Do you know any of the Trucking Industry terms? Moreover, do you know the crucial terms in the trucking industry?

Well, some are law-demanding to know.

Due to the wide terminology of the trucking industry, everyone involved in needs to know at least the most common legal terms.

Continually, it is pretty much the same as the obligation of knowing the trucking permits and licenses or CSA violations.

Having said this, how can a lawyer enter a full courtroom without knowing the terms regarding the law?

Think about it.

There is a lot to be learned about the trucking industry and when it comes to the trucking industry terms, it is like learning a Chinese alphabet.

The Most Important 50 Trucking Industry Terms

The trucking industry is one the most complex ones.

Having said this, if you are a newbie in the business, it may take you less time to learn the basics.

However, it takes a hard work and dedication in order to learn the industry on a highly professional level.

To continue with, there are a lot of trucking industry terms which every truck driver needs to learn.

1. ABS – Antilock Brake System

A computer, a sensor, and a solenoid valve are put together in order to track brake’s behavior in the trucking industry.

Further, they contribute to monitoring the speed of the wheel, as well as modulating the force of the brakes.

Thus, they are able to sense the lockup of the wheel during the braking process.

More importantly, these devices are helping truck drivers to retain the vehicle’s control and behavior while heavy braking on a slippery road.

2. AXLE

To emphasize, an axle is a type of supporting Shaft (member) upon which wheels revolve.

Notably, there are several types of axles in the trucking industry:

• Drive axles have powered wheels
• Front axle is also called steer axle
• Pusher axles have unpowered wheels and are ahead of drive axles
• Rear axles can be further drive, tag and pusher type
• Tag axles are also unpowered and go behind the drive axles

3. ATC – Automatic Traction Control

Normally, ATC is a feature based on the Antilock Brake System (ABS).

As an explanation, it stops the drive wheels from spinning when on a slippery road.

To put it in a different way, it is involved in the process of braking a wheel individually and reduces the engine throttle.

In particular, it has a significant function in the trucking industry, which is preventing truck driver accidents.

4. Bill Of Lading (B/L)

To continue with, another often used term in the trucking industry is the Bill of Lading. Particularly, the B/L term refers to a transportation document which describes the content of a specific shipment.

Continually, it also involves a freight contract important for the carrier to acknowledge a receipt of freight.

According to the place of use, the terms, the conditions as well as responsibilities, are varying.

5. Blanket Permit

This is a type of term in the trucking industry which refers to a written authorization. This type of authorization is granted by the Department of Motor Vehicles.

6. Brake Lining

Another interesting and useful to learn term in the trucking industry is the brake lining. Continually, it is a strong frictional material like copper, wire or cotton which is fixed to the shoe of the brake.

This shoe brake actually makes contact with the brake drum during the process of braking.

7. Canadian Provincial Authority Number

This particular term refers to the unique number which is assigned to a motor carrier in the trucking industry.

It is authorized in order to conduct road transportation with the Canadian Province boundaries.

8. Car-Dumper

A term used to explain a transportation process in the trucking industry.

To put it differently, it is a type of mechanical installation used for transferring bulk materials from the open-top vehicles into the vessels’ cargo space.

Moreover, it is used within the car hauling companies in the trucking industry.

9. Cargo Manifest

To continue with, there are particular documents in the trucking industry which are really important for the transportation process.

Having said this, a cargo manifest is a type of document which is listing the consignments on a truck or aircraft.

Notably, the document consists of information about the quantity, marks identification and the consignor or consignee of every item.

10. Certificate Of Origin

It is a document which indicates the country which produces goods whose names are listed on it.

Continually, the origin of the goods is required by the customs authority.

In particular, this document is needed for correcting assessment as well as cargo securement, especially in the foreign markets.

11. CPC & N – Certificate Of The Public Convenience and Necessity

CPC is a document that grants authority for operating a truck in an interstate commerce which is further provided by FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration).

With the help of this document, the Administration is contracting carriers according to the Certificate’s terms and needs.

12. CB – Citizen Band Radio

The CB radio is a two-way radio device which does not require a license by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Although they were used in the 70’s, the radios are still used in the trucking industry for communication.

On the subject of this, there are trucking companies in the United States which still own and use old parts of equipment.

Furthermore, the radios are reporting traffic conditions as well as emergency calls.

13. CDLIS – Commercial Driver’s License Information System

A system which keeps data and records about the State’s license.

Correspondingly, the system is provided by States with the nationwide information check in case of duplicates and CDL status of a driver.

14. Common Carrier

Any type of carrier engaging in interstate property transportation based on a regular schedule. Particularly, this carrier offers available services to the general public on the for-hire basis.

15. Compressed Gasses

When it comes to compressed gases, they involve any type of hazardous cargo material or mixture under pressure of 70 or 130 degrees F.

These gasses are defined in the hazardous materials regulations, (PHMSA) in the trucking industry and are further divided into flammable and non-flammable gases.

16. Contract Carrier

This kind of contract is similar to the common contract in the trucking industry. As an illustration, it is a carrier which is engaged in interstate transportation of property completed by motor vehicle based on for-hire carrier.

However, the transportation is made under a contract including a limited number of customers in order to meet the needs of every customer.

17. CVISN – Commercial Vehicle Information Systems and Networks

A system representing a collection of state, Federal, as well as private information which support the commercial vehicle operations (CVO).

18. DOUBLES or Twin Trailers

Type of trailers which are twinning. In other words, a combination of trailers or semitrailers connected together in tandem.

19. Driver Logs

Daily driving records which are meant to be kept by each driver individually.

Each of the drivers needs to log the on-duty, the off-duty, as well as the sleeper berth time.

In other words, they are known as Records of Duty Status in the trucking industry.

20. Drop Frame Trailer

A type of trailer with one or probably more floor levels.

