Trucking Glossary

Driving a tractor without any trailer attached.

A licensed intermediary who arranges freight movement between shippers and carriers without owning trucks.

Miles driven with an empty trailer between a delivery and the next pickup, unpaid and unproductive miles that still cost fuel, time, and wear.

See Deadhead: unpaid empty miles between loads.

A recurring route run regularly for the same shipper, offering predictable freight and home time.

Pay owed when a driver is held at a shipper or receiver beyond the free time allotted for loading or unloading, usually 1-2 hours.

A person or service that finds loads, negotiates rates, and coordinates a driver's schedule so the driver can focus on driving.

Dropping a loaded or empty trailer at a facility and hooking to a different trailer already there, avoiding wait time for loading/unloading.

A secure lot where carriers can drop or pick up trailers outside a shipper's own facility.

Pay owed when a driver is held overnight or longer awaiting a load, beyond normal detention time.

Loading or unloading freight while the driver waits with the truck, as opposed to drop and hook.

An online marketplace where carriers and brokers post and search for available freight and trucks.

A fee paid to a third-party worker who loads or unloads freight at a warehouse or distribution center, common at grocery and retail DCs.

Extra miles driven beyond the most direct route, often due to detours, fuel stops, or shipper requirements.

A driver who owns (or leases) their own truck and operates as an independent business rather than a company driver.

Covering flatbed freight with tarps to protect it from weather, common on lumber, steel, and machinery loads.

Two drivers alternating behind the wheel so the truck can keep moving nearly around the clock.

Truck Order Not Used: a fee paid when a carrier dispatches for a load that's cancelled after the truck is already committed or en route.

The wheeled frame used to transport an intermodal shipping container over the road.

An enclosed, non-temperature-controlled trailer, the most common equipment type for general freight.

An open trailer with no sides or roof, used for oversized, palletized, or machinery freight that loads from the top or sides.

Expedited freight hauled with a medium-duty truck and a smaller trailer, typically under 26,001 lbs GVW.

A manual or powered tool used to lift and move palletized freight short distances.

A dispatch arrangement where a carrier supplies only the tractor to pull a shipper- or broker-owned trailer.

Scheduled inspections and service intended to catch mechanical issues before they cause a breakdown.

A refrigerated trailer used to haul temperature-controlled freight like food and pharmaceuticals.

Two axles grouped closely together on a trailer or tractor to distribute weight across more contact points.

Onboard systems tracking a truck's location, performance, and diagnostics in real time.

Extra fees beyond the linehaul rate: detention, lumper, layover, TONU, and similar add-ons.

Insurance covering the freight itself against damage or loss while in a carrier's care, custody, and control.

A pre-negotiated rate locked in for a set period, offering rate stability versus the spot market.

All fixed and variable operating costs divided by total miles, showing the true breakeven rate.

The percentage of total miles driven empty (deadhead) versus loaded.

Selling unpaid freight invoices to a factoring company at a discount in exchange for same-day or next-day cash instead of waiting 30-90 days for broker payment.

A card used to purchase diesel at negotiated discounts and centralize fuel spending records.

An additional per-mile charge added to the base rate to offset fluctuating diesel prices.

Profit remaining after all expenses are subtracted from revenue, expressed as a percentage.

Total operating expenses divided by total revenue; a lower operating ratio means a larger profit margin.

A daily tax deduction for meals and incidental expenses while away from home overnight for work.

A broker or factoring option paying a carrier faster than standard terms in exchange for a small fee.

A document from a broker or shipper confirming the agreed rate and load details before a carrier commits.

Total revenue divided by total miles driven, a core profitability metric for owner-operators.

The open market where loads are booked one at a time at rates that fluctuate with real-time supply and demand.

A return load picked up for the trip back toward a driver's home base or next origin, reducing deadhead miles.

The legal document between shipper and carrier detailing the freight, its origin, destination, and terms of carriage.

Transferring freight directly from an inbound trailer to an outbound trailer with little or no warehouse storage.

Time-critical freight requiring faster-than-standard transit, often run by hotshot or team operations.

An NMFC classification (50-500) used to price LTL freight based on density, stowability, handling, and liability.

Full Truckload: a shipment that fills an entire trailer for one shipper, with no other freight aboard.

The primary, usually higher-paying leg of a round trip, as opposed to the return backhaul leg.

Less-Than-Truckload: shipments that don't fill a full trailer and share space with other shippers' freight.

A route with multiple pickup or delivery stops consolidated into a single trip.

National Motor Freight Classification, the standardized system used to assign freight classes for LTL pricing.

A signed document confirming freight was delivered, required before an invoice can be paid.

A 34-consecutive-hour off-duty period that resets a driver's weekly (60/70-hour) HOS clock.

License plates issued under IRP that allow interstate operation with registration fees split among states by mileage.

The weight carried by a single axle or axle group, regulated under federal bridge formula and state limits.

A filing designating process agents in each state, required before FMCSA operating authority becomes active.

The federal formula limiting axle weight and spacing to protect roads and bridges from overloading.

Commercial Driver's License, required to legally operate a commercial motor vehicle above certain weight thresholds.

The CDL class required to operate combination vehicles over 26,001 lbs GVW, covering most tractor-trailers.

Compliance, Safety, Accountability score, FMCSA's system for measuring and ranking carrier safety performance.

A unique identifier assigned by the Department of Transportation to monitor a carrier's safety information.

Electronic Logging Device: hardware that automatically records driving time and hours of service, mandatory for most commercial carriers.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the federal agency that regulates the trucking industry's safety rules.

The total weight of a vehicle including cargo, fuel, and passengers, used to determine licensing and weight limits.

A CDL endorsement required to legally transport hazardous materials.

FMCSA rules limiting how many hours a commercial driver may drive and work before required rest, including the 11-hour driving limit and 14-hour on-duty window.

International Fuel Tax Agreement: report and pay fuel tax through one base state, which redistributes it by miles driven per jurisdiction.

International Registration Plan: apportioned vehicle registration that lets a truck operate across multiple states/provinces under one set of plates.

Motor Carrier number, operating authority issued by the FMCSA allowing a carrier to transport regulated freight for hire.

A motor carrier in its first 18 months of FMCSA operating authority, subject to a mandatory safety audit.

A directive taking a driver or vehicle off the road immediately due to a safety violation.

A shipment exceeding standard legal width, height, or length limits, requiring permits and often escort vehicles.

Off-duty use of a commercial vehicle for personal purposes, not counted against HOS driving time.

An unscheduled inspection of a truck, driver, and paperwork performed by DOT or state enforcement.

An FMCSA designation (Satisfactory, Conditional, or Unsatisfactory) reflecting a carrier's compliance with safety regulations.

FMCSA rules governing how cargo must be blocked, braced, or strapped to prevent shifting in transit.

An HOS provision allowing a driver to split required off-duty time into two periods in the sleeper berth.

A $75,000 bond or trust required of freight brokers to guarantee payment to carriers and shippers.

A CDL endorsement required to haul liquid or gas in a tank vehicle.

An agreement allowing carriers to exchange trailers, with insurance coverage extending to the interchanged equipment.

Unified Carrier Registration, an annual federal registration and fee for companies operating commercial vehicles interstate.

A roadside facility where trucks are checked for weight compliance and, at times, safety and credential inspections.