Trucking Glossary: Terms Every New Carrier Should Know

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34-hour restart

Taking 34 or more consecutive hours off duty resets your 60-hour or 70-hour weekly clock to zero. It is optional. Drivers use it to get a full week of hours back instead of waiting for old days to roll off. See hours of service.

B

BASIC

One of the safety categories FMCSA's Safety Measurement System uses to group roadside violations and crashes, such as Unsafe Driving, Hours-of-Service Compliance, Vehicle Maintenance, and Controlled Substances and Alcohol. A carrier with a high score in a category is more likely to get a warning letter or an investigation.

BOC-3

The FMCSA form that names a process agent in each state to accept court papers for your company. For-hire carriers, brokers, and freight forwarders need one on file before authority goes active. Almost everyone has a blanket process agent company file it. See BOC-3 filing.

BOL (bill of lading)

The shipping document that lists what is in the load, who sent it, and where it is going. It works as a receipt and as the contract of carriage. The driver signs it at pickup and should note shortages or damage before signing.

Broker

A company that arranges freight between a shipper and a carrier for a fee, without hauling it. Brokers need their own FMCSA authority and a $75,000 bond or trust fund. Many brokers vet new carriers on authority, insurance, and ELD connection before tendering a load. See brokers that require an ELD.

C

Carrier

The company that actually hauls the freight with its own trucks and drivers. A for-hire carrier hauls other people's goods for pay. A private carrier hauls its own.

CDL (commercial driver's license)

Required to drive a vehicle rated 26,001 pounds or more, a combination rated 26,001 pounds or more when the trailer is rated over 10,000 pounds, a vehicle built for 16 or more people including the driver, or any placarded hazmat load. CDL drivers also fall under drug and alcohol testing rules.

CMV (commercial motor vehicle)

Under most federal safety rules, a vehicle used for business in interstate commerce that weighs or is rated at 10,001 pounds or more, or carries passengers above set thresholds, or hauls placarded hazmat. The CDL rules use a higher 26,001-pound line. See ELD under 10,000 lbs for where the lines fall.

CSA (Compliance, Safety, Accountability)

FMCSA's enforcement program for ranking carriers and deciding whom to contact. It runs on data from roadside inspections, crash reports, and investigations. Shippers and brokers often check a carrier's public CSA data before booking.

D

Deadhead

Miles driven with an empty trailer, or bobtail with no trailer, usually to reach the next pickup. Deadhead burns fuel and hours without revenue, so it belongs in every rate calculation.

Detention

Pay for waiting at a shipper or receiver beyond the free time agreed on the rate confirmation. Getting paid usually depends on accurate arrival and departure times, which GPS and ELD records help prove.

Dry van

An enclosed trailer with no temperature control. It hauls general freight such as boxed goods, paper, and packaged food that does not need refrigeration.

DVIR (driver vehicle inspection report)

The written report a driver completes at the end of the day for any defect found that could affect safety. The carrier must fix the defect, or certify repair is not needed, before the truck runs again. Carriers operating only one vehicle are exempt from the written report. See DVIR.

E

ELD (electronic logging device)

A device connected to the truck's engine that records driving time automatically and produces the driver's record of duty status. It must be on FMCSA's registered list and be able to transfer data to an officer at roadside. See what is an ELD.

F

Factoring

Selling your unpaid freight invoices to a factoring company at a discount in exchange for cash now instead of waiting on broker payment terms. Read the contract for recourse terms, minimum volumes, and fees before you sign.

G

GVWR and GCWR

Gross vehicle weight rating is the manufacturer's maximum loaded weight for a single vehicle, printed on the door jamb label. Gross combination weight rating is the maximum for a truck and trailer together. Federal thresholds use the rating or actual weight, whichever is higher.

H

Hotshot

Hauling smaller, often time-sensitive loads with a heavy-duty pickup or medium-duty truck pulling a flatbed or gooseneck trailer. Many hotshot combinations pass 10,001 pounds, which brings USDOT, hours-of-service, and usually ELD rules into play. See hotshot ELD.

HOS (hours of service)

The federal limits on how long a truck driver can drive and work: 11 hours of driving within a 14-hour window after 10 hours off, a 30-minute break after 8 hours of driving, and a 60-hour or 70-hour limit over 7 or 8 days. See hours of service.

