Glossary of the American trucking industry
| Index of General |
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| Index of Vehicles |
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| Index of Trailers |
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General
;Bill of lading :;Bobtailing:Operating a tractor unit with no trailer attached.
;Broker:A person or company that arranges for the truck transportation of cargo belonging to others, using for-hire carriers to provide the actual truck transportation.
;Bulk cargo:
;Bulk freight:See bulk cargo.
;Cargo:See freight.
;CB:See CB radio - Citizen's Band Radio.
;Consignee:
;Consignment:
;Consignor:
;Deadheading:Operating a truck empty.
;Electronic on-board recorder :
;Float shifting:Shifting gears without using the clutch pedal. Also called "slip shifting" or "dead sticking".
;Freight:
;Hazardous materials :
;Intermodal:
;Just-in-time:
;Log book:
;Manifest:A document that describes the contents of a shipment in greater detail than a bill of lading. Commonly used as a checklist during unloading.
;Operating authority:Motor carriers for-hire must apply for the authority to engage in interstate commerce with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
;Oversize load:
;Pallet:
;Receiver:Consignee, importer, or buyer named in the bill of lading as the party responsible for receiving a shipment.
;Shipper:A consignor, exporter, or seller named in the bill of lading as the party responsible for initiating a shipment.
;Terminal:A dock or hub where freight originates, terminates, or is handled in the transportation process; or a location where motor carriers maintain operating facilities.
;Tractor:
;Truck Stop Electrification : The capability to connect a truck to a land-based electric power supply at a truck stop. Eliminates the need for engine idling while parked, and in the case of IdleAire, also supplies land-based climate control within the truck cab, as well as Internet and TV access.
Drivers and carriers
;Common carrier:;Company driver:Employee of a carrier who is assigned to drive company-owned trucks.
;Contract carrier:A for-hire carrier contracted to one particular shipper. A contract carrier enters into a contract whose terms are negotiated between a specific carrier and specific customer.
;Dedicated route:A driver or carrier who transports cargo between regular, prescribed routes. Regular route drivers usually are at home on regular intervals, given the scheduled nature of their routes.
;For-hire carrier:A licensed carrier that holds itself out to hire under either a public tariff for the general public or under a contract filed with a specific shipper. For-hire carriers must apply for operating authority with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
;Irregular route:See over-the-road.
;Less-than-truckload :
;Long-haul:See over-the-road.
;Motor carrier:A person or company providing transportation of property or passengers using commercial motor vehicles.
;Over-the-road :A driver or carrier who transports cargo to any place at any time, without prescribed schedules or routes. Long-Haul OTR involves being away for weeks, or months at a time, often cross-country or international, given the unscheduled nature of their routes.
;Owner-operator :
;Private carrier:A not-for-hire carrier contracted to or owned by a shipper that does not offer services to the general public, and operates primarily to transport its own goods. Private carriers are not required to obtain operating authority by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
;Regional route:A driver or carrier who transports cargo in a limited geographical area, usually within a certain radius of one's own home or company terminal, and may or may not maintain a schedule.
;Regular route:See dedicated route.
;Team drivers:A team of two or more drivers who ride together and drive the same truck in shifts, essentially allowing the truck to remain in motion almost constantly. Primarily used for time-sensitive freight.
Vehicles
;Big rig:See semi-truck.;Big truck:See semi-truck.
;Bobtail:A tractor without a trailer. In verb form, this also refers to operating a truck without a trailer.
;Cab over:
;Combination vehicle:A vehicle composed of two or more separate units, a tractor and a trailer.
;Conventional truck:
;Day cab: A truck cab without a [|sleeper berth].
;Dump truck:
;Eighteen-wheeler: This term is derived from the number of tires that the typical OTR tractor-trailer configuration has. See also semi-truck.
;Semi-truck:
;Straight truck:A single vehicle, with no articulation. Normally 2 or 3 axles, sometimes with [|lift axles].
;Tractor-trailer:See semi-truck.
;Truck crane: A special truck with a permanently mounted crane. This design allows faster moves from site to site than conventional cranes.
Vehicle parts
;Baffle:A partition or separator within a liquid [|tank], used to inhibit the flow of fluids within the tank. During acceleration, turning, and braking, a large liquid-filled tank may produce unexpected forces on the vehicle due to the inertia of liquids.;Bulkhead:A strong wall-like structure placed at the front of a flatbed trailer used to protect the driver against shifting cargo during a front-end collision. May also refer to any separator within a dry or liquid trailer used to partition the load.
;Bunk:See sleeper berth.
;Cab:The interior of a truck where the driver sits to operate the vehicle.
;Cheater axle:See lift axle.
;Dual wheels:A pair of tire and wheel assemblies mounted side-by-side on a single axle hub. In some applications it is replaced by a [|super single]. On pickup trucks it is sometimes called a dually. The assembly has a greater load carrying ability as compared to a single wheel. It also provides redundancy so if one of the two tires fail the second will maintain support preventing loss of vehicle control and allowing the vehicle to travel to a repair facility.
;Engine brake:
;Fifth wheel:
;Float
;Glad hands:Interlocking connectors attached to air hoses that supply air from the tractor to the trailer for air brakes.
;Headache rack:See bulkhead.
;Jake brake:
;Kingpin:A large pin, underneath the front of a trailer, which interlocks with the fifth wheel.
