The general arrangement, using loops and turns in the rope itself to form a crude block and tackle, has long been used to tension lines and is known by multiple names.

[8] The portion of the trucker's hitch which differs in the following variations is the method used to form the loop which the working end slides through to produce the mechanical advantage.

The different methods of forming the loop affect the ease and speed of tying and releasing, and the stability of the final product.

[16] If the tail end is wrapped through the last loop twice, the resulting friction may render manual cinching unnecessary.

Under large loads, the finishing half hitch can jam, especially if it is not slipped; the difficulty of releasing it can be compounded by the fact that the knot is typically still under tension when it is to be untied.

A mechanical advantage of ideally 3:1 can nearly be achieved when using an equivalent setup with pulleys,[17][18] but is reduced substantially by friction when using knots.