Editorial policy

Who writes the guides

Guides, glossary entries and tool explainers are written by Henry, who signs every one. Where a guide touches dispatch, it draws on how our own desk works. We don't publish guides under invented names or invented credentials.

Where the facts come from

We use primary sources first and say which one each fact comes from:

• Federal rules: the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (49 CFR Parts 380, 382, 383, 390, 391, 395 and others) and FMCSA's own guidance pages.
• State rules and fees: each state DMV or licensing agency's official site.
• Pay: the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, with the occupation code and release year, or other named, dated surveys with their method explained.
• Security programs: TSA for hazmat endorsement background checks.
• Market data: named publishers such as DAT and ATRI, with the month or year the data covers.
• Companies: each company's own careers pages and public records such as FMCSA's published safety data, dated.

If we can't find a reliable source for a number, we don't publish the number. Estimates are labeled as estimates, with how we made them.

Dates and updates

• Each fact we rely on is stored with the date we last checked it, and that date appears next to the citation.
• Pay tables, state tables, company lists and partner prices are rechecked at least once a year, and sooner when a rule or a release changes.
• When a rule is in the middle of a change, or its legal status is disputed, we say so and give the date of the current status.

Company lists

When we list companies (for example, carriers with paid training or pet policies), we state the criteria at the top, use only what each company publishes or what public records show, and date it. We don't rank companies by reviews we can't verify, and no company pays to appear. Paid-training programs always come with a reminder that contract and repayment terms vary and must be read before you sign.

Medical and sensitive topics

Guides about the DOT physical, blood pressure, sleep apnea or medications explain FMCSA rules and published guidance only. They aren't medical advice, and every one tells readers to talk to a certified medical examiner. Topics like DUI, drug test violations, English proficiency enforcement and non-domiciled CDLs are written neutrally, with sources and dates and without political commentary.

Examples and our own business

Examples are labeled EXAMPLE or hypothetical and use made-up names like Driver A. We sell truck dispatch and earn referral fees from some partners; our disclosure page lists every relationship. Those relationships don't decide what a guide says. Career guides only point to dispatch where it's the reader's honest next step.

Corrections

Found a mistake, an outdated rule or a broken source link? Tell us through the contact page with the page and what's wrong. We check it against the source, fix it if it's wrong, and update the checked date.