# Trucking websites study 2026: scoring rules

Version 2, locked on 2026-08-15 before collection. Apply these rules to every eligible website. Inspect the homepage first, then the explicitly named secondary locations. Record `unknown` when a reliable determination is blocked; never convert unknown or not-applicable to no.

## Common evidence rules

- `yes`: the feature meets the definition in the allowed inspection locations.
- `no`: the allowed locations were inspected and the feature was not found or did not meet the definition.
- `unknown`: availability, consent wall, bot defense, rendering failure, or genuine ambiguity prevents reliable coding.
- `not-applicable`: only when a field definition expressly permits it; record the reason.
- Each field requires the inspected URL and a short factual note. Do not store long copied text, personal employee details, or data behind a login.
- “Above the fold” means the initial rendered homepage at 390 x 844 CSS pixels on mobile and 1440 x 900 CSS pixels on desktop, before scrolling, after dismissing only a standard consent notice.
- “One interaction” means one click or tap. Opening a mobile menu counts as an interaction; scrolling does not.

## A. Basic website quality

- `httpsPresent`: yes when the inspected canonical homepage loads by HTTPS without a certificate warning and HTTP resolves or redirects to HTTPS.
- `mobileResponsive`: yes when at 390px the primary content fits the viewport, text is readable, navigation is operable, and core actions do not require horizontal scrolling.
- `readableMobileNavigation`: yes when the mobile navigation opens, labels are legible, destinations are distinguishable, and controls do not overlap or extend off-screen.
- `visiblePhone`: yes when a company-level phone number is visible on the homepage without opening a secondary page. Do not record the number in the public dataset.
- `visibleContactMethod`: yes when the homepage exposes a phone, general email action, contact/quote form, chat, or clear Contact link.
- `contactPage`: yes when a dedicated contact page or equivalent contact section has its own reachable URL or anchored primary-nav destination.
- `clearCompanyLocation`: yes when a city/state, physical address, terminal location, or expressly defined operating base is visible on the homepage or contact page.
- `aboutPage`: yes when a top-level or footer-linked page materially describes the company, history, team, or operating identity.
- `servicesPage`: yes when a dedicated page or top-level section materially describes services or operating capabilities.

## B. Commercial conversion

- `primaryCtaAboveFold`: yes when the initial desktop or mobile viewport contains a visually distinguishable action tied to a business goal such as quote, contact, call, service inquiry, or driver application. A plain navigation label alone does not count.
- `quoteCta`: yes when the initial homepage viewport or primary navigation has a visible “Request a Quote,” “Get a Quote,” “Get Pricing,” “Request Pricing,” “Get Started,” or unambiguous commercial equivalent. A generic Contact link alone is no.
- `quoteForm`: yes when a shipper/customer can reach a dedicated quote or service-inquiry form within two interactions from the homepage. A general email address alone is no.
- `phoneCta`: yes when a visible phone action appears in the header, hero, sticky control, or primary contact block and is clickable on mobile.
- `contactForm`: yes when a public form accepts a general company inquiry. A quote-only or driver-only form does not count unless it also supports a general inquiry.
- `clearServices`: yes when the homepage or top-level services page names specific transport services, equipment capabilities, freight types, or operating modes.
- `clearGeographicCoverage`: yes when the homepage or top-level services/about page names operating states, regions, lanes, nationwide scope, or a similarly clear service area.
- `strongValueProposition`: yes when the first viewport states what the company does and provides at least one meaningful audience, service, geography, or differentiator.
- `testimonials`: yes when the site presents customer/partner testimonial content that is attributed or explicitly anonymized. Generic marketing claims are no.
- `trustIndicators`: yes when at least one verifiable credential, association, certification, years-in-business statement, named customer/partner, safety credential, or similar factual signal is visible.

