCSA household goods complaint database.

Company details

Legal nameDESERT WEST EXPRESS LTD
Address802-45 RIVERVIEW DR, CHATHAM, ON N7M 6B8
Phone(416) 918-3900
Email on file[email protected]
Company officerDARSHAN SIDHU
In business sinceMar 2002
Last FMCSA updateMar 2024

Fleet & authority

Power units (trucks)1
Drivers1 (1 CDL)
Operation classAuthorized For Hire
Carrier operationInterstate
Broker authorityn/a
Carrier authorityn/a
Safety ratingNot rated
Prior revocationYes
risk

MoverAudit risk score: 0/100

Computed from objective federal flags only: broker-only registration, fleet size, complaint volume and severity, hostage-goods reports and past revocations. Lower is safer. This is a summary of public records, not a review.

Complaints vs. other checked movers

This company
0
Average checked mover
0.1
Red flags & green flags
!No federal complaints on record in the last 4 years.
!Operating authority was revoked at least once (see authority history below).
!Shares an address, phone or officer with 1 mover that have complaints or revoked authority (see identity check below).
USDOT registration is active.
1 truck registered with FMCSA.
No hostage-goods complaints on record.
In business since 2002: a long federal track record.
Roadside safety & insurance

Roadside safety record

Vehicle out-of-service rate, this company vs. national average:

This company
100.00%
National avg
20.72%
Vehicle inspections1 (1 OOS)
Driver inspections2
Crashes, last 3 years0
FMCSA safety ratingNot rated

FMCSA safety categories (SMS BASICs), last 24 months:

Unsafe DrivingClean, no violations on record
Hours-of-Service ComplianceClean, no violations on record
Driver FitnessClean, no violations on record
Controlled Substances / AlcoholClean, no violations on record
Vehicle MaintenanceClean, no violations on record

Insurance on file

Liability insuranceOn file
InsurerNorthbridge General Insurance Corporation
Coverage750
Policy effective sinceJun 2024
Cancellations, 3 yrs1

Source: FMCSA Licensing & Insurance filings, refreshed nightly.

Insurance policy history
Jul 2023 → Jun 2024 Northbridge General Insurance Corporation (Bipd/primary) $750k Cancelled
May 2022 → Jul 2023 Northbridge General Insurance Corporation (Bipd/primary) $750k Cancelled
May 2022 → Jul 2023 Northbridge General Insurance Corporation (Bipd/primary) $750k Cancelled
May 2021 → Aug 2021 Northbridge General Insurance Corporation (Bipd/primary) $750k Cancelled
Jan 2007 → Aug 2008 United States Fire Insurance Co. (Bipd/primary) $750k Cancelled
Jan 2007 → Aug 2008 United States Fire Insurance Co. (Cargo) $750k Cancelled
Jan 2005 → Jan 2007 Ranger Ins. Co./fairmont Specialty Ins. Co. (Bipd/primary) $750k Cancelled
Jan 2005 → Jan 2007 Ranger Ins. Co./fairmont Specialty Ins. Co. (Cargo) $750k Cancelled

Every liability policy this company filed with FMCSA, newest first. Frequent insurer changes or repeated cancellations are worth a direct question; one long-running policy is what stability looks like.

Recent roadside inspections
Apr 23, 2026 Full inspection, MI 3 violations, 1 out-of-service
49 CFR 393.45B2-BHTD, OOS 49 CFR 393.30-B 49 CFR 396.3A1-BARS
Mar 26, 2025 Driver-only, NY 2 violations
49 CFR 392.2-SLLIFTA 49 CFR 390.21TB1-MC

Last 2 roadside inspections from FMCSA records (up to 3 years). "OOS" means the driver or vehicle was ordered out of service on the spot.

Authority history
Jul 11, 2023 Discontinued revocation
Common: involuntary revocation -> discontinued revocation
Aug 13, 2008 Revoked
Motor property common carrier: granted -> revoked
Shared identity check
Caution: this company shares its address, phone number or officer with 1 mover that have complaints or revoked authority. This is the pattern behind "chameleon" carriers: a burned company re-registering under a fresh name. It can also be an innocent shared office, read the linked reports and judge.
Authority revoked
Viper Motor Freight Inc
Shares phone  •  USDOT 1782947
Official SAFER snapshot File a federal complaint Protect Your Move (FMCSA) Compare with another mover

Is Desert West Express Ltd reliable? Our read of the record

On the evidence, Desert West Express Ltd looks like a reliable operator: operating since 2002 with zero federal complaints in the last four years, 1 registered truck. A record like this is exactly what an honest mover's file tends to look like.

No public record can guarantee your specific move, so keep the basics: written binding estimate, USDOT 1008524 on the paperwork, and reasonable deposit. But nothing in the federal file says walk away.

One caveat regardless of the rest: this company shares an address, phone number or officer with 1 other registered mover that carry complaints or lost authority. Sometimes that is an innocent office building; sometimes it is how a burned identity gets recycled. The identity check section above lists exactly who they are, look before you book.

This assessment is generated from the public federal records shown on this page: registration, fleet, complaints, inspections, insurance and authority filings. It is a summary of records, not a review or an accusation.

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About Desert West Express Ltd

Desert West Express Ltd is a federally registered mover based in Chatham, ON, registered with FMCSA since March 2002. Federal filings show 1 power unit (trucks/tractors) and 1 driver.

Over the last four years, the federal complaint database shows no complaints against this company. For a mover doing real volume, a clean federal record is a genuinely good sign; for a very small operation it may simply reflect a small number of moves. Combine it with the fleet data above and recent references.

How to read this report

The grade and risk score at the top are calculated by MoverAudit from objective federal flags: whether the company is a broker or a carrier, how many trucks it operates, the volume and severity of complaints, hostage-goods reports, and past authority revocations. They are not official government ratings, and they are not reviews: every input is a public federal record shown on this page.

The complaint categories come from the FMCSA household goods complaint system. A single bad move can generate complaints in several categories at once, so the category sum can exceed the total. Pay the most attention to "Hostage Goods" and "Deceptive Business Practices": those describe intent, not accidents. "Loss and Damage" at low volume is normal friction for a carrier doing thousands of moves; the same number at a tiny company is not.

The fleet numbers matter more than they look. A company advertising nationwide service with zero or one registered truck is not doing that work itself: your move will be handled by someone you have not vetted. Compare the fleet size to the promises in your quote.

If you are considering this company, use this report as a starting point, not a verdict. Get the estimate in writing and check whether it is binding, confirm the USDOT number on their paperwork matches 1008524, and if a different company shows up on moving day, stop and check that company here before a single box goes on the truck.

Questions about DESERT WEST EXPRESS LTD
Is Desert West Express Ltd legit?
Desert West Express Ltd has an active USDOT registration (1008524). It has no federal complaints on record in the last 4 years.
Is Desert West Express Ltd a broker or a carrier?
Federal records do not show interstate household goods authority for this company. Ask them directly who holds the authority for your move.
Where is Desert West Express Ltd based?
802-45 Riverview Dr, Chatham, ON N7M 6B8. Phone on file: (416) 918-3900. Registered with FMCSA since March 2002.

Sources: FMCSA Motor Carrier Census (registration, fleet), FMCSA Household Goods Complaint History via NCCDB (complaints, checked Sep 13, 2026). MoverAudit summarizes public federal records; it does not accuse any company of wrongdoing. Verify details at protectyourmove.gov.

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