What is trucking

Consignee —a consignee is the person or entity responsible for the receipt of a shipment, and is often referred to as the receiver. The place truck drivers deliver their load to. Consolidation —when numerous less-than-truckload LTL shipments are combined into one larger shipment that usually makes a full truckload. Container Shipping —a method of rail and sea transportation in which freight is loaded into shipping containers which are then shipped by ship or trains.

Transportation to and from ports and railheads is carried out by truck after the containers have been secured onto a truck or trailer chassis. Contract Carrier —a carrier that provides regular transportation services for a shipper, the terms of which are laid out in a contract.

Converter Dolly —an unpowered coupling device that may include one or two axels and a fifth wheel by which a trailer can be coupled to a tractor or another trailer in a combination. Coupling —hooking a tractor to a trailer, or one trailer to another when hauling doubles.

Covered Wagon —a flatbed trailer with sidewalls and an arched soft-top that resemble a pioneer-era covered wagon.

Cubic Capacity —the amount of interior cargo space inside a trailer, truck, or shipping container. Customs —the agency or authority responsible for monitoring and controlling the flow of goods into and out of a country. DAC reports include things like equipment operated, freight hauled, drug and alcohol test results, eligibility to be rehired and truck driving school records.

Not all companies use them. Dead Heading —driving a tractor and empty trailer to pick-up a load. Traveling without a payload.

Dedicated Run — A run that usually always goes to the same place on an identical schedule. Demurrage —when a commercial vehicle is detained beyond the time normally allowed for loading and unloading. Disc Wheel —unlike traditional spoke wheels, disc wheels are usually more aerodynamic, have less parts, and require less maintenance and are therefore standard equipment on most commercial vehicles.

Dispatcher —dispatchers are usually carrier employees who act as intermediaries between drivers and shippers. Docks, or loading docks, are usually located at warehouses, production facilities, distribution centers and freight terminals. Dock Plate —large steel plates that cover the gaps between truck bodies or trailers when positioned in a loading dock. Dock plates make it possible for forklifts and other material handling equipment to enter and exit the truck or trailer smoothly.

Dolly —a coupling device including an axle, fifth wheel, and pintle hook that allows one trailer to be hooked to another. Double Clutching —a method of shifting unsynchronized transmissions in commercial vehicles that requires the driver to depress the clutch and place the transmission in neutral momentarily before depressing it a second time and selecting the next higher gear. When downshifting the process is similar, but the driver also needs to depress the accelerator to get the engine RPMs into the proper range before placing the transmission into a lower gear.

Doubles Twin Trailers —a combination vehicle consisting of one tractor and two trailers. Drives —a term used when referring to drive tires or drive axles. Most tractor trailers have two drive axles, but city and LTL tractors may have just one. Driveline —the components that deliver power from the engine to the drive wheels on a car or commercial vehicle. Then picks up an already loaded trailer. Saves a ton of time. Also called dry vans. Dump Body —a cargo compartment on a truck or trailer chassis used for hauling bulk commodities like sand, crushed stone, and topsoil.

Dump bodies may be unloaded through gates in the floor, or by raising them and letting the contents dump out the back. Electronic Onboard Recorder —an electronic device on a commercial vehicle that records information like its speed and the total time it has been driven in a particular period. Excise Tax —taxes levied on goods like tobacco products, beer, gasoline, and diesel fuel.

Expediting —a segment of the transportation industry where small time-sensitive shipments are transported using dedicated trucks usually operated by team drivers. Extra-provincial Operation —when trucks registered in one country have the authority to operate in a neighboring one. This is often the case with Canadian and American trucking companies that are permitted to haul freight into and out of both countries.

Federal Excise Tax FET —taxes levied by the federal government to generate revenue for ongoing expenditures like the maintenance and expansion of the highway system. Excise taxes apply to diesel fuel purchases and road use by commercial vehicles as well. Not a popular option for truck drivers. Its main mission is to improve highway safety and reduce fatalities in accidents involving commercial vehicles. FMCSR —the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations are a comprehensive list of motor carrier regulations that are available to drivers in a handy pocket-sized book that should be carried with them at all times.

Learn how to slide the 5th wheel. Fiscal Year —a month period in which a trucking company or owner-operator must report its finances. Fixed Tandem —a set of two axles that are fixed in place on a trailer. Most 2-axle trailers have sliding tandems that can be moved forward and backward allowing the driver to spread the load over the drive and trailer axles. Flatbed trucking hauls freight such as lumber, masonry products, equipment, cars, and steel coils.

For-Hire Carrier —for-hire carriers are private transportation companies that move passengers, general freight, regulated commodities and household goods. Fork Lift —a material handling machine that uses forks or prongs to load or unload pallets and other freight on commercial vehicles. Freight —a catchall phrase used to describe anything transported by a commercial vehicle, vessel or airplane.

Freight can range from clothes, food and electronics, to lumber, coal, and petroleum products. Freight Forwarder —a person or business entity that specializes in coordinating shipments between shippers, carriers and consignees.

GAWR —gross axle weight rating is the maximum allowable weight that can be supported on any one axle on a commercial vehicle. The acronym may be followed by an FR or RR to distinguish between front and rear axles in a tandem or spread axle configuration. GCW —gross combination weight is the maximum allowable weight for a combination vehicle and is specified by the manufacturer.

Gear Ratio —in mechanical jargon, gear ratio describes the number of turns an output shaft makes when the input shaft rotates once. Gear ratio is an important consideration when buying a truck or tractor, because it determines performance characteristics like low-end torque, cruising speed, and fuel consumption. Glad Hands —couplers that allow service and emergency air lines from tractors to be connected with the ones on a trailer.

When connected they interlock like two shaking hands. Glider Kit —usually a new truck sold without an engine, transmission, driveline and rear differential. Gooseneck —typically a light or medium-duty flatbed trailer with a protruding neck gooseneck that connects to a fifth wheel mounted on a hot shot type truck. Some day I'm going to have a trucking business of my own; there's good money in it. Within a few years a whole settlement of shacks grows up around it, and soon the trucking of the neighborhood is in foreign hands.

Since the cost of transportation varies with the distance, the trucking charge is customarily given as a separate item. Trees were in full leaf, and numerous cold frames showed that trucking was in full operation. New Word List Word List.

Save This Word! Heavy hauling and long hauling are more demanding aspects of trucking; good logistics typically examines all factors to help facilitate these more difficult types of transport. Many private companies offer trucking logistics advice and support, commonly referred to as third-party logistics. These companies usually provide numerous types of information and assistance, from statistical data to the planning of trucking strategies.

Trucking logistics companies may make available to the customer their own transports, drivers, and warehouse space. According to the growing international scope of trade and investment, many logistics companies have a familiarity with the customs laws of particular countries and calculate the most efficient means to navigate both endemic and international laws.

Save Word. Definition of trucking. First Known Use of trucking , in the meaning defined above. Learn More About trucking. Time Traveler for trucking The first known use of trucking was in See more words from the same year.

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