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A truck driver at work

A truck driver (commonly referred to as a trucker or driver in the United States and Canada; a truckie in Australia and New Zealand; a lorry driver or driver in Ireland and the United Kingdom), is a person who earns a living as the driver of a truck, usually a semi truck, box truck, or dump truck.

Truck drivers provide an essential service to industrialized societies by transporting finished goods and raw materials over land, typically to and from manufacturing plants, retail and distribution centers. Truck drivers are also responsible for inspecting their vehicles for mechanical items or issues relating to safe operation. Others, such as Driver/Sales workers, are also responsible for sales and customer service.

[edit] Types of truck drivers

There are two major types of truck driver employment:

• Owner-operators (also known as O/Os) are individuals who own the trucks they drive and can either lease their trucks by contract with a trucking company to haul freight for that company using their own trucks, or they haul loads for a number of companies and are self employed independent contractors.

• Company drivers are employees of a particular trucking company and drive trucks provided by their employer.

[edit] Job categories

Both owner operators/owner driver and company drivers can be in these categories. BOAT haulers work moving boats ranging in size from 10 foot long bass boats to full size yachts up to 60 ft long using a specialized low boy trailer that can be set up for each size of boat. boats wider than 8ft6 wide or 13 ft 6 high have to have a permit to move and are a oversize load

• Auto haulers (trucker slang : Know as parking lots.)work hauling cars on specially built trailers and require specific skills loading and operating this type of specialized trailer.
• Dry Van drivers haul the majority of goods over highways in large trailers. Contents are generally non perishable goods.
• Flat Bed drivers haul an assortment of large bulky items. A few examples are tanks, steel pipes and lumber. Drivers require the ability to balance the load correctly.
• LTL drivers or "less than truck load" are usually local delivery jobs where goods are delivered and unloaded by the driver at multiple locations, usually involving the pulling of double or triple trailer combinations.
• Reefer drivers haul refrigerated or frozen goods.
• Local drivers work only within the limits of their hometowns or only to nearby towns. They return home nightly.
• Household Goods drivers, or Bedbuggers haul personal effects for families who are moving from one home to another.

A container truck.

• Regional drivers may work over several states near their homes. They are usually away from home for short periods.
• Interstate drivers (otherwise known as "over the road" or "long-haul" drivers) often cover distances of thousands of miles and are away from home for a week or more. To help keep drivers, companies can employ team drivers.
• Team drivers are two drivers who take turns driving the same truck in shifts (sometimes husband and wife), or several people in different states that split up the haul to keep from being away from home for such long periods.
• Tanker drivers (in truck driver slang tanker yankers) haul liquids, such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, milk, & crude oil, and dry bulk materials, such as plastics, sugar, flour & cement in tanks. Liquid tanker drivers need special driving skills due to the load balance changing from the liquid movement. This is especially true for milk tankers, which do not contain any baffles and are a single compartment (due to sanitation requirements).
• Vocational drivers drive a vocational truck such as a dump truck, garbage truck, or cement mixer.
• Container Intermodal drivers do all of the above, except their cargo containers are lifted on or off the chassis, at special intermodal stations.

[edit] Drivers working hours

[edit] European Union

In the European Union, drivers working hours are regulated by EU regulation (EC) No 561/2006 [1] which entered into force on April 11, 2007. The non-stop driving time may not exceed 4.5 hours. After 4.5 hours of driving the driver must take a break period of at least 45 minutes. however, this can be split into 2 breaks, the first being at least 15 minutes, and the second being at least 30 minutes in length. The weekly driving time may not exceed 56 hours. In addition to this, a driver cannot exceed 90 hours driving in a fortnight.

[edit] United States

In the United States, the Hours of service (HOS) of commercial drivers are regulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers are limited to 11 cumulative hours driving in a 14-hour period, which must then be followed by a rest period of no less than 10 consecutive hours. Drivers employed by carriers in "daily operation" may not drive more than 70 hours within any period of 8 consecutive days.^[1]

Drivers must maintain a daily 24-hour logbook Record of Duty Status documenting all work and rest periods. The record of duty status must be kept current to the last change of duty status and records of the previous 7 days retained by the driver in the truck and presented to law enforcement officials on demand.

