How we research and check our hauling guides
Our guides and tools are written for carriers who need the rule, the number and the source. This is how we get them right.
Last updated
Who writes and reviews
Guides and tools are written and reviewed by Mike Shelton with the GearLoads dispatch desk. Every guide shows its author and the month it was last updated.
Where the facts come from
- Federal rules: hazardous materials (49 CFR Parts 171 to 180), CDLs (Part 383), parts and accessories including cargo securement (Part 393), hours of service (Part 395), inspections (Part 396), and truck size and weight (23 CFR Part 658), read from eCFR or Cornell's Legal Information Institute.
- Animal transport: the Twenty-Eight Hour Law, 49 U.S.C. 80502.
- Agencies: FMCSA, PHMSA (including the Emergency Response Guidebook), USDA, BLS, EIA, OSHA and CVSA.
- States: each state's own transportation department or permit office pages for permits, chain laws, height limits and livestock rules.
- Equipment and companies: makers' published specs, and companies' own pages or published lists, with the publisher and year.
Every fact is dated
Each rule or figure we use is stored once with its source, link and the month we checked it, and the page shows that source next to the fact. When we can't confirm something from an official source, we say it is not yet verified, or we leave it out. Our checkers and calculators use the same stored facts, so a guide and a tool never disagree.
Examples, numbers and proof
- Illustrative loads, rates, weeks and earnings are labeled EXAMPLE.
- Pay figures come from BLS or a named survey, with the year.
- We publish only real reviews and results, and never invent people, quotes or statistics.
- Safety statistics come from FMCSA, PHMSA, NHTSA, BLS or OSHA, with the year, and we don't use accident photos.
Independence
We are a dispatch service. Guides explain the work honestly first, and tell you when we can help. Partners are listed on our disclosure page; no company pays to appear in a guide.
Corrections
Rules change, and we make mistakes. If you see an error or an outdated rule, tell us through our contact page. We check the source, fix the page and update its date.