Sources

Source hierarchy

Sources are evaluated in four tiers. Government and regulatory publications — 49 CFR, FMCSA, NHTSA, OSHA — are authoritative for compliance, minimum standards, and enforcement topics. Manufacturer technical data — load and inflation tables, application guides, casing criteria — is authoritative for tire-specific specifications. Industry organization publications (USTMA, CVSA, RMA) provide context for practices that exist outside direct regulation. Original editorial content is used only to explain, connect, or qualify information from the first three tiers.

This hierarchy affects how content is written. A claim that rests only on an industry source is written more cautiously than one that cites a specific CFR section or manufacturer table. When sources conflict, the more conservative or more authoritative source takes precedence.

How sources are selected

Sources are selected based on relevance, authority, and public accessibility. A source is preferred when it directly addresses the topic, comes from a recognized authority for that type of claim, and is publicly accessible so readers can verify it independently. Paywalled or proprietary sources are noted as such — they are used for background context only, and pages that depend on them carry a source-review flag.

The site does not cite sources it has not reviewed. If no reliable source was found for a claim, the claim is either removed or rewritten to reflect the uncertainty explicitly. Sources used on a page are listed in the Source Notes section at the bottom of that page.

How to read the registry

The registry below records sources used across the site. Each entry shows the source title, publisher, type (government, manufacturer, industry, or site editorial), last review date, and a note about how the source is used or where its coverage is limited.

Pages summarize and explain sources — they do not reproduce proprietary content, full manuals, or PDFs. A source entry in the registry means the site has consulted that resource; it does not mean the source endorses this site's content or that the source has reviewed pages on which it is cited.

Review notes

A source marked as needing review is not treated as unreliable. It means the topic can change on an unpredictable schedule, the primary source is paywalled or behind a carrier-specific policy, or the source is used only for general background rather than as the basis for a specific service decision.

Readers relying on these sources for compliance decisions should verify current versions directly against the governing agency or publisher. Source review dates on this site indicate when the content was last checked — they do not replace checking the current version of the source itself.

Registry