The OTR O/O pulled into the scales and then off to the side for a random DOT inspection. They declared him OOS and added CSA points to his record because not only was his CDL out of date, but he was also over on his HOS, his PTI hadn’t been done, his ERG was several years too old, and because his ECM was malfunctioning, he was in direct violation of regulations set down by CARB.
For someone new or unfamiliar with the business, such a situation might just as well be Chinese. The number of acronyms related to the trucking industry is numerous, but we’ve put together a list of some you might run across.
| Acronym | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 3PL | Third-party Logistics Provider | |
| A | ||
| AAMVA | American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators | |
| AAPA | American Association of Port Authorities | |
| AASHTO | American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials | |
| APU | Auxiliary Power Unit | |
| AVI | Automatic Vehicle Identification | (an onboard transponder) |
| AVL | Automated Vehicle Location | (locates a vehicle for fleet management or stolen vehicles) |
| B | ||
| BBC | Bumper to Back of Cab | (the distance between the front bumper and the back of the cab) |
| bhp | Brake HorsePower | |
| BTS | Bureau of Transportation Statistics | |
| C | ||
| CARB | California Air Resources Board | |
| CBP | Customs Border Protection | |
| CDL/CLP | Commercial Driver License/Commercial Learners Permit | |
| CDLIS | Commercial Drivers License system | |
| CG | Center of Gravity | |
| CMV | Commercial Motor Vehicle | |
| CNG | Compressed Natural Gas | |
| COE | Cab-Over Engine or Cabover | |
| COFC | Container on FlatCar | (shipping containers on railroad flat cars) |
| COOL | Credentialling Opportunities On-Line | (for drivers coming out of military service) |
| CPM | Cents Per Mile | |
| CSA | Compliance, Safety, Accountability | |
| CVO | Commercial Vehicle Operations | |
| D | ||
| DC | Distribution Center | |
| DOD | Department of Defense | |
| E | ||
| ECM or ECU | Electronic Control Module or Electronic Control Unit | |
| EDI | Electronic Data Interchange | |
| EOBR/ELD | Electronic On-Board Recorders, which became Electronic Logging Devices | |
| ERG | Emergency Response Guidebook | (needed for Hazmat or Hazardous Materials) |
| F | ||
| FAK | Freight All Kinds | |
| FAST | Free and Secure Trade | |
| FHWA | Federal HighWay Administration | |
| FMCSA | Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration | |
| FTZ | Free Trade Zone | |
| G | ||
| GAWR | Gross Axle Weight Rating | |
| GCW | Gross Combination Weight | |
| GVW | Gross Vehicle Weight | |
| GVWR | Gross Vehicle Weight Rating | |
| H | ||
| HHG | House Hold Goods | |
| HOS | Hours of Service | |
| I | ||
| ICC | Interstate Commerce Commission | |
| IFTA | International Fuel Tax Agreement | (an arrangement between Canada and the United States) |
| IRP | International Registration Plan | |
| ITHS | Intelligent Transportation Highway Systems | |
| ITS | Intelligent Transportation Systems | (replaced ITHS |
| J | ||
| JIT | Just-in-time | (freight that must be on location by an exact time) |
| L | ||
| LCU | Long Combination Vehicle | |
| LO/LO cargo | Lift-On/Lift-Off cargo | (must be lifted on and off a trailer) |
| LOS | Level of Service | (a qualitative assessment of a road’s operating condition) |
| LTL | Less than TruckLoad | (includes freight between 100-20,000 pounds, and needing trailers less than 48 or 53 feet. |
| M | ||
| MC | Motor Carrier | |
| MVR | Motor Vehicle Report | |
| N | ||
| NAFTA | North American Free Trade Agreement | |
| NASTC | National Association of Small Trucking Companies | |
| NDR | National Driver Registry | |
| NHS | Nation Highway System | |
| NTSB | National Transportation Safety Board | |
| O | ||
| O/O | Owner Operator | |
| OODIA | Owner Operator Independent Driver Association | |
| OOSO/OOS | Out Of Service Orders/Out Of Service | |
| OS&D | Over, Short & Damaged | (goods which arrive damaged and a claim is filed against a carrier) |
| OTR | Over the Road | |
| P | ||
| P&D | Pick-up & Delivery | |
| PO | Purchase Order | |
| POD | Proof of Delivery | |
| POE | Port of Entry | |
| POS | Point of Sale | |
| PR | Ply Rating | (for tires) |
| PTI | Pre-Trip Inspection | |
| PTO | Power Take Off | (a device that transmits engine power to auxiliary equipment such as hydraulic pumps |
| R | ||
| RFG | ReFormulated Gasoline | |
| RFID | Radio Frequency | |
| RO/RO cargo | Roll-On/Roll-Off cargo | (Cargo that has wheels or chassis which can be driven on or off) |
| RQ | Reportable Quantities | (associated with Hazmat) |
| RTV | Return to Vendor | |
| S | ||
| SED | Shipper’s Export Declaration | |
| SKU | Stock Keeping Unit | |
| T | ||
| TEU | Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit | |
| TIDA | Trucking Industry Defense Association | |
| TL | Truck Load | |
| TOFC | Trailers on Flat Cars | (Trailers or semitrailers on Railroad Flat Cars) |
| U | ||
| UFC | Uniform Freight Classification | |
| ULEV | Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle | |
| USDOT | United States Department of Transportation | |
| V | ||
| VMRS | Vehicle Maintenance Reporting Standards | |
| VMT | Vehicle Miles of Travel | |
| W | ||
| WIM | Weigh-in-motion | (a vehicle’s weight is determined in a way that it does not have to stop) |
