Appendix:Glossary of truck terminology
| Contents: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
A
[edit]- abnormal load : oversize
- agency driver : a temp
- airlock : an air bubble in fuel system etc.
- A-road (GB) : principal highway
- artic (GB) : tractor semi-trailer / semi (AUS, USA) (from articulated lorry)
- articulated vehicle : any vehicle towing a trailer, usually refers to a semi-trailer truck
- articulated lorry (GB-except north of England) : semi-trailer truck
- A-train : tractor with one semi-trailer and one full trailer
B
[edit]- highway patrol, bear: law enforcement officer, particularly at the state (USA) or province level
- backdoor : a slower truck that maintains the rear of a convoy/train. Keeps an eye out for bears from behind.
- belt highway (USA) : circular route / ring road (GB)
- belly dump (USA) : A trailer that discharges its load from the bottom, usually gravel
- big wheel man : a trucker
- black and white: law enforcement officer, particularly at the city level (named for the generally black and white color scheme of their vehicles)
- blow-out : burst tire
- bobtail / riding bobtail / unit only / solo : driving a tractor unit without a trailer
- bonded warehouse : a warehouse controlled by customs
- bonnet (GB) : hood (USA)
- bowser : small tanker truck used for refuelling plant and machinery
- box : any container, often refers to an ISO container
- B-road (GB) : secondary highway (some B-roads are impassable for heavy vehicles)
- B-train : tractor with two semi-trailers
- B double (Australia) Prime Mover(tractor) pulling one 6 metre tri axle trailer and
one 12 metres tri axle trailer.
- B triple, as above but towing additional 12 metre tri Axle,legal outside Metro areas
- bull bar / roo bar (AUS) : (usually chrome) bars on the front of a truck
- bulk cargo/bulk : loose cargo (not packaged)
- bulkhead : firewall
- bump the dock (USA) : To deliver a load; complete the carriage contract.
- bunkering : refuelling (nautical term)
C
[edit]- cabover (USA) : A style of tractor with a flat front due to the cab over the engine. See normal control.
- cabotage : haulage within one country by a foreigner
- cabover / forward control : vehicle with a cab built over the engine rather than behind it
- recreational vehicle/RV/camper : motorhome
- cannonballing / to cannonball : over-correction of steering (from "Cannonball", a Canadian TV series in 1958/9 where the actors who played truckers would jerk the steering wheel left and right even though the following scene would show a truck rolling along in a straight line)
- car transporter : truck for carrying cars
- caravan : travel trailer
- carriage forward : carriage paid by the recipient
- carriage paid : carriage paid by the sender
- carriageway (GB) : roadway
- carriers : transport company
- cattle truck : livestock truck
- CB : Citizens' band radio
- CB'er/CBer : a Citizens' band radio user
- central reservation (GB) : median strip (USA) also called a comedian (usa)
- chicken coop : department of transportation weight check station
- chicken hauler : big truck with many lights, that tends to travel at high speeds
- Chinese : a three (or four ?) axle truck with two steering front axles, twin steer in Australia
- chock-rail : a small rave along the edges of a flatbed truck or trailer, gun rail in Australia
- CMR : consignment note for European haulage
- coffee shop : a cafeteria
- consignee : the recipient
- consigner : the sender
- consignment note : waybill
- container : usually refers to an ISO container
- continental driver (GB) : trucker who does international journeys
- conventional control / normal control : a truck with the cab behind the engine compartment
- convoy : two or more vehicles running together
- covered wagon : a flatbed with wooden sides, aluminum bows, and a tarp stretched over the top of it. also called a steel hauler
- cowboy (GB) : someone who doesn’t take his job seriously
- cowboy outfit (GB) : a rogue haulage company
- crawler : a slow moving vehicle
- crawler gear : the lowest gear in a gearbox (below 1st gear), bog cog in Australia, also granny gear (us)
- crawler lane : a lane reserved for slow vehicles
- crummy: Western US slang for early off road forest utility vehicles, eg International
- road train/C-train: similar to an A-train, tractor with one semi-trailer and one full trailer
- cwt/cwt. / hundredweight : 112 lbs
D
[edit]- day cab : a short cab without a bunk or sleeping compartment
- deadhead : power unit moving without load
- demurrage : daily fee assessed when notified/offered equipment exceeds allowed free days at a barge or rail yard.