Fuel management allows truckers and trucking companies nationwide to save real money as fuel prices rise again, trucking associations coast to coast rely on US Energy Markets who use the Federal Govt fuel plan to save truckers real money every month.

Electronic on-board recorders (EOBR) can automatically record, among other things, the time the vehicle is in motion or stopped. The FMCSA is considering making EOBRs mandatory for all motor carriers.^[2]

[edit] Australia

In Australia, drivers of trucks and truck and trailer combinations with gross vehicle mass greater than 12 tonnes^[3] must rest for 30 minutes every 5 hours and stop for 10 hours of sleep for every 14 hours of work (includes driving and non-driving duties). After 72 working hours (not including time spent resting or sleeping) a driver must spend 24 hours away from his/her vehicle. Truck drivers must complete a logbook documenting hours and kilometres spent driving.^[4]

[edit] Special licences

[edit] Australia

In Australia heavy vehicle licences are issued by the states but are a national standard; there are 5 classes of licence required by drivers of heavy vehicles:

• A Light Rigid (LR class) licence covers a rigid vehicle with a gross vehicle mass (GVM) not more than 8 tonnes, with a towed trailer not weighing more than 9 tonnes GVM. Also buses with a GVM up to 8 tonnes which carry more than 12 adults including the driver.

• A Medium Rigid (MR class) licence covers a rigid vehicle with 2 axles and a GVM of more than 8 tonnes, with a towed trailer not weighing more than 9 tonnes GVM.

• A Heavy Rigid (HR class) licence covers a rigid vehicle with 3 or more axles with a towed trailer not weighing more than 9 tonnes GVM. Also articulated buses.

• A Heavy Combination (HC class) licence covers semi-trailers, or rigid vehicles towing a trailer with a GVM of more than 9 tonnes.

• A Multi-Combination (MC class) licence covers multi-combination vehicles like Road Trains and B-Double Vehicles.

A person must have a C class (car) licence for 1 year before they can apply for an LR or MR class licence and 2 years before they can apply for an HR, to upgrade to an HC class licence a person must have an MR or HR class licence for 1 year and to upgrade to an MC class licence a person must have an HR or HC class licence for 1 year.^[5]

[edit] United Kingdom

In the UK, one or more of the categories of Large Goods Vehicle (LGV) licenses is required. This is still widely known as an HGV or Heavy Goods Vehicle license after its former name.

[edit] United States

The United States employs a truck classification system, and truck drivers are required to have a Commercial Driver's License (CDL) to operate a CMV with a gross vehicle weight rating in excess of 26,000 pounds.

Acquiring a CDL requires a skills test (pre-trip inspection and driving test), and knowledge test (written) covering the unique handling qualities of driving a large, heavily loaded 18-wheeler, and the mechanical systems required to operate such a vehicle (air brakes, suspension, cargo securement, et al.), plus be declared fit by medical examination no less than every two years. For passenger bus drivers, a current first aid certificate and passenger endorsement is also required.

A person must be at least 18 years of age to obtain a CDL. Drivers under age 21 are limited to operating within their state of licensing (intrastate operation). Many major trucking companies require driver applicants to be at least 23 years of age, with a year of experience, while others will hire and train new drivers as long as they have a clean driving history.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (US DOT) stipulates the various classes of CDLs and associated licensing and operational requirements and limitations.^[6]

• Class A - Any combination of vehicles with a GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) of 26,001 or more pounds provided the GVWR of the vehicle(s) being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.

• Class B - Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing a vehicle not in excess of 10,000 pounds GVWR.

A tanker truck.

• Class C - Any single vehicle, or combination of vehicles, that does not meet the definition of Class A or Class B, but is either designed to transport 16 or more passengers, including the driver, or is placarded for hazardous materials.

A CDL can also contain separate endorsements required to operate certain trailers or to haul certain cargo.^[6] These endorsements are noted on the CDL and often appear in advertisements outlining the requirements for employment.

• T - Double/Triple Trailers (Knowledge test only)

• P - Passenger (Knowledge and Skills Tests. Required for Bus drivers.)

• N - Tank Vehicle (Knowledge Test only)

• H - Hazardous Materials (Knowledge Test only, also requires fingerprint and background check since the 9/11 terror attacks)^[7]

• X - Combination of Tank Vehicle and Hazardous Materials

If a driver either fails the air brake component of the general knowledge test or performs the skills test in a vehicle not equipped with air brakes, the driver is issued an air brake restriction, restricting the driver from operating a CMV equipped with air brakes.

