Glossary
Truck Driver Terms & Vocabulary
15 essential truck driver terms with plain-English definitions: the vocabulary you’ll hear in training and on day one.
Key truck driver vocabulary
These 15 terms come up constantly in truck driver training, on the job and in interviews. Knowing them helps you follow instructions, document accurately and sound prepared.
- Bill of lading (BOL)
- The shipping document describing the freight, shipper and receiver.
- CDL
- Commercial Driver’s License: required to operate large commercial vehicles.
- CSA
- FMCSA’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability program that scores carrier safety.
- Deadhead
- Driving with an empty trailer.
- Detention
- Time a driver waits at a shipper or receiver beyond the agreed time.
- DVIR
- Driver vehicle inspection report documenting defects.
- ELD
- Electronic logging device that automatically records driving time.
- ELDT
- Entry-Level Driver Training: federal training requirements for new CDL applicants.
- Engine brake
- A device that uses the engine to slow the truck, reducing brake wear.
- GVWR
- Gross vehicle weight rating: the maximum safe loaded weight.
- Hours of service (HOS)
- Federal rules limiting driving and on-duty time to prevent fatigue.
- LTL
- Less-than-truckload: shipments that share trailer space.
- OTR
- Over-the-road: long-haul trucking across multiple states.
- Pre-trip inspection
- A required check of the vehicle before driving.
- Reefer
- A refrigerated trailer.
Practice these terms
Test yourself with the free Truck Driver practice test: it includes vocabulary questions built from this list. For a complete course, see Truck Driver training.
Browse terms from every career in our career glossary.