- depot : distribution hub, facilitates downstreaming of materials and said transport
- DERV (Diesel engined road vehicle) : Diesel oil
- desperado : Usually a truck driver that has been pulled over by more than one bear at the same time.
- dispatcher : coordinator of routing and delivery/pickup scheduling usually within a specific region/area using pool of power, drivers, etc.
- divided highway (USA) : divided road (AUS) / dual carriageway (GB)
- dock leveller : steel plate so that goods can be rolled on or off a truck onto a dock
- dolly(trailer)]], 1(axle) / diabolo : axle assembly sometimes used for towing semi-trailers also known as a converter, also known as a jifflox
- dolly (trailer), 2 axles.Used in Australia for linking up to three trailers in Road Trains.Consists of dual axle trailer with draw bar and turn table mounted on top.
- dolly 2(knot) / trucker’s dolly : a knot used by truckers when using ropes for load restraint
- DOT : department of transportation (Canada and USA)
- downtime : time when a vehicle is out of service
- drag : trailer
- drop : empty or loaded equipment (ie: container) dropped at site, transporter to come back later for pickup.
- drop a trailer : leave fixed axle unit at a site, power/truck bobtails (deadhead) departs.
- dropside : side panels which can be hinged down for loading
- dual carriageway (GB) : divided highway (USA)
- dumpster (USA)non-intermodal bin for waste, usually steel and in low yard capacities : skip (GB)
- dunnage : empty return skids, plywood, and other shipping materials left in container/trailer/van.
E
[edit]- europallet : pallet 120 X 80 cm (4’ X 2’6’’)
- express carrier : parcels service
- England trucking : C.R. England Trucking Company
- Erb Group : Erb Group of Companies Reefer Experts
- exhaust brake - A moveable flap in the exhaust system that creates backpressure to retard the engine and create more engine braking to assist when driving downhill.
F
[edit]- fat girl : term used for truck stop whores, see also lot lizard, see also babydoll
- articulated vehicle/Fifth wheel couplings/fifth wheel (coupling) : turntable on which a semi-trailer pivots
- fitter : truck mechanic
- flat wagon : flatbed
- fleet : several vehicles owned by the same company
- fly sheet : a tarpaulin fastened over the top of the other sheets for extra protection against the rain
- flyover (GB) : overpass (USA)
- forward control / cabover : vehicle with a cab built over the engine rather than behind it
- forwarding : shipping
- automobile/four wheeler : a normally derogatory term for a passenger (non-freight, usually possessing four wheels) vehicle
- freight exchange : Internet load & vehicle market place
- freight : goods / charge for goods carried
- freight rate : rate charged for goods carried
- frontage road (USA) : service road / frontage
- fox den : Police radar trap or popular speed trap area
- front door : usually a truck in front of other trucks keeping an eye out for bears and keeping the lead pace
G
[edit]- gator : blown-out truck tire left-overs on road-side
- glad-hand coupling : palm coupling
- glory hole : public bathroom with a hole cut between stalls for the purpose of male homosexual activity (usa)
- glow plug : preheater to aid starting a cold engine
- good buddy : a term that used to mean friend, it has been adopted by the homosexual community as a term for soliciting gay male sex
- goods : merchandise
- granny lane : right lane, slowest moving lane (usa)
- grease monkey : a fitter
- greasy spoon : a dingy café
- green card 1 (Europe) : motor insurance certificate
- green card 2 (USA) : residence permit
- groupage : several consignments grouped together in one vehicle to be sorted before delivery
- G.T.W. : gross train weight
- gunshot : loaded breadthways
- gunshot and roll : loaded lengthways and breadthways alternately
- G.V.W./gvw/GVW : gross vehicle weight
- GV9 (GB) : temporary prohibition to run an unsafe vehicle
H
[edit]- hand : slang for driver
- hammer : accelerate (mashing on the pedal real hard); accelerator
- hammer lane : left lane on a four lane road (US)
- handball : loose cargo to be manhandled
- handle : CB callsign
- haulage : trucking
- haulage contractor : (road) haulier
- hazchem : hazardous chemicals
- hazmat : hazardous material
- hazpak : hazardous goods in packages
- HGV (heavy goods vehicle) : a truck
- hit the pin : to check that vehicles are coupled correctly by trying to drive forwards before releasing the trailer brake.
