Trucking, Transit & Logistics

This section covers the physical geometry of streets, including lanes, intersections, and traffic calming structures.

• 2+1 road
  A three-lane highway where the middle lane alternates as a passing lane for each direction.
• Alignment
  The geometric layout and physical routing of a road or railway.
• Arteryalso arterial road, arterial
  A high-capacity urban road or transit corridor designed to carry heavy traffic volumes.
• Attenuatoralso crash cushion, impact attenuator
  A physical device installed on highways or work vehicles to absorb the impact of a vehicle crash.
• Chicane
  A series of alternating curves or lane shifts built into a roadway to slow down traffic.
• Climbing lanealso crawler lane, truck lane
  An extra lane on an uphill highway grade designated for slow-moving heavy vehicles.
• Concurrencyalso multiplex, overlap
  A single physical roadway that carries two or more official highway route numbers.
• Cruising lane
  The designated highway lane intended for vehicles traveling at a steady, normal speed.
• Diversionalso detour
  A routed detour that directs traffic away from a closed or blocked section of road.
• Drop kerbalso dropped kerb, curb cut
  A section of pavement edge lowered to the level of the roadway.
• Dualize
  To upgrade a single-carriageway road by adding a central reservation and a second roadway.
• Exitalso off-ramp, slip road
  A designated ramp or slip road allowing vehicles to safely depart a controlled-access highway.
• Ghost islandalso painted island, hatched marking
  A painted area on a roadway, usually filled with diagonal hatching, designed to separate traffic streams.
• Greenout
  A blank patch of reflective green sheeting used to cover up obsolete text on a highway guide sign. Shop talk
• LILOalso left-in, left-out
  A left-in, left-out intersection design that restricts turning movements.
• Loon
  A paved expansion on the outside of a divided highway to accommodate wide U-turns.
• Mile marker
  A numbered sign placed at regular intervals along a highway to indicate distance from a specific origin.
• Milepostalso mile marker
  A physical marker placed alongside a road to indicate the distance in miles from a designated starting point.
• Restripe
  To apply fresh paint over existing pavement markings or create a new layout on a road or parking surface.
• Rideable
  Describing a surface, shoulder, or path that is smooth and safe enough for bicycles or light vehicles.
• Rumble stripalso sleeper lines, alert strips
  A series of raised or grooved patterns on a roadway edge designed to alert inattentive drivers.
• Runaway truck rampalso escape ramp, truck escape ramp
  An emergency lane filled with gravel or sand to safely stop vehicles with failed brakes.
• Slip lanealso channelized turn lane, filter lane
  A dedicated turning lane that bypasses a main intersection to improve traffic flow.
• Slow street
  A residential roadway designed with physical traffic calming measures to restrict vehicle speeds.
• Smart motorwayalso managed motorway, active traffic management
  A highway utilizing active traffic management systems to control speed and capacity.
• Speed bumpalso sleeping policeman
  A raised transverse ridge on a roadway designed to force vehicles to reduce speed.
• Splayalso visibility splay, sight triangle
  The widened, angled area at a road junction designed to improve driver visibility.
• TMAalso crash cushion, scorpion
  A crash cushion attached to the rear of a heavy vehicle to protect highway work crews.
• Traffic islandalso refuge island
  A raised or painted area in a roadway designed to separate traffic streams or protect pedestrians.
• Trunkline
  A major arterial road, rail line, or transit route that carries the heaviest volume of long-distance traffic.
• Twinning
  The engineering process of upgrading a two-lane single carriageway into a divided highway.
• Two-wayalso bidirectional
  A road or lane that permits vehicular traffic to travel in opposite directions.
• Untravellablealso impassable
  A route or surface condition that is completely impassable to vehicles.
• Warning trackalso rumble strip, sleeper line
  A textured or differently colored strip of road shoulder designed to alert drivers they are leaving the travel lane. Shop talk
• Washboardalso corrugation, washboarding
  A series of transverse ripples that form on unpaved roads due to vehicle traffic.

This category explains the systems, signals, and mathematical models used to manage the flow of vehicles and pedestrians.