Specifically, the five-axle tractor-semitrailer combination that is most commonly associated with the word "truck" requires a Class A CDL to drive. Beyond that, the driver's employer (or shipping customers, in the case of an independent owner-operator) generally specifies what endorsements their operations require a driver to possess.

[edit] Truck regulations on size, weight, and route designations

[edit] U.S.

Truck drivers are responsible for checking the axle and gross weights of their vehicles, usually by being weighed at a truck stop scale. Truck weights are monitored for limits compliance by state authorities at a weigh station.

Commercial motor vehicles are subject to various state and federal laws regarding limitations on truck length (measured from bumper to bumper), width, and truck axle length (measured from axle to axle or fifth wheel to axle for trailers).

The relationship between axle weight and spacing, known as the Federal Bridge Gross Weight Formula, is designed to protect bridges.^[8] The only state that regularly enforces it is Louisiana.

A standard 18-wheeler consists of three axle groups: a single front (steering) axle, the tandem (dual) drive axles, and the tandem trailer axles. Federal weight limits for NN traffic are:^[9]

1. 20,000 pounds for a single axle.
2. 34,000 pounds for a tandem axle.
3. 80,000 pounds for total weight.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) division of the US Department of Transportation (US DOT) regulates the length, width, and weight limits of CMVs.

Interstate commercial truck traffic is generally limited to a network of interstate freeways and state highways known as the National Network (NN). The National Network consists of (1) the Interstate Highway System and (2) highways, formerly classified as Primary System routes, capable of safely handling larger commercial motor vehicles, as certified by states to FHWA. ^[10]

State weight and length limits (which may be lesser or greater than federal limits) affect only operation off the NN. There is no federal height limit, and states may set their own limits which range from 13 feet 6 inches to 14 feet.^[11] As a result, the height of most trucks range between 13' and 14'.

[edit] Truck driver problems (U.S.)

[edit] Turnover and driver shortage

In 2006, the U.S. trucking industry as a whole employed 3.4 million drivers.^[12] A major problem for the long-haul trucking industry is that a large percentage of these drivers are aging, and are expected to retire. Very few new hires are expected in the near future, resulting in a driver shortage. Currently, within the long-haul sector, there is an estimated shortage of 20,000 drivers. That shortage is expected to increase to 111,000 by 2014.^[13] Trucking (especially the long-haul sector) is also facing an image crisis due to the long working hours, long periods of time away from home, the dangerous nature of the work, the relatively low pay (compared to hours worked), and a "driver last" mentality that is common throughout the industry.

Employee turnover within the long-haul trucking industry is notorious for being extremely high. In the 4th quarter of 2005, turnover within the largest carriers in the industry reached a record 136%^[14], which means for every 100 drivers hired, 136 drivers quit their jobs.

[edit] Time off

Due to the high demands of the job drivers are known to work for months at a time, without taking any days off to go home. Some even prefer to forgo a traditional house, and take up permanent residence within the truck, usually with a large and well-equipped sleeper berth, equivalent to a small RV. Long-haul company drivers typically earn as little as one day off for every week of work, such as working for four weeks and taking four days off. Regional drivers (who often drive dedicated routes between the same locations) usually work five days a week, and receive weekends off. LTL (Less Than Truckload) drivers often work normal hours and do not sleep in their trucks, having nights (or days, depending on the shift worked) and weekends off. it is not uncommon for a driver to spend up to 3 months on the road with out time off. This can be hard on marriages. Long haul truck drivers have the 4th highest divorce rate in the USA.

[edit] Safety

From 1992–1995, truck drivers had a higher total number of fatalities than any other occupation, accounting for 12% of all work related deaths.^[15] Truck drivers are five times more likely to die in a work related accident than the average worker.^[16] Highway accidents accounted for a majority of truck driver deaths, most of them caused by confused drivers in passenger vehicles who are unfamiliar with large trucks.