;Landing gear:A set of retractable, crank-up legs that support the front of a trailer when it is not connected to a tractor.
;Lift axle:An air-powered axle that may be raised or lowered to the ground to provide greater load-carrying capacity, or to comply with axle weight requirements.
;Retarder:
;Sleeper berth:The portion of the truck's interior designated for sleeping, legally must contain a bed.
;Super single: A popular name for a single, larger wheel and tire,, substituted for a tandem assembly. The main benefit of a super single is a reduction in weight; combined with lower rolling resistance the super single promises better fuel economy. The disadvantage is the lack of tire redundancy from which tandem wheels benefit, as tire failure can disable the vehicle and increased highway wear, through the high point loading and scrubbing of road surfaces when making tight turns.
;Tandem axle:A set of axles spaced close together, legally defined as more than 40 and less than 96 inches apart by the USDOT.
Trailers
;Auto transport:A specialized trailer or truck/trailer combination used for transporting passenger vehicles.;Belly dump:See bottom dump.
;Beverage trailer: A trailer between 26 feet and 29 feet used primarily for the transport of beverages. Colloquially known as a sidebanger, sideloader, or route trailer.
;Bottom dump:A dump with a funnel-shaped floor for unloading through the bottom.
;Bull wagon: See livestock.
;Car hauler:See auto transport.
;Chip van: specially designed bulk dry van with open top for wood byproducts.
;Container:
;Container skeletal carrier:A skeletal trailer composed of a simple chassis for the mounting of an intermodal container.
;Covered wagon: A [|flatbed] with specially fitted side plates and curved ribs supporting a tarp covering, commonly referred to as a "side kit". Named for the resemblance to horse-drawn covered wagons.
;Curtainside:Can be either a dry box with tarp sides, or a flatbed with a movable frame of squared ribs supporting a tarp.
;Deep-drop van:A specialized dry van that maximizes interior space, with a lowered floor and higher roof. Normally used to transport bulky, relatively light cargo, such as furniture and electronics.
;Double decker:A specialized trailer with 2 floors to allow for more cargo space.
;Doubles trailer:A trailer between and long that can be used singularly as a delivery trailer in congested areas or in combination with another trailer for over the road.
;Dropdeck:A flatbed with a lowered deck, featuring a raised step at the front, where the trailer attaches to the fifth wheel.
;Dry bulk:A variation of the liquid tank trailer, with a funnel-shaped bottom, used for hauling bulk quantities of dry powder. Usually loaded through holes in the top, unloaded through the bottom or through pneumatic force.
;Dry van:A simple, enclosed non-climate controlled rectangular trailer that carries general cargo, including food and other products that do not require refrigeration. Usually loaded/unloaded through the rear doors, requiring elevated access for forklifts to enter the trailer.
;Dump:A bucket-like trailer with an open top for loading, commonly used for hauling bulk quantities of dirt, rock, gravel, etc. See [|dump truck].
;Flatbed:A flat trailer with no enclosure or doors. Can be loaded/unloaded from the sides or above, and does not require elevated access for forklifts.
;Gooseneck lowboy:
;Grain:A rectangular enclosure with an open top for bulk loading, covered with a tarp, and a funnel shaped bottom for unloading [|grain], fertilizer, etc.
;Hopper:See grain.
;Livestock:A rectangular enclosure with sides featuring numerous ventilation holes, an interior with multiple levels, and usually a ramp in the rear for loading/unloading. Used for hauling cows, pigs, sheep, etc.
;Live-bottom: A dry van with solid or openable roof with a moveable mechanized floor for unloading.
;Logger:See [|timber].
;Lowboy:See double [|dropdeck], or gooseneck lowboy.
;Platform:See flatbed.
;Portable parking lot: See auto transport.
;Pup:A trailer between and long that can be used singularly as a delivery trailer in congested areas or in combination with another trailer for over the road.
;Rear dump:A dump with a rear pivot point allowing the front of the cargo area to be raised vertically for unloading through the rear.
;Reefer:See refrigerated van.
;Refrigerated van:A refrigerated and insulated box trailer.
;Side kit:See covered wagon.
;Sideloader: A specialized container trailer with cranes on the front and rear to allow for on-the-spot loading and unloading.
;Skateboard:See flatbed.
;Stepdeck:See dropdeck.
;Tank:
;Tanker:See tank.
;Timber:A specialized trailer, used for transporting logs, consisting of a basic chassis with vertical stakes along the sides to hold the logs in place. There are several types of timber trailers: Long wood trailers; Usually with four stakes, but can have more, evenly spaced for tree length logs to be carried longwise on the trailer; Short wood trailers, with two separated sets of four of stakes, commonly referred to as a double bunk, and piggyback trailers. These trailers can be self loaded onto the back of a truck
Trailer configurations
;'B' train Double: A special set-of-doubles: the second trailer is hooked directly to the first via a fifth wheel on the rear of the first one.;Rocky Mountain Double : A combination of a standard trailer and a shorter pup trailer. Legal in more than 20 states, use is usually restricted to toll roads, freeways, or by permit.
;Standard: A single trailer. Common dimensions range from to long, and up to tall.
;Triple: A combination of three pup trailers. Legal in 17 states, usually restricted to major highways, toll roads, or freeways.
;Turnpike Double: A combination of two standard trailers. Legal in 18 states, these unusually long combinations are usually restricted to toll roads or freeways.