• Accidentalso crash, collision
  An unintended collision or crash involving one or more vehicles.
• Bus lanealso transit lane
  A bus lane is a designated traffic lane restricted to public transit vehicles.
• Clearance timealso all-red interval, clearance interval
  The duration required for an intersection or road segment to empty of traffic before conflicting movements begin.
• Datex2also DATEX II
  A European standard for exchanging traffic data between management centers.
• Floating car dataalso FCD, probe vehicle data
  Real-time traffic information collected by tracking the location and speed of mobile devices inside vehicles.
• Gridlock
  A severe traffic jam where intersecting streets become completely blocked, preventing any vehicular movement.
• Head-on collision
  A crash in which the front ends of two vehicles traveling in opposite directions strike each other.
• High-occupancy vehicle lanealso carpool lane, diamond lane
  A restricted highway lane reserved for vehicles carrying a driver and one or more passengers.
• HOValso high-occupancy vehicle
  High-occupancy vehicle, a designation for cars carrying multiple passengers to qualify for priority lanes.
• ICUalso intersection capacity utilization
  Intersection capacity utilization, a metric used to evaluate how much of an intersection's theoretical capacity is being used.
• IHVSalso intelligent highway vehicle systems
  Intelligent highway vehicle systems, an older collective term for technologies that integrate vehicles with road infrastructure.
• Intelligent transportation system
  The application of sensing, analysis and communication technologies to surface transportation networks.
• ITSalso intelligent transportation system
  Intelligent transportation system, a network of sensors and communication tools used to manage traffic flow.
• Jaywalk
  To cross a roadway outside of designated pedestrian crossings or against a traffic signal.
• LPIalso leading pedestrian interval
  A signal timing phase that gives pedestrians a head start before vehicles.
• Neckdownalso curb extension, bulb-out
  A physical narrowing of a roadway at an intersection to slow traffic and shorten pedestrian crossings.
• Offside rulealso priority to the right
  A priority system at intersections giving right-of-way to vehicles approaching from the driver's offside.
• Phantom jamalso shockwave jam, traffic wave
  A traffic bottleneck that forms on a highway without any physical obstruction or crash.
• Priorityalso right of way
  The legal right of a vehicle or pedestrian to proceed ahead of conflicting traffic.
• Rolling stopalso California stop, Hollywood stop
  An illegal maneuver where a driver slows down at a stop sign but fails to halt forward momentum completely. Shop talk
• Security distancealso safe following distance, headway
  The required longitudinal space between moving vehicles to prevent rear-end collisions.
• Signal timingalso phasing
  The calculated distribution of green, yellow, and red phases at an intersection.
• Stop sign
  A regulatory traffic control device that requires drivers to bring their vehicles to a complete halt.
• Through trafficalso transient traffic
  Vehicles traveling through a specific zone or neighborhood without a local destination.
• Traffic jam
  A severe congestion event where vehicle movement slows to a crawl or stops entirely.
• TRT
  The Transportation Research Thesaurus is a standardized vocabulary used to index and search transportation literature.
• Wrong-way concurrency
  A highway segment where two overlapping numbered routes are signed in opposite compass directions.
• Yield linealso shark's teeth, give way line
  A pavement marking showing drivers exactly where to wait when giving way to conflicting traffic.

This grouping defines the heavy equipment, trailer configurations, and mechanical components used to haul commercial cargo.

• Article of extraordinary valuealso AEV
  A freight classification for shipments that exceed a specific monetary value per pound.
• Carrying capacityalso payload capacity
  The maximum weight or volume of cargo and passengers a vehicle is rated to transport safely.
• Containeralso shipping container, intermodal container
  A standardized reusable steel box designed for the efficient, mechanized handling of freight.
• Convertible
  Describes a trailer or freight car that can change its configuration to haul different types of cargo.
• Deadlegalso deadhead, empty leg
  A segment of a transport route where a vehicle travels without carrying any revenue-generating cargo. Shop talk
• Dunnage
  Scrap wood or packaging material used to secure cargo or support heavy equipment.
• Fifth wheelalso fifth wheel coupling
  The large horseshoe-shaped coupling plate on the back of a tractor unit that connects to a semi-trailer.
• HGValso heavy goods vehicle
  Heavy goods vehicle, the standard European and British classification for commercial trucks over 3.5 tonnes.
• HHGalso household goods
  Household goods, referring to personal property moved by specialized residential freight carriers.
• Jack-knife
  A severe accident where an articulated truck folds in on itself so the cab and trailer form an acute angle.
• Landing gearalso dolly legs, trailer legs
  The retractable support legs near the front of a semi-trailer.
• Lorryalso truck, HGV
  A heavy goods vehicle used for transporting cargo.
• Overload
  Freight that exceeds the legal or structural weight capacity of a vehicle.
• Overweight
  The condition of a vehicle exceeding its gross or axle weight limits.
• Pilot vehiclealso escort vehicle, pilot car
  A passenger car or light truck that escorts an oversized commercial load.
• Prime moveralso tractor, cab
  The heavy-duty towing vehicle that provides the motive power for hauling a semi-trailer.
• Rigalso big rig, tractor
  A heavy commercial truck, typically a tractor-trailer combination. Shop talk
• Rollbackalso flatbed tow truck, slidebed
  A specialized flatbed tow truck equipped with a hydraulically inclining bed and a winch. Shop talk
• Silo truckalso pneumatic tanker, dry bulk tanker
  A heavy commercial vehicle designed to transport dry bulk powders and granules.
• Skeinalso axle skein, thimble skein
  A historic metallic band or thimble fitted over the wooden axle of a wagon.
• Texas bedalso oilfield bed
  A specialized heavy-duty truck configuration featuring a flatbed deck and a rear-mounted fifth wheel. Shop talk