I
[edit]- injection pump : the pump that injects fuel into the cylinders
- interline system/interline : a series of contractual arrangements between carriers for the seamless movement of freight Freight interline system
J
[edit]- jackknifing : accidental folding of an articulated vehicle
- Jake brake / Jacobs brake : engine brake
- juggernaut (GB) : offensive word for a truck (first used by those who were campaigning against trucks; not used by people in the industry)
K
[edit]L
[edit]- largecar : a fast truck. Usually one that reaches triple digits (MPH)
- lift pump : small pump which pumps fuel from the tank to the injector pump
- livestock truck : cattle truck
- live load : Driver stays with the trailer as freight is being loaded.
- live unload : Driver stays with the trailer as freight is being unloaded.
- logistics : movement and supply of goods
- lorry (some regions of GB) : truck (A lorry was originally a horse-drawn vehicle. Diesel-engined vehicles were called motor lorries but the word motor was later dropped)
- lot lizard : Trucker slang for prostitutes who hang out at truck stops.
- low loader or low boy: semi-trailer with a low deck to carry heavy machinery
- LPG : liquefied petroleum gas
- Lumper : staff hired for loading and unloading goods at a warehouse facility
- Luton body/Luton van : van specially designed for carrying bulky goods, the body of which overhangs the cab (originally from Luton in England for carrying straw hats : similar to a pantechnicon van but not quite as big)
M
[edit]- metric ton / tonne : 2205 lb
- mile : 1.6 km (1.609344 km exact)
- recreational vehicle motorhome : camper
- movement order / move orders : papers required for abnormal load
- MPG/mpg : miles per gallon
- MPV/mpv : multi-purpose vehicle : minivan
N
[edit]- night heater : parking heater (a cab heater which runs on diesel that keeps the cab warm when the engine is not running)
- night trunk : regular line between cities at night
- nipple : the shape of the fifth wheel opening to connect the tractor with the trailer is shaped like an erect female nipple.
- normal control / conventional : a truck with the cab behind the engine compartment. See cabover.
- nose : the front of a trailer
O
[edit]- odometer : mile or kilometer counter
- offload : unload
- oversize (AUS, USA) : abnormal load / wide load
P
[edit]- pallet : wooden board for carrying goods
- pallet jack (USA) : a dolly resembling the tines of a forklift with a handle attached, to move laden pallets on a dock; often motorized.
- pallet truck : small cart for moving pallets
- palm coupling : glad-hand coupling
- pantechnicon : storage depot
- pantechnicon van : large removals van normally with the cab integrated into the body
- parking heater : night heater (a cab heater which runs on diesel that keeps the cab warm when the engine is not running)
- parking lot : Car hauler / automobile hauler
- pickup truck : a small truck
- piggy-back : to transport a truck or trailer on a train or another truck
- plant : earthmoving vehicles or equipment
- prime mover : the engine which drives the power unit of a Diesel-electric locomotive : in road haulage - a tractor unit.
- PSV (Public Service vehicle) : a bus
- P.T.O./PTO (power take-off / take-off) utilizes power from vehicle's gearbox to drive fitted equipment i.e skip loading body
- pup (trailer) : a short trailer (<10m 24 ft)
- pumpkin truck : Schneider Truck (they are bright orange)
R
[edit]- range change : gearbox with low and high range
- ratchet strap : strap for load restraint tightened by a ratchet
- reefer : refrigerated vehicle or refrigerated container
- relais routiers : the French equivalent of a transport café (usually offering a fixed-price all-you-can-eat evening meal)
- retarder / Telma / telma : electro-magnetic device for slowing a vehicle down without using the wheel brakes
- return load office : agency or clearing house for return loads
- rig 1 : a combination of vehicles (any truck coupled up to its trailer or trailers)
- rig 2 : a CB Radio transceiver
- rigid (vehicle) / straight truck : truck that does not normally tow a trailer)
- ring road (GB) / circular route : belt highway (USA) ;
- roadblock : slow moving truck that has innate ability to cause rolling traffic jams. usually operated by large, well paid drivers. see also Roadway express.