## C. Driver recruiting

- `careersSection`: yes when Careers, Drivers, Drive With Us, Jobs, or an equivalent recruiting destination is reachable from primary navigation or the homepage.
- `applyNowCta`: yes when a visually explicit driver/job application action is present on the homepage, careers page, or recruiting landing page.
- `driverApplication`: yes when a public application path is linked; a clearly attributed external recruiting system counts. A phone number or “email your resume” alone is no.
- `benefitsInformation`: yes when recruiting content names at least two concrete employment or contractor benefits.
- `fleetEquipmentInformation`: yes when the site describes tractors, trailers, fleet types, capacity, technology, maintenance, or equipment beyond a generic “modern fleet” claim.
- `hiringRequirements`: yes when recruiting content states at least one concrete qualification such as license class, experience, age, endorsements, record, or location.
- `homeTimeInformation`: yes when recruiting content makes a specific home-time, schedule, regional-return, or time-out commitment. “Great work-life balance” alone is no.
- `payInformation`: yes only when a public recruiting page shows a numeric pay amount, rate, range, percentage, or clearly specified compensation formula. Never infer pay.

## D. Trust

- `dotMcInformation`: yes when a USDOT or MC identifier is visibly published on the company site. Do not publish the identifier in the anonymized dataset.
- `yearsInBusiness`: yes when the site gives a founding year or an explicit numeric years-in-business statement.
- `certificationsAssociations`: yes when a recognizable industry association, certification, accreditation, or credential is named or linked.
- `realCompanyImagery`: yes when the site contains imagery reasonably attributable to the actual company, team, facilities, or branded fleet. Obvious generic stock-only presentation is no; ambiguity is unknown.
- `physicalAddress`: yes when a complete public business street address appears on the site. Do not copy it into the public dataset.
- `privacyPolicy`: yes when a working, identifiable privacy-policy page is linked from the public site.
- `socialProfiles`: yes when at least one working outbound link reaches an identifiable company social profile.

## E. UX

- `clearNavigation`: yes when primary destinations are labeled consistently and a user can identify services, company information, and a contact or action path without guesswork.
- `excessiveNavigation`: yes when the desktop primary navigation exposes more than nine top-level destinations, or overlapping/duplicated choices materially obscure the core paths. Record the counted top-level items.
- `mobileMenuQuality`: yes when the mobile menu opens and closes, remains within the viewport, supports keyboard focus, and exposes the primary destinations and action path.
- `textReadability`: yes when body text is at least approximately 16 CSS pixels, has adequate visual contrast, and is not placed over imagery in a way that materially impairs reading.
- `ctaClarity`: yes when the primary action label describes the expected next step. Unlabeled icons, “Learn More” as the only primary action, or competing indistinguishable actions are no.
- `obviousBrokenLayout`: yes only for visible overlap, clipping, missing core content, off-screen controls, or broken responsive structure in the tested viewports.
- `intrusivePopups`: yes when a non-required overlay blocks most core content immediately or repeatedly, excluding a standard compact consent notice.
- `accessibilityBasics`: yes when the page has one discernible H1, keyboard-operable primary navigation, visible focus on interactive controls, meaningful image alternatives on functional images, and labeled form controls on the inspected path. Failure of any checked item is no; a blocked check is unknown.

## F. Performance

- Test only the canonical homepage, with the same frozen Lighthouse version, mobile profile, network/CPU settings, geography, and run count. Save raw reports internally.
- `mobilePerformanceCategory`: median Lighthouse performance score across three runs: good 90–100, needs-improvement 50–89, poor 0–49.
- `lcpCategory`: median lab LCP: good <=2.5s, needs-improvement >2.5s and <=4.0s, poor >4.0s.
- `clsCategory`: median lab CLS: good <=0.10, needs-improvement >0.10 and <=0.25, poor >0.25.
- `pageWeightCategory`: transferred bytes on the measured homepage: light <1MB, moderate >=1MB and <3MB, heavy >=3MB.
- `obviousOversizedImages`: yes when a displayed raster image's intrinsic pixel dimensions exceed both rendered dimensions by more than 2x and its transfer size exceeds 300KB, or a single hero raster exceeds 1MB.
- `autoplayVideo`: yes when video begins without an explicit user play action. Muted autoplay still counts.

## Prespecified associations

Calculate only after the locked 100-site dataset passes QA:

1. `mobileResponsive` with `primaryCtaAboveFold`.
2. `careersSection` with `driverApplication`.
3. `quoteCta` with a quote form reachable in two interactions or fewer.
4. `realCompanyImagery` with `trustIndicators`.

Report 2 x 2 raw counts, percentages by group, phi coefficient, and a two-sided Fisher exact p-value where computable. These are exploratory associations, not causal effects, conversion measurements, or population-wide estimates.