Trucking Terms and Acronyms

Terms:

Tractor Trailer/Big Rig - On our website these refer to Class 7 (26,001-33,000-lbs) and Class 8 (33,001-lbs) trucks.

Truck Driver/Trucker - A driver with a commercial drivers license (CDL).

Underride Crash - A collision in which a passenger vehicle, bicycle, or pedestrian travels underneath the side or rear of a truck’s trailer

Speed Limiters - Technology built into class 7 and 8 trucks since the 1990s, which allows the truck’s computer to limit the maximum speed.

Acronyms

Government

DOT - Department of Transportation

The DOT is a department within the Executive Branch, and is responsible for overseeing all federal funding and programs relating to infrastructure and road safety.

FMCSA - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

The FMCSA is an agency within the DOT that is responsible for overseeing the safety of commercial motor vehicles (i.e. large trucks and buses).

NHTSA - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Non-Governmental Organizations

IST - Institute for Safer Trucking

NSC - National Safety Council

ATA - American Trucking Associations

TCA - Truckload Carriers Association

OOIDA - Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association

Legislative Terms

Amendment - Change to a bill. These are usually voted upon in committees but can also be voted upon by the entire body.

Bill - Proposed legislation (or law) by a member of the legislature (i.e. Congress)

Committee - A suborganization within Congress that has a select number of members who focus on an issue area. Committees are further broken down into subcommittees. The committees that are relevant to trucking are:

House of Representatives

Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

Subcommittee on Highways and Transit

Committee on Energy and Commerce

Committee on Appropriations

Subcommittee on Transportation Housing and Urban Development

Senate

Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

Committee on Environment and Public Works

Committee on Appropriations

Subcommittee on Transportation Housing and Urban Development