The unsafe actions of automobile drivers are a contributing factor in about 70 percent of the fatal crashes involving trucks. More public awareness of how to share the road safely with large trucks is needed.^[17]

—Occupational Safety and Health Administration

Truck drivers often spend their nights parked at a truck stop, rest area, or on the shoulder of a freeway ramp. Sometimes these are in secluded areas or dangerous neighborhoods, which account for a number of deaths due to drivers being targeted by thieves for their valuable cargo or money. Drivers of trucks towing flatbed trailers are responsible for securing and strapping down their cargo (which often involves climbing onto the cargo itself),and if the load requires tarpping DOES require climbing on the load to spread out tarps witch can weigh up to 70 lbs each and you can have up to 3 tarps per load which accounts for a number of deaths and injuries from falling. Drivers spend long hours behind the wheel, which can cause strain on the back muscles. Some drivers are responsible for unloading their cargo, which can lead to many back strains and sprains due to overexertion and improper lifting techniques.

[edit] Compensation/Wages

Truck drivers are paid according to many different methods. A driver who owns and operates a dump truck locally and works casually or contractually may be paid per hour, and/or per load or ton hauled. Few if any opt to be compensated per mile.

A company driver who makes a number of "less than truckload" (LTL) deliveries via box truck or conventional tractor-trailer may be paid an hourly wage and/or a certain amount per mile, and/or per stop (aka "drop" or "dock bump"), and/or per piece delivered, unloaded, or "tailgated" (moved to the rear of the trailer). This article is oriented toward the majority of truck drivers who operate "long haul", aka "over the road" (OTR) who are most often paid according to 4 major criteria, 3 of which are directly related to mileage, more or less.

The main advantage of being paid per mile may be that a driver is rewarded according to measurable accomplishment. The main disadvantage is that what a driver may accomplish is not so directly related to the effort and, perhaps especially, the time required for completion.)

1. Household Goods (HHG) Miles

HHG miles, from the Household Goods Mileage Guide (aka "short miles") was the first attempt at standardizing motor carrier freight rates for movers of household goods, some say at the behest of the Department of Defense for moving soldiers around the country, long a major source of steady and reliable revenue. Rand McNally, in conjunction with the precursor of the National Moving & Storage Association developed the first Guide published in 1936, at which point it contained only about 300 point-to-point mileages. ^[18]

Today, the 19th version of the Guide has grown to contain distances between more than 140,000 cities, zip codes, or highway junctions.^[19]

Therein, if you ask many drivers, lies the inherent unfairness of HHG-based mileage pay; miles are driven point-to-point, not from "city" to "zip code" or "highway junction".

Occam's Razor may suggest it is safe to assume that distances provided by the HHG Guide have been thoroughly examined to ensure drivers are not "overpaid" for miles not driven. Given the obvious accuracy limitations of computing mileage between fewer than 150,000 points and the availability of less expensive consumer-grade map and routing software such as Microsoft Streets & Trips many magnitudes more inclusive and therefore accurate than such a crude method, it may also be safe to assume HHG miles are shorter than those of a "real world" practical route. most companies do not us streets and trips but use a program called pc miler as it is set up for trucking using truck routes and tends to be more accurate than the HMG or Microsoft streets and trips^{[according to whom?]}

How much shorter is a matter of contention, but it is not uncommon to hear drivers report 5-12 percent, and carriers to claim the miles vary from shorter to longer and it all works out in the end to be a wash, or that drivers are paid more per mile to compensate. Drivers may then point out that not only do they drive more miles, those additional miles require additional time which is extracted from the hours available to the driver for driving permitted by the federal hours of service.

The argument continues, but drivers are always free to seek another employer who calculates compensation by the preferred method of the driver, and many do not.

2. Practical Miles

"Practical miles" has no clear definition, but can be considered to be a more practical routing and distance estimation than HHG miles, i.e., a little more reasonable than HHG miles.

One version of practical miles includes routing shorter toll roads while by SOP prohibiting drivers from using toll roads and/or a policy of not reimbursing the driver for tolls.

3. Hub Miles

Odometer miles. "Hub" refers to hubometer, a mechanical odometer mounted to an axle.

Pays the driver for every mile; generally limited to no more than 5-10% above the estimates of mileage by the carrier before red flags appear, depending on the generosity of the carrier or how it rates the mileage estimation capabilities of the software used.

One version of hub miles includes only those per carrier designated route, i.e., a set number of miles. "Out of route" miles of any incentive are provided by the driver to the carrier for free.