- road train : truck towing more than one trailer.In Australia,these can be up to four tri axle trailers long and have a total of 82 wheels,significantly bigger than the 18 wheelers the Americans drive
- Roadway Express : a company with large, slow moving trucks. usually pulling doubles (two pups). the slowest trucks on the road. 62mph. see also RoadBlock, see also speed bump
- rocking chair: a truck in between the front and back door trucks. (High rates of speed and drafting, this position gets a rocking effect from the wind)
- roller cage : a cage with casters for transporting loose items
- roo bar (AUS) : bull bar
- rope spanner (GB - humoristic) : penknife
- RORO : roll-on-roll-off
S
[edit]- scale : public regulatory or private pay per use device for weighing trucks and truck loads
- semi-trailer : a trailer without a front axle (the front is supported by a tractor unit or a dolly : semi-trailers have legs to support them when uncoupled)
- service road : frontage road
- to shunt : to manoeuvre trailers or to do a local shuttle service
- shunt : rear-end collision
- shunter : (GB) Vehicle used in yard specifically for manoeuvring trailers
- skate board : a flat bed trailer
- skeletal trailer : semi-trailer for carrying containers
- skin (GB Scotland) = fly sheet
- skip (GB) : dumpster (USA)
- sleeper cab : cab with a bunk or sleeping compartment
- solo / riding bobtail / tractor unit only
- spanner (GB) : wrench (USA)
- speed bump : a very slow vehicle. Used to refer to Swift Trans, but JB Hunt is the slowest now.
- splitter : switch on gear shift lever which splits each gear in two
- spreadover / daily spreadover : the amount of time from the start to the end of a driver’s shift
- standby / driver standby : time exceeding the drayman's alloted free time for load/unload.
- stone : 14 lb (6,3kg) (a 4 stone bag is about 25 kg)
- straight truck (USA) : rigid truck
- super single : wide tyre used instead of twin tyres
- SUV : sport utility vehicle
- suzi : flexible coupling
- Sylvester / Warwick : chain tensioner / tensioner
T
[edit]- tachograph : black box (also known as the spy in the cab)
- tachograph disc : disc inserted into the tachograph which records *time, speed and distance
- tail-lift : tailgate which doubles as an elevator for goods
- tailgate : back door of a truck which hinges at the top or bottom
- tanker : a semi-trailer designed for the transport of liquid, usually gasoline or milk
- to tailgate / tailgating : driving too closely to the preceding vehicle
- tank transporter : low loader for military vehicles
- tare : weight of empty vehicle or container
- tautliner : curtain sided trailer
- tilt : covered trailer that can be sealed by the customs for *international transport
- TIR cable : a cable for sealing a tilt
- TIR carnet : a permit to drive across frontiers
- TIR tilt / tilt : trailer that can be sealed by the customs for *international transport
- ton 1 (GB) : long ton = 2 240 pounds (1 016kg)
- ton 2 (USA) : short ton =2 000 pounds (907 kg)
- ton 3 / tonne : metric ton =1 000kg (2 205 lb)
- tonne : metric tonne
- tow truck/towtruck : truck for towing light vehicles
- tractor (unit) / tractive unit : prime mover for pulling semi-trailers
- to tramp : picking up and delivering to any destination
W
[edit]- wiggle wagon : double pups pulled by a day cab
- wagon : trailer
- wood duck: Lead truck of convoy, out in front and goes full speed
Y
[edit]- yard jockey : Operator of Yard Truck
- yard truck : Small tractor (usually one rear axle), mainly confined to on site shuttling of trailers to and from loading docks.