Blog

Trucking Industry Terminology

November 1, 2010

By Barbara Haubrich-Hass, ACP/CAS

As a paralegal, it is important to have an understanding of the industry standards and terminology that relates to the type of incident involved in the litigation.  With respect to trucking litigation, the minimum standard of care for the safe operation of a semi-truck is in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 49.  This code is made up of several sections that cover topics like Licensing and Knowledge Requirements of Truck Drivers, Qualifications of Drivers, Safe Driving Requirements for Commercial Motor Vehicles, Equipment Requirements, Hours of Service Requirements, Equipment Inspection and Maintenance, among others.  Another document that discusses the minimum standard of care for the safe operation of a commercial vehicle is the California Commercial Drivers License (CDL) Manual.  

When I am faced with litigation in an industry that I am not familiar with, the first thing I do is learn the terminology.  The following are trucking industry terms.  

1. Air Brakes:      A tractor-trailer’s service brakes. 
2. Anti-Lock Braking System:  A type of braking system designed to maintain vehicle stability by preventing wheels from locking and losing traction. 
3. Backhaul:  The trip back to a trucker’s home base after delivering a load of goods. 
4. Bill of Lading:  Documents required to be used by common carrier to shipper as a receipt for the goods, evidence of title to the property being transported and as the contract of carriage setting forth the names of the contracting parties and the terms of carriage. 
5. Bobtailing:  Driving the tractor portion of the tractor-trailer as a separate unit. 
6. Broker:  A person, other than a motor carrier, who provides, sells, or arranges for transportation by a motor carrier for compensation in interstate or foreign commerce.  49 USC § 10102(1). 
7. Cab Over Engine (COE):  A type of tractor in which the cab sits over the engine. 
8. CDL:  Commercial Driver’s License. 
9. Cellular Communication Systems:  This allows communication between driver and company enabling determination of truck’s location through cell technology. 
10. Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity:  Public authority issued to a carrier by ICC or by state to engage in transportation as a common carrier over regular or irregular routes in specified territory.
11. Chassis:  The trailer frame upon which the container sits when being pulled by a tractor. 
12. Collision Warning System (CWS):  This is a radar based collision avoidance system that scans up to 350 feet ahead of the truck.  Data from the radar sensor is sent to an onboard computer.  Warning signals are activated up to 4 seconds prior to potential impact. 
13. Common Carrier:  A person holding itself out to the general public to provide motor vehicle transportation for compensation over regular or irregular routes.  49 USC § 10102(15). 
14. Container:  A van body without a chassis used to carry goods with the capability of being transported by truck, rail, and ocean ship. 
15. Contract Carrier:  A person, other than a common carrier, providing motor vehicle transportation of property for compensation under continuing agreements with one or more persons 1) by assigning motor vehicles for a continuing period of time for the exclusive use of each such person or 2) designed to meet the distinct needs of such person.  49 USC § 10102(16)(B). 
16. Contract Carrier Permit:  Public authority issued by ICC or state to a carrier to engage in transportation as a contract carrier. 
17. Conventional:  A type of tractor in which the cab sits behind the engine. 
18. Coupling:  Connecting the tractor to the trailer by joining the fifth wheel with the kingpin. 
19. Data Logging Unit:  This records all hard stops upon the deployment or near deployment of the driver’s side air bag as well as speed, brake status, accelerator violation and other aspects of the vehicle’s performance. 
20. Delivery Receipt:  A document used to record evidence of proof of delivery of a shipment to the proper consignee and the condition of the shipment when delivered.
21. Doubles:  A rig consisting of a tractor and two trailers. 
22. Driver’s Daily Vehicle Condition Report:  A document usually printed on the back of the daily log that must be completed by the driver each day recording the condition of the vehicle before and during the trip. 
23. Driver’s Vehicle Inspection Report:  A document recording the condition of the vehicle at the end of each day’s work.
24. Drop-Frame Trailer (Low Boy):  A trailer with smaller wheels and a lower deck used to haul very tall cargo. 
25. Dry Freight Van:  A plain enclosed trailer on wheels. 
26. Dump Trailers:  A trailer used to haul sand, gravel, or other substances with a dump bed which rises in order to offload its cargo. 