4. Percentage (of load)

Pays the driver a set or variable percentage of whatever the carrier says was their quoted rate.

[edit] Parking

A study published in 2002 by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) division of the U.S. Department of Transportation (US DOT) - "shows that parking areas for trucks and buses along major roads and highways are more than adequate across the nation when both public (rest areas) and commercial parking facilities are factored in." ^[20]

A 2000 Highway Special Investigation Report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) forwards the following statistics:

1. Parking spaces at private truck stops- 185,000 (estimate)
2. Number of trucks parked at private truck stops at night- 167,453 (estimate)
3. Private truck stops that are full on any given night nationwide- 53 percent
4. Shortfall of truck parking spaces- 28,400 (estimate)
5. Public rest areas with full or overflowing parking at night 80 percent^[21]

One challenge of finding truck parking is made difficult perhaps not because there are insufficient parking spaces "nationwide", but where the majority of those spaces are not located, and most needed; near the most densely populated areas where demand for trucked goods is greatest.

As urban areas continue to sprawl, land for development of private truck stops nearby becomes prohibitively expensive and there seems to be an understandable reluctance on the part of the citizenry to live near a facility where a large number of trucks may be idling their engines all night, every night, or to experience the associated increase of truck traffic on local streets.

Exacerbating the problem are parking restrictions or prohibitions in commercial areas where plenty of space exists and the fact that shippers and receivers of freight tend to prefer to ship and receive truckloads in the early and late portions of the business day.

The end result is an increase in truck traffic during the morning and evening rush hours when traffic is most dense, commuters exhibit least patience, and safety is compromised.

Adding to the challenge of finding parking are:

1. A driver can only become familiar with locations of public and commercial parking spaces and their capacity and traffic by visiting them.
2. The parking shortage, real or perceived, nearest the most dense urban areas incites drivers to arrive early and many of those truck stops are full by 7pm leaving even drivers who carefully plan their trips in detail few if any options.

[edit] Idling Restrictions

Idling restrictions further complicate the ability of drivers to obtain adequate rest, as this example from California may illustrate:

Commercial diesel-fueled vehicles with a GVWR greater than 10,000 pounds are subject to the following idling restrictions effective February 1, 2005. You may not:

• idle the vehicle’s primary diesel engine for greater than five minutes at any location. (For exceptions visit the California Air Resources Board website at: www.arb.ca.gov/toxics/idling/idling.htm) Sorry... 404 - Document Not Found
• operate a diesel-fueled auxiliary power system which powers a heater, air conditioner, or any additional equipment for sleeper-berth equipped vehicles during sleeping or resting periods for greater than five minutes at any location within 100 feet of a restricted area.

Drivers are subject to both civil and criminal penalties for violations of this regulation."^[22]

[edit] Health concerns

As a result of working in the proximity of trucks, and frequently other vehicles or vessels as well, truck drivers in some cases have an increased exposure to emissions from engines, which may increase the risk of cancer^[23] and can aggravate certain lung diseases, such as asthma^[24], though with the rural locations at which most truckstops are located, the quantity of emissions may have less effect, and overall, truck drivers experience less exposure to toxic emissions in the air than people who live in large metropolitan areas, such as Los Angeles, that have high levels of air pollution.

While many truck drivers refrain from patronizing prostitutes, some have been known to do so. The mobile lifestyle shared by those who do may in some cases make them a vector of transmission for sexually transmitted diseases, especially in countries where awareness is low^[25]; however, in most developed countries, submitting to regular medical examinations—as well as drug testing—is required by the industry, and with many truck drivers it never becomes a problem.

In order to address the hazards relative to driver fatigue, many countries have laws limiting the amount of time truck drivers can work. Many underdeveloped countries either lack such laws or do not enforce them.

[edit] Australia health requirements

A new law was passed in Australia requiring that all "over the road" drivers carry their medical information with them when they "are on the clock". This will help drivers comply with this new law and can also help deliver quick, accurate medical assistance if and when needed. With many drivers pushing the envelope by driving long hours, often around the clock, stopping only to grab some coffee and maybe a cat nap on the side of the road, many truck drivers are stretching their limits for safe driving.

