Trucking Glossary?

[Lonny]

Hello everybody

I'd like to create a glossary on Truckstory.com so please start adding terms here and their meaning.

We all know that truckers have their own language - let us help the newbies..

Dedicated Run

A run that typically always goes to the same place, on nearly the same schedule. Many drivers would love to get a dedicated run. As a result, you usually have to wait awhile before it's offered/available to you



Consignee

The receiver. The company taking in your freight. The place you deliver your load to.



O, S & D Department

Overage, shortage and damaged. Someone in your company is in charge of OS & D. You must call in if you have any of these conditions with your load before leaving the receiver -- and in some cases, you must call before even pulling out of their dock.



Rider Policy

A policy the company might have that allows someone, not employed by the company, to ride along with you. Typically limited to certain times of year (April to November) and limited to age of rider. The Policy might also stipulate the person must be an immediate family member only.



Owner Operator and Company Driver

The Owner Operator owns his own truck, or pays payments on it, just like you do with a car. He/she pays their own fuel, maintenance and repairs for that truck. They have a great many more bills and responsibilities. The company driver pays none of these expenses. Becoming an O/O is a huge step and should be considered long and hard. It isn't suggested that a new driver even think about it until he/she has been driving a couple of years.



Kingpin Lock

A lock that fits over the kingpin on the trailer. It makes it harder for someone to just back up to the trailer and take it. Not terribly expensive, a kingpin lock may help your peace of mind.



Drop & Hook

This means that you take your empty trailer into a shipper's facility and drop it. You then pick up a trailer that has already been loaded. It saves an enormous amount of time and most drivers find a company that has a high percentage of drop & hook to be a big advantage. (less dock time.)



Fingerprint a load

If the driver must "fingerprint" a load, it means he/she must unload it themselves. Not a terribly popular option to most drivers.



"No Touch"

Means the driver does not have to "touch" the load -- doesn't have to fingerprint...doesn't have to do any of the unloading.



Deadhead

You are "deadheading" when you are traveling without a payload. You are pulling an empty trailer. Sometimes referred to as "dead" miles



Home Time Policy

Most companies profess to have a "Home Time Policy". It is more or less what they try to do in regards to getting drivers home. Some of the more popular "policies": 1.) You earn one day home for every day you spend on the road. 2.) You earn 3 days for spending 2 weeks on the road. 3.) You are home every weekend. This usually means you'll probably be home sometime on Friday and have to leave out sometime on Sunday. Every company is different, of course, so if home time is important to you, be sure to ask any potential employer!! This is a source of problems for many drivers. They are told one thing by a recruiter and it works differently when they start to deal with their dispatcher. Also keep in mind that there will be times that you just won't make it home. Freight will just not be flowing right. The weather will be bad. Your equipment will break down. Give a carrier a chance to "do right" by you in regards to home time but if it is a constant difficulty - and it's an issue that matter to you - you may have to look elsewhere. Just don't jump ship too soon.

[Lonny]

Excellent, I've added those terms to our truckstory.com glossary - can anyone else add any other terms?

thank you very much

[TeamCaffee]

Glad Hands

Air coupling device between tractor and trailer.

[WILDBILL]

" Georgia Overdrive "

What Wildbill does starting off from the top of a giant hill!

Means to take 18 wheeler outta gear, roll down drivers side winder, grab the steering wheel tightly with both hands and yell at the top of yer lungs, Heeeeeeeeehaww! while yer going down the hill at 100 miles an hour in neutral! ( Saves on Fuel! )

But please folks, don't do this under any circumstances!!
It is extremely dangerous and irresponsable!!

The picture is what happens at the bottom of the hill!


Wildbill......

[terryandrene]

Alabama Chrome
Duct tape

Anteater
Sloped hood on a big truck

Alamo, The
San Antonio, TX

Apple, The
New York City, NY

Armadillo, The
Amarillo, TX

Astrodome, The
Houston, TX

Badger, The
Wisconsin

Back Door
Last truck in a convoy

Bambi
Any deer, dead or alive

Band-Aid Buggy
Ambulance

Barbershop
Low overpass

Barn Doors
Rear oversized swing out truck doors

Bear
Any police officer

Bear Bait
Excessive speeder

Bear-in-the-Air
Police aircraft; commonly used in speed trap

Bean Town
Boston, Massachusetts

Bedbugger
Household Goods mover

Big A, The
Atlanta, GA

Big D, The
Dallas, TX

Big O, The
Omaha, NE

Big R
Roadway truck

Big Truck
18 Wheeler

Bikini, The
Miami, FL

Big Road
Interstate Highway; Four lane road

Big Smoke, The
Toronto, ON

Big Word
Chicken Coops are “closed”; See ‘Little Word’