HVUT (Form 2290)

The federal Heavy Vehicle Use Tax on trucks with a taxable gross weight of 55,000 pounds or more, filed on IRS Form 2290. The tax year runs July 1 to June 30. Your state asks for the stamped Schedule 1 when you register the truck.

I

IFTA (International Fuel Tax Agreement)

The agreement that lets a carrier file one quarterly fuel tax return with its base state, which then splits the tax among states by miles driven in each. It applies to qualified vehicles: two axles over 26,000 pounds, three or more axles, or combinations over 26,000 pounds. See IFTA reporting.

IRP (International Registration Plan)

The system for apportioned plates. You register in your base state, which collects registration fees and splits them among the states you run in based on your miles. The truck carries one plate and a cab card listing the states.

L

Lumper

A worker or crew paid to unload a trailer at a warehouse or grocery receiver. The carrier often pays at the dock and asks the broker or shipper to reimburse it, so the lumper receipt matters as much as the POD.

M

MC number

The docket number FMCSA assigns with for-hire operating authority. As of October 2026, FMCSA's Motus system still issues MC numbers, existing numbers have not changed, and any plan to eliminate them will go through a future rulemaking. See MC authority.

MCS-150

The motor carrier identification report: the registration data FMCSA holds on your company, including address, power units, drivers, and cargo. Carriers must update it every 24 months on a schedule set by the last two digits of the USDOT number. In 2026 the update is done in Motus.

N

New entrant safety audit

A review FMCSA conducts on every new carrier, generally within the first 12 months of operation, during an 18-month monitoring period. It checks driver files, duty status records, maintenance, the accident register, and drug and alcohol testing. See the new carrier checklist.

O

OOS (out of service)

An order that stops a driver, vehicle, or entire carrier from operating until a problem is fixed. At roadside, an inspector places a driver out of service for things like exceeding hours limits or having no required log. See DOT inspection.

P

Personal conveyance

Off-duty movement of the truck for personal reasons, such as driving from a receiver to the nearest safe place to sleep or from a truck stop to a restaurant. It cannot advance the load or the business. The driver selects it in the ELD, and the movement still shows on the log.

POD (proof of delivery)

The signed delivery receipt, usually the consignee's signature on the bill of lading, showing the load arrived and in what condition. Brokers generally need it before they pay you.

Power only

A load where the carrier supplies the tractor and driver and pulls a trailer owned by the shipper, broker, or another carrier. It lets a new carrier haul without buying trailers.

R

Rate confirmation

The document a broker sends to book a load with you. It lists the rate, pickup and delivery details, accessorial pay such as detention, and the terms you agree to. Read every line before you sign, because it is your contract for that load.

Reefer

A refrigerated trailer with its own cooling unit, used for produce, meat, dairy, and other temperature-controlled freight.

RODS (record of duty status)

The driver's log of time spent off duty, in the sleeper berth, driving, and on duty not driving. Drivers subject to the rule keep it on an ELD unless an exception allows paper or time records.

S

Shipper

The company that owns the freight and sends it, either directly to a carrier or through a broker. On a bill of lading, the shipper is also called the consignor.

Short-haul exception

Lets a driver skip the log and the ELD if they stay within 150 air-miles of their normal work reporting location and are released within 14 hours. The carrier keeps time records instead. See ELD exemptions.

Sleeper berth

The bunk area behind the cab, and a duty status. Under the split option, a driver can divide the 10-hour break into one period of at least 7 hours in the berth and another of at least 2 hours, totaling at least 10, and neither period counts against the 14-hour window.

SMS (Safety Measurement System)

The FMCSA system that turns inspection, violation, and crash data from the past 24 months into percentile rankings by BASIC. Some results are public, and brokers often look at them.

U

UCR (Unified Carrier Registration)

An annual registration and fee for interstate carriers, brokers, freight forwarders, and leasing companies, based on fleet size. For 2026 a 0 to 2 vehicle carrier pays $46. See UCR registration.

Unassigned driving

Driving time the ELD records when no driver is logged in. The carrier must review each event and either assign it to the right driver or explain it, such as a mechanic's road test. Unreviewed events are a common audit finding.

USDOT number

The identifier FMCSA uses to track a company's safety record. It is free, required for interstate CMVs and in many states for intrastate trucks, and shown on both sides of the truck. See USDOT number.

Y

Yard move

Moving the truck inside a yard, terminal, or shipper lot that is closed to public traffic. The driver selects it in the ELD so the time counts as on duty not driving instead of driving.