[edit] Satellite tracking

Many companies today utilize some type of satellite vehicle tracking or trailer tracking to assist in fleet management. In this context "tracking" refers to a location tracking and "satellite" refers either to a GPS satellites system providing location information or communications satellites used for location data transmission. A special location tracking device also known as tracker or an AVL unit, such as Starfinder AVL, is installed on a truck and automatically determines its position in real-time and sends it to a remote computer database for visualizing and analysis^[26].

An "in cab" communication device AVL unit often allows a driver to communicate with their dispatcher, who is normally responsible for determining and informing the driver of their pick-up and drop-off locations. If the AVL unit is connected to a Mobile data terminal or a computer it also allows the driver to input the information from a bill of lading (BOL) into a simple dot matrix display screen (commonly called a "Qualcomm" for that company's ubiquitous OmniTRACS system).

The driver inputs the information, using a keyboard, into an automated system of pre-formatted messages known as macros. There are macros for each stage of the loading and unloading process, such as "loaded and leaving shipper" and "arrived at final destination." This system also allows the company to track the driver's fuel usage, speed, gear optimization, engine idle time, location, direction of travel, and amount of time spent driving.

Werner Enterprises, a U.S. company based in Omaha, Nebraska, has utilized this system to implement a "paperless log" system. Instead of keeping track of working hours on a traditional pen and paper based logbook, the driver informs the company of his status using a macro.

[edit] Implementation of drug detection

[edit] U.S.

In the 1980s the administration of President Ronald Reagan proposed to put an end to drug abuse in the trucking industry by means of the then-recently developed technique of urinalysis, with his signing of Executive Order 12564, requiring regular random drug testing of all truck drivers nationwide, as well as employees of other DOT-regulated industries specified in the order, though considerations had to be made concerning the effects of an excessively rapid implementation of the measure.

Making sudden great changes in the infrastructures of huge economies and the industries crucial to them always entails risks, the greater the change, the larger the degree. Because of the U.S. economy's strong dependence on the movement of merchandise to and from large metropolitan population centers separated by such great distances, a sudden shortage of truck drivers could have far-reaching and devastating effects on the economy.

After the 1929 stock-market crash, for example, the chain reaction of reduction in sales due to consumers' prioritizing and reducing purchases of luxury items, with companies responding by reducing production and increasing unemployment, exacerbating the cycle of reduction or elimination of production, sales and employment, had the ultimate result of plunging the nation's economy into the Great Depression.

Likewise, it had to be considered that a sudden halting or stunting of the movement of merchandise, as would occur with a large and sudden vacating of the cargo-trasportation workforce, would have similar consequences. Even the 1974 nationwide speed-limit reduction to 55 mph, which merely slowed the movement of merchandise, was followed by the recession of the late 1970s.

In the years and decades following Executive Order 12564, the implementation of random drug testing and pre-employment drug screening of truck drivers was purposely kept down to a gradual increase, out of concern for the dangers of excessively rapid change in economic infrastructure. Since then, a large number of tractor-trailer operators have left the industry in search of other employment, and a new generation of drivers has come in. It is now extremely difficult for truck drivers to engage in drug abuse and remain undetected.

[edit] Truck driver slang

[edit] U.S.

Truck drivers once had a highly elaborate and colorful vocabulary of slang for use over their CB radios, but with the high turnover in the industry in recent decades, due largely to the Reagan-era drug purge, this has all but vanished. Most of the newer generation of drivers in the U.S. today speak to one another over their CB radios in more or less standard English (as understood in the various regions of the country), although a few of the slang words and phrases have remained, and many of these have passed into use in the colloquial language of the general public.

"Smokey" and/or "bear" are still used to refer to police officers, especially state patrolmen, and sometimes "diesel bear" for a DOT officer, though many new-school drivers merely say "police," "policeman" and "cop." "Hammer" refers to the accelerator pedal, and "hammer lane" the left lane or passing lane on a freeway, in which traffic generally travels faster. "Handle", meaning a nickname, was once exclusively truck-driver slang, but has now passed into common use by the public, especially for pseudonyms used on the Internet.

Most of the "ten codes" are less often used, except "10/4," meaning "message received," "affirmative," "okay," "understood," and occasionally "10/20," referring to the driver's location, (e.g., "What's your 20?")