Bird Dog
Radar Detector

Blue bird
A Martin Company truck

Bluegrass, The
Kentucky

Bobtail
Tractor without an attached trailer

Boogie; Boogie gear
Top Gear

Brake Check
Stopped or slowed traffic ahead

Buckeye, The
Ohio

Bull City
Durham, NC

Bulldog
Mack truck

Bumper Sticker
A tailgating four wheeler

Buster Brown
UPS truck

CB Town
Council Bluffs, IA

Camera
Police radar or Laser

Cash Box
Toll booth

Cash Register
Toll booth

CB Rambo
Wannabe tough guy on CB radio

Chicken Coop
Weigh Station

Chicken Lights
Decorative marker lights on truck and/or trailer

Choke –n-Puke
Greasy spoon restaurant

Cigar City
Tampa, FL

City Kitty
Local Police

Comic Book
Logbook

Commercial Company
Prostitute

Corn Flake
A Consolidated Freightways truck

Cow Town
Calgary, AB

Commedian
Median Strip

Coal Bucket
Dump Trailer

Cool a Tire
Truck on shoulder; driver urinating

County Mounty
County Sheriff or Police

Covered Wagon
Flatbed trailer with wooden or staked sides covered with tarpaulin.

Crotch Rocket
Japanese street motorcycle

Diesel Bear
Commercial Motor Vehicle Police; aka revenue collector

Dirty Side
East Coast

Donkey
Behind the rear of a truck

Double Nickel
55 MPH speed limit; Interstate Route 55

Dragonfly
Truck going slow uphill; fast downhill

Dragon Wagon
Tow Truck

Evel Knievel
Police officer on a motorcycle

Flip Side
Return trip

Flying Hook
Flying J truck stop

Freightshaker
Any Freightliner straight truck or tractor

Friendly, The
Philadelphia, PA

Front Door
First truck in a convoy

Full Grown Bear
State Highway Patrol

Gas hole
Rear of 4 wheeler

Gator or Gator Tail
Truck tire pieces in roadway

Gateway, The
St. Louis, MO

Georgia Overdrive
Neutral gear

Go-Go juice
Fuel

Good Buddy
Homosexual; also see Commercial Company

Gouge on it
Hammer down; go fast

Granny Lane
Right highway lane where old people and people on phones belong

Greasy Spoon
Cheap restaurant

Green Stamp
Pennsylvania Turnpike

Ground Pressure
Truck weight

Guitar, The
Nashville, TN

Gumball Machine
Light(s) atop a police car

Hammer down
Go Fast

Hammer Lane
Left highway lane or passing lane.

Hand
Truck driver

Handle
CB nickname

Honey Bear
Female Police Officer

Hoosier, The
Indiana

Hopper Bottom
Grain trailer

Jake Brake
Engine retarder; Jacobs brake

Junk Yard
Truck company terminal

Keystone,The
Pennsylvania

Kojak with a Kodak
Police with radar

Large Car
Conventional tractor, usually Kenworth or Peterbilt

Little Road
Two lane road

Little Word
Chicken Coops are “open”; See ‘Big Word’

Lot Lizard
See ‘Commercial Company’

Lizard with a kickstand
See ‘Good Buddy’

Lumper
Person who unloads trucks

Mail Box
Postal truck

Mardi Gras, The
New Orleans, LA

Meat Wagon
Ambulance

Mile High, The
Denver, CO

Motor City
Detroit, MI

Motion Lotion
Fuel

Music City
Nashville, TN

Nickel, The
Buffalo, NY

Nutmeg, The
Connecticut

OD; Overdose
Old Dominion Truck

Pelican, The
Louisiana

Pete
Peterbilt Truck

Petercar
See ‘Pete’

Pickle Park
Rest Area

Pocket Rockets
Pills to keep driver awake, usually amphetamines

Portable Parking Lot
Car hauler

Pumpkin
Schneider truck

Quick and Easy, The
QEW; Queen Elizabeth Way, Ontario

Rocking Chair
One or more trucks between the ‘Front Door’ and the 'Back Door’

Rolling Road Block
Slow moving police cars blocking traffic flow;
One Swift driver trying to pass another

Rubber City
Akron, OH

Salt Shaker
Snow plow spreading salt

Schneider Eggs
Orange barrels at construction sites

Seat Cover
Female in passenger seat, usually in 4 wheeler

Shaky, The
San Francisco, California

Shaky Side
West Coast

Shiny Hiney
Trucks’ stainless steel rear doors

Show Me, The
Missouri

Show-off Lane
Fast lane

Skate Board
Flatbed Trailer

Smokey
Police Officer

Stagecoach
Passenger Bus; Greyhound Bus

Starcar
Western Star truck

Steel City
Pittsburgh, PA

Sugar Bear
See ‘Honey Bear’

Sunshine, The
Florida

Swamp, The
Montreal, PQ

Tarheel, The
North Carolina

Tijuana Taxi
Police car with all lights flashing

Travel Agent
Dispatcher

Twins, The
Minneapolis/St Paul, MN

Wagon
A truck’s trailer

Wiggle Wagon
Tandem or triple trailers

Windy, The
Chicago, Illinois

White Wrapper
Unmarked white police car; also brown, blue wrapper, etc.

White Rapper
Vanilla Ice or Eminem

Wolverine, The
Michigan

Yard Dog
Tractor used to move trailers at a terminal, a driver who drives a terminal tractor.

Yard Mule
Same as ‘Yard Dog’

Yardstick
Highway mile marker

Zipper
Dotted white line lane divider