This area details the logistics of storing, packing, and routing physical goods from manufacturers to their destinations.

• Airbillalso air waybill, AWB
  A non-negotiable shipping document used for freight transported by aircraft.
• Backloadalso Backloading, backhauling
  To fill an empty truck with new freight for its return journey.
• Bulkalso bulk freight, bulk cargo
  Unpackaged, loose cargo transported in large volumes rather than in individual containers or pallets.
• Cargon
  A wheeled metal platform used to move heavy freight without a forklift.
• Circuityalso circuity factor, route circuity
  The ratio of the actual road distance traveled to the direct straight-line distance between two points.
• Consolidatoralso freight consolidator
  A logistics company that combines multiple smaller shipments into full truckloads or containers.
• Countalso piece count
  The exact number of individual items or units contained within a specific package, pallet, or shipment.
• Detention time
  The hours a truck driver spends waiting at a facility beyond the scheduled loading or unloading window.
• Facingalso fronting, blocking
  The retail and warehouse practice of pulling inventory to the front edge of a shelf. Shop talk
• Goodsalso freight, cargo
  Physical merchandise, cargo, or raw materials transported by a freight carrier.
• Handling timealso processing time
  The operational window required to pick, pack, and transfer an order to an outbound freight carrier.
• Hitchment
  The consolidation of freight from different origins into a single shipment under one bill of lading.
• Hub-and-spoke
  A distribution network where all freight moves through a central facility before reaching its final destination.
• Land bridge
  An overland freight route that connects two ocean shipping segments.
• Megacarrier
  A massive freight transport company that operates across multiple modes like rail, truck, and air.
• NOIBN
  An abbreviation for not otherwise indexed by name, used in freight classification.
• P2Palso point-to-point
  A transport model moving freight or passengers directly between origin and destination.
• Shrinkagealso shrink
  The loss of physical inventory between the point of manufacture and the point of sale.
• SKUalso stock keeping unit
  A stock keeping unit used to identify and track specific inventory items.
• Transmodal
  Involving the movement of freight or passengers across multiple different modes of transportation.
• USMCAalso CUSMA, T-MEC
  The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, a free trade treaty governing North American cross-border freight.

This section outlines the schedules, vehicles, and infrastructure that make up municipal passenger transport networks.

• Autobusalso motorbus, bus
  An older term for a motorized passenger bus designed for public road transport.
• BRS
  This acronym stands for bus rapid service, a transit model that improves bus speeds without full dedicated infrastructure.
• BRT
  This initialism stands for bus rapid transit, a high-capacity public transport system using buses on dedicated lanes.
• Bus rapid transit
  A high-quality bus-based transit system that delivers fast, comfortable, and cost-effective services at metro-level capacities.
• Bus replacement servicealso bustitution, rail replacement bus
  A bus replacement service operates in place of a rail route during track closures.
• Bus standalso layover bay, bus bay
  A bus stand is a designated parking area where transit vehicles lay over between scheduled runs.
• Clock-face timetablealso cyclic schedule
  A transit schedule where vehicles depart at consistent, repeating minute intervals every hour.
• Commuter
  A transit system or vehicle designed for daily travel between residential areas and city centers.
• FXalso UV Express, megataxi
  A shared utility vehicle or taxi operating on fixed public transit routes, particularly in the Philippines. Shop talk
• MTCalso STM
  The Montreal Transit Corporation is the public transit agency serving the Island of Montreal.
• MUCTC
  The Montreal Urban Community Transit Corporation was a historic public transit agency operating buses and subways in Montreal.
• Passenger kilometeralso pkm
  A metric representing one passenger traveling a distance of one kilometer.
• PLBalso minibus, maxicab
  Public light bus, a type of shared transport vehicle operating on fixed or semi-fixed routes.
• PTIalso public transport interchange, transit hub
  A public transport interchange where passengers transfer between different modes of travel.
• Roller blindalso destination blind, rollsign
  A mechanical destination sign on older transit vehicles made of a continuous printed scroll.
• TaaSalso MaaS, Mobility as a Service
  A mobility model that shifts users away from personal vehicle ownership toward consuming transport as an on-demand service.
• Transfer
  A change of vehicles or transit lines during a single passenger journey.
• TTC
  The Toronto Transit Commission, the public agency operating buses, streetcars, and subways in Toronto.
• Turning point
  A designated location where a transit vehicle reverses direction to begin its return trip.

