In recent months you've probably heard about the new DOT regulations that have come out surrounding ATV and UTV tires, and naturally, we're sure you have a lot of questions that have come up. Most notably, we want to help you figure out whether or not the tires you've got on your machine are compliant with American rules and regulations to keep you good to go on the road.

Today, we'll be diving into the DOT's stance on ATV/UTV tires and some steps you can take to make sure your machine is always good to go, road or trail. Let's jump right in.

Here's where it gets weird. All tires manufactured and sold in America for road use have to have a stamp on them that denotes them being "DOT Compliant." These tires need to be compliant with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), which in a nutshell means that they've been subjected to rigorous testing and rated for safe use on any American road.

The problem here is that the DOT symbol cannot appear on any tires where the FMVSS standard is not applicable, and since ATV/UTV-specific tires are not considered 'Motor Vehicle' tires, they're disqualified from DOT certification from the jump.

This also means that only tires that are meant for use on FMVSS-rated vehicles (meaning trucks, SUVs, off-roaders, etc.) can receive DOT certification, so if you want to get your machine out on the road, you might need a set of tires that are meant for use on these kinds of vehicles first and foremost.