Oct 05, 2017Carriers3 min read

Trucker Terms

If you’re going to make it in trucking these are the trucker terms you’ll want to remember along with some good ole trucking slang you’ll hear on the CB radio.

Trucker Terms

Being a trucker is not only a unique way of life, it also comes with a unique way of communicating that only those in the trucking industry probably can decipher and understand.

10-4 – acknowledging something

10-6 – busy right now

10-8 – en route

20 – location

4-Wheeler – automobile

APU – authorized pick-up

Backhaul – retuning load to home location

Bear Trap – speed radar trap

Bill of Lading – document that details information regarding the goods being hauled by a carrier from a shipper

Chicken Coop – Weigh Station

Chicken Lights – Added lights on and around a truck

Chocks –blocks placed in front and behind wheels to prevent truck from rolling

Cosignee – person who receives the goods

Cosignor – person who ships the goods

County Mounty – – county sheriff

Deadhead – miles driven with no load

Dry Van –standard enclosed truck trailer

ETA – estimated time of arrival

Freightshaker – Freightliner truck

GCW (Gross Combined Weight) – combined wieght of tractor/trailer and load

Gear Jammer –speeding driver

Hammer Down – drive faster

Hopper – truck that empties load through bottom that opens

HOS –hours of service

Intermodal – shipping container freight

Jack-Knife –when trailer is pushed to the side of the tractor

K-whopper – Kenworth truck

Kingpin – pin where the axel wheel pivots

LTL (Less Than Truckload) – load less than 10,000 lbs.

Motor Carrier – person or company that is responsible for transporting goods via a commercial motor vehicle

P&D Driver – pickup and delivery driver locally

Payload – weight of the load

Peddle Run – route with lots of deliveries

Pete – Peterbilt truck

RC (Rate Confirmation) – the rate shipper or broker agrees to pay carrier to haul a load

Reefer – refridgerated truck trailer

Shiny Side Up – top of truck; don’t crash or roll over

Sliding Fifth Wheel – fifth wheel that can be slid back to redistrubute weight on the axels

Trucking Authority –FMCSA approval to haul loads

Willy Weaver – drunk driver

Using Trucker Path Along Your Route

Now that you know the trucker terms and are talking like a real driver, it’s time you use a tool that most truckers rely on to help them save time and money – the Trucker Path app.

Trucker Path is free to download and helps drivers: