Index of GeneralBill of lading Broker Bulk cargo Bulk freight Cargo Consignee Consignment Consignor Deadheading Electronic on-board recorder Float shifting Freight Hazardous materials Intermodal Just in time Log book Manifest Operating authority Oversize load Pallet Receiver Shipper Terminal Tractor Truck stop electrification Index of Driversand carriersCommon carrier Company driver Contract carrier Dedicated route For-hire carrier Irregular route Less-than-truckload Long-haul Motor carrier Over-the-road Owner-operator Private carrier Regional route Regular route Team drivers Index of VehiclesBig rig Big truck Bobtail Bob truck Box truck Cab over Combination vehicle Conventional truck Day cab Dump truck Eighteen-wheeler Semi-truck Straight truck Tractor-trailer Index of Vehicle partsBaffle Bulkhead Bunk Cab Cabin Cheater axle Engine brake Fifth wheel Glad hands Headache rack Jake brake Kingpin Landing gear Lift axle Retarder Sleeper berth Super single Tandem Tandem axle Tandem wheel Index of TrailersAuto transport Belly dump Bottom dump Bull wagon Car hauler Container Container skeletal carrier Covered wagon Curtainside Deep-drop van Double decker Dropdeck Dry bulk Dry van Dump Flatbed Gooseneck lowboy Grain Hopper Livestock Logger Lowboy Platform Portable parking lot Pup Rear dump Reefer Refrigerated van Side kit Sideloader Skateboard Stepdeck Tank Tanker Timber Index of TrailerconfigurationsRocky Mountain Double Standard Triple Turnpike Double

A specialized set of jargon used within — or to describe the tools, equipment, types of employment, people and organizations involved in — the trucking industry in the United States.

The list below is not necessarily confined to the US: some of its component terms are used within, and indeed many originated from, trucking industries in other, mostly English-speaking, countries.

Some terms, either with similar or with different meanings, are used also in other parts of the broader freight or logistics industry, of which trucking is only a part (freight is generally thought to include at least transport of goods by air, rail, and ship, as well as some specialized manufacturing industries). For example, shore power is used to describe truck stop electricifcation, but it was initially a term borrowed from the shipping industry (it refers, in shipping, to electrical power transferred from land lines on shore to ships while in port, removing the need for ships to idle their own, inefficient and locally polluting engines so as to generate electricity). Another example of such borrowing, in this case from the aviation industry, is the term landing gear (referring, in the trucking context, not to the wheel assembly of a plane but to the legs which support the front end of a semi-trailer when it is not connected to a semi-truck).

Some terms used in the industry are obvious wordplay, such as portable parking lot (referring to a truck that carries automobiles).

This glossary is organized into several subject-matter categories (general terms, drivers and carriers, vehicles, vehicle parts, trailers, and trailer configurations) and then, within each of these categories, alphabetically by American English spelling.

General terms

Bill of lading (BOL, BL, B/L) A paper document between a shipper and a carrier acknowledging the receipt of goods for transport. Usually describes the nature of the cargo; hazardous materials classification (if any); amount of cargo by weight, size, and/or number of pallets, boxes, barrels, etc; and the origin and destination of the cargo.

BobtailingOperating a tractor unit with no trailer attached.

BrokerA 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 Large quantities of undivided or unpackaged cargo, such as grain or dry powder.

Bulk freightSee bulk cargo.

CargoSee freight.

CBSee CB radio - Citizen's Band Radio. CB radio equipment is found in the vast majority of 18-wheelers and is used by truckers for various purposes, including talking to other truckers on the highway, discussing road and weather conditions, coordinating activity at distribution centers and truckstops and various other purposes, including emergency communications. In the United States, many truckers monitor CB channel 19 (27.185 MHz), commonly known as the "highway channel" or "trucker's channel".

Consignee The person or entity transferring legal responsibility or ownership of the cargo (or consignment) from the carrier.

Consignment An agreement between a consignee and a consignor in which the goods are taken responsibility for and transported by a third party, the carrier. May also simply refer to the consigned goods (i.e., the cargo).

Consignor The person or entity transferring legal responsibility or ownership of the cargo (or consignment) to the carrier.

Deadheading Operating a truck empty.

Electronic on-board recorder (EOBR) A device hooked into the truck which transmits useful management information such as truck location, speed, and idle time.