27. Electronic Control Module:  This measures vehicle engine and operator performance (mounted on engine blocks of truck engines such as Caterpillar, Detroit Diesel and Cummins since early 1990’s). 
28. Exempt Carrier:  A person engaged in transportation exempt from economic regulation by the Interstate Commerce Commission. 
29. Fifth Wheel:  A coupling assembly attached to the tractor. 
30. Freight Bill:  An invoice containing much of the information on the bill of lading, plus all charges, the trailer number, the origin and destination terminals and special instructions to the driver for handling or delivering the load. 
31. Glad Hands:  The trailer braking system is connected to the air supply in the tractor braking system through coupling devices known as glad hands.
32. Headache Rack:  A cab guard that protects the back of the cab if the load shifts forward. 
33. Insulated Van:  A dry freight van with insulated walls and ceiling. 
34. Jake Brake:  An engine retarder that controls the speed of the tractor on a downgrade. 
35. Kingpin:  A coupling assembly attached to the trailer. 
36. Log Book:  A book containing daily log sheets that must be completed each day by the driver recording his or her hours of service, miles travelled, his or her on or off duty status and other information about the trip for each 24 hour period while he or she is on the road. 
37. Lumper:  A casual laborer who assists drivers in loading and unloading trucks and trailers. 
38. Manifest:  A document that lists the cargo that is being carried where cargo from more than one shipper is being transported on the trailer. 
39. Off Road Tractor:  A tractor designed to do its work off the highway in rough terrain such as at construction sites and built to withstand more abuse than an on road tractor. 
40. On Board Computer:  A computer in the tractor that monitors vehicle and driver performance and stores the information.  The data collected is usually down loaded into a trucking company’s main computer and used to generate reports of the performance of the driver, vehicle, and trip. 
41. On Road Tractor:  A tractor designed to pull a trailer on the highway. 
42. Platform Trailer (Flatbed):  A trailer used to haul heavy goods. 
43. Power Unit:  The tractor consisting of the engine, frame, axles, suspension, transmission, and cab. 
44. Private Carrier:  A person other than a common or contract carrier transporting property by motor vehicle in which the person is either the owner, lessee, or bailee of property being transported for sale, lease, rent, or bailment, or to further a commercial enterprise.  49 USC § 10102(17). 
45. Property Broker License:  Public authority issued to a person by the ICC or a state to engage in operation as a broker. 
46. Reefer:  A refrigerated van used to haul perishable items requiring transport under precise temperature and conditions.  The refrigeration unit is built into the trailer and requires separate maintenance. 
47. Rig:  The tractor-trailer unit. 
48. Satellite Tracking Systems:  This enables the trucking company to know the location of its vehicles at any precise moment, and has e-mail capabilities. 
49. Semi-trailer:  A trailer that rests part of its weight on the tractor. 
50. Slack Adjustor:  A device that adjusts the brakes to make up for brake lining wear. 
51. Sleeping Berth:  The sleeping area in the tractor. 
52. Spring Brake:  A parking and emergency brake found on all trailer wheels and at least one set of tractor drive wheels. 
53. Straight Truck:  A self contained vehicle consisting of the power unit and the truck bed used for carrying cargo. 
54. Tanker:  A trailer used to haul liquids or dry bulk. 
55. Tare Weight:  The weight of an empty trailer. 
56. Tractor or Truck Tractor:  A motor vehicle used to pull other vehicles such as trailers.  It does not carry cargo. 
57. Trailer:  The unit towed by the tractor (usually an enclosed container on wheels). 
58. Trip Report:  A document that records all of the important facts about a trip, including date and place of beginning and end, driver’s name, truck equipment numbers, odometer reading, states travelled through, monetary advances to the driver, fuel purchases and other trip expenses.  This information may be generated automatically on a truck’s on board computer. 
59. Triples:  A rig consisting of tractor and three trailers. 
60. Uncoupling:  Unconnecting the tractor from the trailer by releasing the kingpin from the fifth wheel. 
61. Waybill:  A document used to deliver split shipments.  Where more than one truckload is being delivered to a shipper there may be one bill of lading to cover the order but separate waybills to document the number of cartons, the weight and the trailer or trip number for each truckload.  
62. Weight-in-Motion Systems:  A transponder on a truck’s windshield and an electronic interrogator at the weigh station exchange signals allowing preclearance based on information about the truck gathered at the first weigh station.