This topic breaks down the fare structures, booking codes, and itinerary classifications used by passenger carriers.

• Accommodation on arrivalalso AOA, allocation on arrival
  A package holiday booking where the specific hotel is assigned only after the traveler arrives at the destination.
• Aislealso aisle seat
  A passenger seat located immediately next to the central walkway of an aircraft, bus, or train.
• Allocentric
  Describing a traveler who seeks out novel, adventurous, and non-touristy experiences.
• American planalso AP, full pension
  A hotel billing arrangement that includes the room rate and three daily meals.
• ARNKalso surface sector
  An itinerary segment where a passenger travels by other means before resuming their ticketed journey.
• Bucket shopalso discount agency, consolidator
  A bucket shop is a discount travel agency that sells surplus airline tickets at rock-bottom prices. Shop talk
• Businessalso business class, biz class
  A premium class of airline or rail seating that offers enhanced comfort and service above economy class.
• Connectionalso transfer
  A scheduled transfer of a passenger or cargo from one vehicle to another to complete a journey.
• DMC
  A destination management company that organizes local logistics for tours and corporate events.
• EMAalso Excess mileage charge
  Excess Mileage Allowance is a fee structure applied when a rented or leased vehicle exceeds its contracted distance limit.
• European planalso EP
  A hotel billing arrangement where the room rate covers only the accommodation and excludes all meals.
• Eventscape
  An eventscape is the total physical and atmospheric environment of a venue designed to host public gatherings.
• Excess baggagealso oversized baggage, overweight baggage
  Any passenger luggage that surpasses the weight, size, or piece limits set by a carrier's standard fare rules.
• Excursion fare
  A discounted travel ticket that requires the passenger to meet specific booking conditions.
• Fam tripalso Familiarization trip, famil
  A fam trip is a discounted or free tour provided to travel agents to familiarize them with a destination. Shop talk
• Familalso Familiarisation trip, fam trip
  A famil is the Australian and New Zealand travel industry term for a familiarization trip. Shop talk
• Fast trackalso priority lane, expedited screening
  A dedicated, expedited lane for security screening, boarding, or customs processing.
• FCCalso future cruise credit
  The abbreviation for future cruise credit, a voucher given to passengers for canceled or interrupted sailings.
• Free and easyalso F&E
  A travel package that includes basic components like flights and hotels but leaves the daily itinerary open. Shop talk
• Gatelinealso faregates
  A physical barrier of automated ticket gates that separates the paid and unpaid areas of a transit station.
• Greeter
  A local volunteer who provides free, informal tours of their home city to visitors.
• Guaranteed arrival
  A hotel booking secured by prepayment or a credit card that holds the room regardless of check-in time.
• Implant
  A travel agency employee stationed full-time inside a corporate client's office. Shop talk
• Interline
  Pertaining to travel or freight that involves two or more separate carriers moving on a single ticket or waybill.
• Karozzin
  A traditional Maltese horse-drawn carriage used primarily for passenger transport and tourism.
• Locatoralso PNR, record locator
  A unique alphanumeric code used to identify and retrieve a travel booking.
• MDAC
  The Malaysian Digital Arrival Certificate is a mandatory electronic document for foreign visitors entering Malaysia.
• Modified American planalso MAP, half board
  A hotel billing arrangement that includes the room rate, breakfast, and one other meal, usually dinner.
• MPC
  Mobile Passport Control is an app that speeds up US customs and immigration for eligible travelers.
• Noddy
  A historic two-wheeled carriage pulled by a single horse.
• One-way ticketalso single ticket
  A transit pass that covers travel to a destination without a return journey.
• Overland
  A route or journey that takes place across landmasses rather than by sea or air.
• PCCalso pseudo-city code, office ID
  A code identifying a specific travel agency location within a global distribution system.
• Psychocentric
  Describing a traveler who prefers familiar, predictable, and heavily structured tourism experiences.
• Rack ratealso published rate, walk-in rate
  The highest published price for a hotel room before any discounts or negotiated tariffs are applied.
• Retention line
  A dummy segment added to a passenger name record to prevent the booking system from purging it.
• Return ticketalso round-trip ticket
  A single travel document that covers a passenger's journey to a destination and back to the origin.
• Round trip
  A complete journey that departs from an origin, reaches a destination, and returns to the exact starting point.
• Run of housealso ROH
  A booking agreement where a hotel assigns any available room type at check-in rather than guaranteeing a specific category.
• Seat-milealso ASM, available seat-mile
  A standard industry metric of passenger carrying capacity for transit operations.
• Seat onlyalso flight only
  A travel booking that includes transportation but no accommodation or extra services.
• Segmentalso leg
  A single, continuous leg of a larger travel itinerary or freight route.
• Shoulder season
  The travel period bridging the peak tourist months and the off-peak dead period.
• Single ticketalso one-way ticket
  A fare instrument valid for travel in one direction between two points.
• SIPPalso SIPP code
  The Standard Interline Passenger Procedure code used to classify rental vehicles.
• Six-month club
  A colloquial term for the list of nations exempt from the standard US passport validity requirement. Shop talk
• Ticket machinealso TVM, ticket vending machine
  An automated kiosk where transit passengers can purchase and print travel documents.
• Ticket stamping machinealso validator, canceller
  A device that validates a physical transit fare by printing the current time, date, and location on it.
• Togethering
  A travel industry trend where large extended families or friend groups book vacations as a single unit.
• UTC
  Unable to contact, a status code used when a passenger or driver cannot be reached.
• Walk policyalso bumping policy
  The standard procedure and compensation offered when a confirmed passenger or guest is turned away due to overbooking.
• Winter sun
  A travel industry season and market focused on warm-weather destinations during the colder months.