Particularly, these trailers are designed for a minimum to highway transportation distance and they have a capacity for maximum cargo carriage. For example, like the extreme transportation.

21. Dump Body

A dump body is any type of truck body which is tilted to discharge the load.

22. EDI – Electronic Data Interchange

Business to business computer interconnection. To put it in another way, it is an exchange of documents starting from bills of lading to ticket building at the auto plants.

23. EOBR – Electronic Onboard Recorder

A device which automatically records vehicle’s performance of the driver in the trucking industry.

24. Expediting

Explained in the trucking industry as accelerating information, the expedited freight service is normally faster than the usual service type.

For example, the dispatching of LTL quantities on a single truck.

25. Endorsement

The term endorsement involves all of the written policy changes.

26. Excise Tax

Generally speaking, a country produces taxes on certain articles. The perfect example of this tax would be the alcohol.

27. FHWA – Federal Highway Administration

An important division of the United States Department of Transportation (DOT).

This particular division is responsible for nation’s federal highway system as well as administration of federal aid for highway maintenance.

28. FMCSA – Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Division part of the United States Department of Transportation which is responsible for implementing and enforcement of the safety regulations of the commercial motor vehicle.

29. Federal Register

Publication of the US Government which is responsible for printing the official rules and regulations of the federal agencies.

In particular, these regulations involve printing on a daily basis and publishing in order to be legalized.

30. Fixed Charges

Carrier expenses or costs which do not have variations in the increase or decrease in the traffic.

To put it in a different way, it is more like an accounting classification.

31. For-Hire Carriage

Services of particular common or contract carriers which are charging you in order to cover the expenses of transportation.

32. For-Hire Carrier

Also called private carrier, the for-hire carrier refers to the companies in the trucking industry transporting types of freight possessed by others for a fee.

33. Freight Forwarder

A trucking company assembling small shipments into larger ones in order to form a full truck to complete a transportation.

Notably, multiple shippers take these shipments.

Continually, the forwarders send the freight to a particular station where it involves further routing to the final destinations.

34. Fuel Taxes

Taxes used on fuels like gasoline, diesel etc.

35. GAWR – Gross Axle Weight Rating

A maximum weight which manufacturers use to carry. The GAWR involves both the axle’s portion and the weight of the vehicle being carried by the axle.

36. Gooseneck

A trailer device which is able to extend and attach the upper part of the trailer deck to the fifth wheel.

37. GVW – Gross Vehicle Weight

The GVW is a term in the trucking industry, used to explain a truck’s weight.

To put it in a different way, it is a weight of a straight truck or a combination unit which includes the body, the equipment, and the load.

38. Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)

This term includes a total weight of the truck. As an illustration, it involves the weight of the load and the weight of the manufacturer.

39. Hazardous Material

Heard often, this trucking term includes substance materials. This term is determined in the trucking industry by the Secretary of Transportation.

As an explanation, hazardous materials are more often causing health and safety risks.

40. Heavy Hauler

Trucking company or a business which transfers articles that require special loading, unloading and transporting equipment.

However, heavy haulers are defining transportation types according to the size, shape, weight and other characteristics in the trucking industry.

41. Hot Shots

Hotshot is a type of a pickup truck and normally for the commercial freight transportation companies are using it. Correspondingly, these truck types are in conjunction with a particular trailer via ball hitch. In other cases, there is a fifth-wheel ascended in the bed.

42. In Jurisdiction Miles

The total number of the miles completed by a particular fleet of registered vehicle or truck in a jurisdiction during a preceding year.

There are cases where a specific person operates a fleet which has registered truck in jurisdiction miles. In particular, it does not require an apportionment and reciprocity, where consequently the Jurisdiction may add a mileage.

43. Intermodal Transportation

A type of transportation which uses more than one particular mode to make a shipment delivery. For example, a trailer on a flatcar, or a container on a flatcar.

Further, some of the best trucking companies in the United States are Intermodal.

44. Indivisible Load

This particular term has a function to explain vehicles or loads in the trucking industry.

In other words, vehicles which are impossible for dismantling or loading in order to meet particular regulatory size or weight limits.

45. Interstate

A real translation of the trucking industry term is literally between states. As an explanation, it applies to loads transportation from one point in a state to another and between points in that same state.

In particular, the load passes through another state points in the United States and the other foreign countries.

46. Jake Brake

Jake Brake is a synonym for Jacobs Engine Brake, it is a compression release brake. However, “Jake brake” is more common.

This engine allows the truck drivers to use pressure while opening the exhaust valves in the particular cylinder which helps to slow the truck.

By slowing the truck, the Jake Brake is increasing the braking power which is highly beneficial for those driving downhill.

47. Lease

A contract or agreement which has information about a particular use of equipment, or a property during a specific period.

In particular, it helps owners to figure out whether they want to buy or lease a truck.

The arrangement involves the fee a driver is granted to pay to the owner of the authorized carrier.

48. MCMIS – Motor Carrier Management Information System

The MCMIS is another important term in the trucking industry that requires knowledge of. To illustrate, it refers to the central storage of thorough safety data retained by FMCSA.

49. Nondivisible Load

A nondivisible load is a unit which literally does not divide further into smaller units or parts for transportation.

50. Permanent Lease

This is a type of trucking industry terminology used to describe a lease that has a minimum 30 days term.

Notably, owner-operators are using the permanent lease for specific motor carriers.

A permanent lease is, in fact, an equipment lease with similar meaning and it also means a long-term lease.

Conclusion

Generally speaking, whether you are a new truck driver or a professional one, the basic knowledge of the trucking industry terminology should be the same.

Having said this, the next level is to upgrade your knowledge and skills.

As a conclusion, knowing the meaning of these 50 terms at least will get you enough skill to get in this business.