Every tyre sold in the United States must carry a Tire Identification Number, the full DOT code, permanently moulded into the sidewall. The rule sits under United States federal regulation 49 CFR Part 574, and the DOT symbol certifies the tyre meets the applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. The Tire Identification Number is a 13 character code that identifies the plant, the size, the manufacturer, and the week and year of manufacture.
The whole reason the code exists is traceability. If a defect is found, the manufacturer uses the code to identify and recall the exact affected batch. A tyre with a wrong, missing, or unreadable code cannot be traced, so a marking fault is treated as a serious compliance failure and can trigger a recall of a production run.
Correct DOT code
Tyre can be traced and recalled by batch
Wrong or missing DOT code
Tyre cannot be traced — entire run may be recalled
Under 49 CFR Part 574, a marking defect is a compliance failure, not a quality issue.
Three things matter on the line. The code must be complete and legible on every tyre. The week and year must match the actual production date. And the code must sit on the correct sidewall alongside the traceability barcode. Because the date insert in the mould changes every week and can loosen or fall out, the only reliable way to stay compliant is to validate every tyre, not just the first.
The full 13 character TIN must be present and readable on every tyre that leaves the line.
The date code must reflect the actual week and year of manufacture. The date insert changes every week.
The DOT code and the traceability barcode must both appear on the same sidewall.
United States federal regulation 49 CFR Part 574 requires every new tyre sold in the United States to carry a Tire Identification Number permanently moulded into the sidewall. The TIN must be 13 characters and include the plant code, tyre size, manufacturer code, and the week and year of manufacture. The DOT symbol confirms the tyre meets the applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Failure to comply is a marking defect that can trigger a recall.
YAFE validates the DOT code and week code on every tyre inline, at full line speed, in about two seconds. No stopping, no rotation, no sampling risk.
See how YAFE validates DOT codes