This collection features the informal nicknames and shorthand used by drivers and dispatchers on the road and radio.

• Alligatoralso gator, road gator
  A large, dangerous strip of shredded tire tread lying on the highway. Shop talk
• Bobtailalso deadhead
  A semi-truck cab driving without a trailer attached. Shop talk
• Bull dust
  A fine, powdery red dirt found on unpaved outback roads that hides deep potholes and traps vehicles. Shop talk
• California rollalso California stop, rolling stop
  A driving maneuver where a vehicle slows but does not completely stop at a stop sign or red light. Shop talk
• Chippiesalso CHPs
  A CB radio slang term for California Highway Patrol officers. Shop talk
• City t*ttyalso Botts' dot, raised pavement marker
  A slang name for a raised pavement marker used to divide traffic lanes. Shop talk
• Elephant racealso turtle race
  A frustrating traffic scenario where one heavy truck attempts to pass another at a very slow relative speed. Shop talk
• Gadgetbahn
  A proposed public transit system that relies on unproven or overly complex technology instead of standard rail. Shop talk
• Hackingalso gypsy cabbing
  Operating a private vehicle as an unlicensed or illegal taxi service. Shop talk
• Rat runalso cut-through
  A minor residential street used by drivers to bypass heavy traffic on main arterial roads. Shop talk
• Spruealso pull-through
  A maneuver where a driver pulls completely through a parking space to face outward in the adjacent spot. Shop talk
• Stick timealso seat time, wheel time
  The total accumulated hours a commercial driver has spent operating a heavy vehicle. Shop talk

This segment identifies the treaties, federal departments, and legal frameworks that govern transportation and freight.

• ADR
  The European treaty governing the cross-border transport of hazardous materials by road.
• ATP
  A United Nations treaty regulating the cross-border transport of perishable food.
• BIC
  The international organization that manages the registration of shipping container identification codes.
• CMAQ
  The Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program is a federal funding source for transport projects.
• CMRalso CMR note, CMR waybill
  The Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road is a UN treaty standardizing freight liability.
• NTL
  The National Transportation Library is a central repository for transportation data and research.
• TIR
  A global customs transit system that allows freight to cross international borders without being inspected or taxed at each checkpoint.
• USDOTalso DOT number
  The United States Department of Transportation, the federal agency regulating interstate travel and commerce.