Often old-school truck drivers speaking over their CB radios are frustrated at new-school truck drivers' lack of understanding of the trucking slang of the '60s, '70s and '80s, and grudgingly resort to standard English when communicating with them.

Some truck-driver slang:

• alligator- a section of tire casing constituting a hazard
• barbershop- a bridge lower than 13' 6" (standard minimum height on all Interstates and state highway systems with controlled-access designation) that could scrape off the top portions of a tractor-trailer rig
  

  

  A bobtail truck tractor
• big sign- the "Closed" sign for weigh stations
• bobtail- tractor without a trailer
• coop- (re: "chicken coop") a weigh station, due to the resemblance of the small offices to chicken coops
• county mounty- a constable, county sheriff or sheriff's deputy (possibly influenced by "Mounties", Canadian slang for "Royal Canadian Mounted Police")
• double-nickel- 55 mph (in more common use during the 1974-87 era of the National Maximum Speed Law)
• four-wheeler- a passenger vehicle, even a pickup truck
• in the middle- parked on the median, usually the location of a speed trap or broken-down vehicle
• little sign- the "Open" sign for weigh stations
• lot lizard- a prostitute, especially one that frequents truck stops
• on your back door- a vehicle behind you
• parking lot- an auto-transport truck
• piggy bank/cash box- a toll plaza
• pickle park- a state highway rest area
• plain wrapper- unmarked law enforcement vehicle
• Smokey Bear- a police officer, used because of the resemblance between police officer's campaign hat, and that of the Forest Service's Smokey Bear mascot.
• taking pictures - a law-enforcement officer using any speed-detection device or radar gun
• tanker yanker- a tanker rig or its driver
• yardstick- a mile marker
• the zipper- the dashed lane markings

Australian police vehicle with one of several checkerboard designs

[edit] Australia

• Evel Knievel– a police motocycle
• candy car– Highway Patrol police car, usually with high-visibility police decals
• flash for cash– speed camera (not to be confused with a manned radar gun)
• the scalies or coneheads– Transport Safety inspectors who man checking/weigh stations
• hot plate– weigh station

[edit] Visual signaling

[edit] Vehicle-light signaling

[edit] U.S.

One form of unspoken communication between drivers is to flash headlights or high beams on or off to indicate that a passing truck has cleared the passed vehicle and may safely change lanes in front of the signaling vehicle. The passing driver may then flash the trailer or marker lights to indicate thanks. This signal is also sometimes used by other motorists to signal truck drivers.

Continual flashing of headlights or high beams after emerging from around a corner beside a high wall or from any roadway out of sight to oncoming traffic will alert a truck driver in the oncoming lanes to an accident or other obstruction ahead, and will warn him to reduce speed or to proceed with caution. Headlights on new car models that can not be turned off may result in some deaths or serious injuries that would otherwise have been avertable.

Since truck-driver language has no signal for "Do not move in front of me," nor has any understood length of time for turning headlights or high beams on or off, flashing the high-beams to say "Do not move in front of me" may be misinterpreted to mean that the truck is clear to proceed with the lane change in front of the vehicle giving the signal.

[edit] Europe

As a rule, "thanks" is signaled to the vehicle behind by switching between the left- and right-turn signal several times, whereas turning on the hazard-warning lights (both turn signals) means "Slow down; danger ahead". Turning on the left-turn signal (in a right-hand traffic country) when a vehicle behind attempts to overtake means "Back off; lane not clear", and turning on the right-turn signal means "Go ahead; lane clear".

Truck drivers also use flashing headlights to warn drivers in the oncoming lane(s) of a police patrol down the road. Though not official, two consecutive flashes indicate a police patrol, whereas a rapid series of flashing indicates DMV or other law-enforcement agency that only controls truck drivers. During the day time, the latter is sometimes accompanied by the signaling driver making a circle with both hands (as if holding a tachograph ring).

Flashing headlights to the vehicle in front (intended for the other driver to see in their mirror) has two meanings. Long flashes are used to signal a truck driver that they are clear to return to the lane. A series of rapid flashes generally means "You're doing something stupid and/or dangerous" as in "Do not move in front, trailer not clear!" or "I'm overtaking, move aside".