Float shifting Shifting gears without using the clutch pedal. Also called "slip shifting" or "dead sticking".

Freight The materials or goods being transported.

Hazardous materials (Haz-mat) Explosive, flammable, poisonous or otherwise potentially dangerous cargo. Large amounts or especially hazardous cargo are required to be placarded under haz-mat regulations.

Intermodal A single trailer or container that encounters multiple forms of transportation along its route, such as truck/ship/rail.

Just-in-time A method of inventory control in which warehousing is either nonexistent or kept to a minimum. The freight arrives "just in time", and only when it is needed.

Log book A form which describes the working duties of truck drivers for each 24-hour period.

Load Board An online or physical marketplace where freight brokers and shippers post loads to be hauled, and truck drivers or carriers search for available freight. Load boards help match carriers with available cargo, often showing details such as origin, destination, weight, and payment terms.

ManifestA document that describes the contents of a shipment in greater detail than a bill of lading. Commonly used as a checklist during unloading.

Operating authorityMotor carriers for-hire must apply for the authority to engage in interstate commerce with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

Oversize load A unit of cargo that is larger than the legally defined limits for width, length, height, and/or weight; it cannot be broken down into smaller units.

Pallet A wooden (or sometimes plastic) platform on which boxes or cargo are stacked and sometimes shrink-wrapped. Usually refers to the entire palletized stack of boxes, although it can refer to the platform itself.

ReceiverConsignee, importer, or buyer (who may or may not be the same) named in the bill of lading as the party responsible for receiving a shipment.

ShipperA consignor, exporter, or seller (who may or may not be the same) named in the bill of lading as the party responsible for initiating a shipment.

TerminalA dock or hub where freight originates, terminates, or is handled in the transportation process; or a location where motor carriers maintain operating facilities.

Tractor A semi-truck (powered unit) used to pull a load or semi-trailer (unpowered unit) by means of a fifth wheel mounted over the rear axle(s) in a semi-truck/semi-trailer combination.

Truck stop electrification (TSE) The capability to connect a truck to a land-based electric power supply ("Shore power") 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.

Weigh station A chosen point off the highway, where the state highway patrol examines the weight of a vehicle that weigh over 10,000 pounds.

Drivers and carriers

Common carrier A for-hire carrier that is obligated to serve the general public.

Company driverEmployee of a carrier who is assigned to drive company-owned trucks.

Contract carrierA 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 routeA 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 carrierA licensed carrier that holds itself out to hire under either a public tariff for the general public (for-hire common carrier) or under a contract filed with a specific shipper (contract carrier). For-hire carriers must apply for operating authority with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

Irregular routeSee over-the-road.

Less-than-truckload (LTL) A driver or carrier who specializes in, or a load composed of many different types of cargo, each typically weighing less than , with many different destinations. Generally involves the use of terminal facilities to break and consolidate shipments. A LTL driver normally has a dedicated or regional route.

Long-haulSee over-the-road.

Motor carrierA person or company providing transportation of property or passengers using commercial motor vehicles.

Over-the-road (OTR)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 (Canada and Mexico), given the unscheduled nature of their routes.

Owner-operator (O/O) Self-employed independent drivers who operate privately owned or leased trucks, as opposed to a company driver.

Private carrierA 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 (FMCSA).

Regional routeA 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 routeSee dedicated route.

Team driversA 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 rigSee semi-truck.

Big truckSee semi-truck.

BobtailA tractor without a trailer. In verb form, this also refers to operating a truck without a trailer.

Cab over A short, box-shaped tractor with no hood (UK: bonnet), and a steep vertical front. The "cab" rides "over" the engine and front steering axle. Used when a shorter wheelbase is needed.

Combination vehicleA vehicle composed of two or more separate units, a tractor (powered unit, semi-truck) and a trailer (unpowered unit, semi-trailer).

Conventional truck A truck or tractor featuring an engine forward of the cab, with a conventional hood configuration.

Day cab A truck cab without a sleeper berth.

Dump truck A truck with a bucket-like cargo area which the front can be raised, hinging on the rear, allowing the load to slide ("dump") out of the cargo area. Often a straight truck, semi-trailers are also common. Flatbeds and refuse container trucks can often "dump", but are rarely called that.

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