Glossary of the American trucking industry

A specialized set of jargon describe the tools, equipment, and employment sectors used in the trucking industry in the United States.

Some terms may be used within other English-speaking countries, or within the freight industry in general (air, rail, ship, and manufacturing).

Drawing power from land lines is more efficient than engine idling and eliminates localized air pollution.

[1][2] Another borrowed term is "landing gear" (from the aviation industry), which refers to the legs which support the front end of a semi-trailer when it is not connected to a semi-truck.

Some nicknames are obvious wordplay, such as "portable parking lot", in reference to a truck that carries automobiles.

A hazardous materials placard
A typical wooden pallet
A plastic pallet
A straight truck or box truck
The cab of an 18-wheeler
A fifth wheel coupling platform
A dump truck with a raised lift axle
A bottom dump trailer
An intermodal container trailer
A double dropdeck flatbed trailer
Twin pup trailers
A standard dry van trailer
A gooseneck lowboy trailer with an oversized load
A rear dump trailer with a daycab tractor
A tank trailer on Interstate 25 at Interstate 80 in Cheyenne , Wyoming
A rocky mountain double configuration with two dry bulk trailers