[edit] "V" greeting

Additionally, there is variation in the meanings of hand gestures within the industry. In the U.S., when passing it is common for drivers to greet by lifting a hand off the steering wheel, backhand facing the other driver, with the index and middle fingers extended (known as the peace sign, or V sign), a gesture that in the UK, if made with the back of the hand, would be equivalent to the raising of the middle finger at someone. However, this meaning in England is largely unknown by Americans, and among American truck drivers it is intended and understood as a friendly gesture of greeting between fellow workers in the industry.

[edit] In popular culture

Truck drivers have been the subject of many films, such as They Drive By Night (1940), but they became an especially popular topic in popular culture in the mid-1970s, following the release of White Line Fever, and the hit song "Convoy" by C.W. McCall, both in 1975. The main character of "Convoy" was a truck driver known only by his CB handle (C.B. name), "Rubber Duck." Three years later, in 1978, a film was released with the same name. In 1977, another film Smokey and the Bandit, was released, which revolves around the escapades of a truck driver and his friend as they transport a load of beer across state lines. Smokey and the Bandit spawned two sequels. The 1978 film F.I.S.T. was a fictionalized account of the unionization of the trucking industry in the earlier 20th century, while the future of truck driving was speculated on in the 1996 film Space Truckers in which trucking has gone beyond planetary loads to interplanetary ones. One episode of Cowboy Bebop, "Heavy Metal Queen", also features space-faring "truck" drivers.

Truck drivers have also been villainously portrayed in such films as Duel, Joy Ride, Breakdown, The Hitcher and Supergirl. (In Superman II, though the script said that the bully who beat up Clark Kent when he lost his powers was a truck driver, no indication of this was given in the movie; the character is merely seen sitting eating in a restaurant with no indication given about his occupation, and perhaps therefore does not constitute a "villianous portrayal"; the antagonists in Supergirl, in contrast, are seen exiting a semi-truck before they begin sexually harassing her—a behavior not typical of truck drivers—and she kicks them in the groin sending them flying through the air.)

B.J. and the Bear was a television series depicting the exploits of a truck driver and his chimpanzee companion. Another was Movin' On, starring Claude Akins and Frank Converse. Trucker Buddy is a lovable (albeit terrifying) trucker that makes appearances in The Mediocre Show. That character should not be confused with Trucker Buddy, the non-profit international penpal organization (www.truckerbuddy.org) in which truck drivers are teamed with an elementary school class from 2nd-8th grade. Drivers send weekly postcards and write letters describing the trucking industry, lifestyle, and travel, and sometimes even make classroom visits so the kids can meet 'their driver' in person and see a big rig up close. T.B.I. was founded in 1992 by the late Gary King and now has a membership of nearly 4000 drivers with classrooms throughout North America, Australia, New Zealand, and Iceland.

On 17 June 2007, the History Channel began to air Ice Road Truckers, a documentary-style reality television series following truck drivers as they drive across the ice roads (frozen lakes in mid-winter), in the Northwest Territories in Canada, as they transport equipment to the diamond mines in that area.

[edit] Trucking organizations (U.S.)

• Teamsters Union
• Owner-Operator Independent Driver Association (OOIDA)
• American Trucking Association (ATA)
• United Truck Drivers Association (UTDA)

[edit] Major trucking companies

[edit] Australia

• Toll Holdings
• TNT Logistics
• Linfox

[edit] UK

• Eddie Stobart

[edit] U.S.

• ABF
• Celadon
• Con-way
• Covenant Transport
• C.R. England
• FFE
• J.B. Hunt
• Landstar
• Schneider National
• Swift Transportation
• USA Truck
• Werner Enterprises

[edit] Major truck manufacturers

• Mack Trucks
• Peterbilt
• Kenworth
• Freightliner LLC
• Navistar International
• Volvo Trucks
• Western Star

[edit] See also

• Trucking industry in the United States
• CB slang
• Convoy
• Truck stop
• Road Transport
• Teamsters Union
• Semi-trailer
• Tarcutta, New South Wales

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Drivers Working Hours in Vehicle Routing and Scheduling
• Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
• U.S. Department of Transportation
• OOIDA - Owner-Operator Independent Driver Association
• ATA - American Trucking Association
• List of trucker themed fiction.
• Idling Compendium - Idling Ordinances Adopted Since 9/2004 (2009-01-22), American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) PDF