Trucking Recruiting & Compliance Glossary
Plain-English definitions of the acronyms and terms US trucking recruiters, safety managers, owner operators and drivers deal with every day.
FMCSA & Compliance
Annual Driving Record Review
The yearly review of each driver's MVR that FMCSA requires every motor carrier to perform.
BOC-3 Filing
The filing that designates process agents in every state a carrier operates in, required for MC authority.
CSA Score (Compliance, Safety, Accountability)
FMCSA's safety measurement system that scores carriers across several categories based on inspection and crash data.
DAC Report
An industry-standard employment history report for commercial drivers, maintained by HireRight.
DOT Medical Card (Medical Examiner's Certificate)
The certificate confirming a driver passed a DOT physical and is medically qualified to drive a CMV.
DQF (Driver Qualification File)
The FMCSA-mandated file each motor carrier must keep on every CDL driver they employ.
Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse
The FMCSA database of CDL driver drug and alcohol violations.
ELD (Electronic Logging Device)
The FMCSA-mandated device that automatically records a commercial driver's Hours of Service.
HOS (Hours of Service)
The FMCSA regulations limiting how many hours a CDL driver can drive and remain on-duty.
HOS 11-Hour/14-Hour Rule
The core federal limits capping daily driving time at 11 hours within a 14-hour on-duty window.
IFTA (International Fuel Tax Agreement)
The agreement among US states and Canadian provinces that simplifies fuel tax reporting for carriers.
IRP (International Registration Plan)
The agreement that apportions vehicle registration fees among states based on miles driven in each.
Motor Carrier Authority (MC Number)
The federal operating authority FMCSA issues allowing a company to transport regulated freight for hire.
MVR (Motor Vehicle Record)
A state-issued driving history report required at hire and annually for every CDL driver.
PSP (Pre-Employment Screening Program)
The FMCSA program that gives carriers access to a driver's 5-year crash and 3-year roadside inspection history.
Road Test (CDL Skills Test)
The behind-the-wheel evaluation confirming a driver can safely operate the specific vehicle type required.
SAP (Substance Abuse Professional)
A credentialed specialist who evaluates and guides drivers back to work after a drug or alcohol violation.
Sleeper Berth Provision
The HOS exception allowing drivers to split required off-duty time between two periods in the sleeper berth.
UCR (Unified Carrier Registration)
The annual federal registration and fee required of most companies operating commercial vehicles interstate.
USDOT Number
The unique federal identifier FMCSA assigns to every company operating commercial vehicles.
Licenses & Endorsements
CDL (Commercial Driver's License)
The state-issued license required to operate a commercial motor vehicle in the US.
CDL-A (Class A Commercial Driver's License)
The CDL class required to operate combination vehicles like tractor-trailers.
CDL-B (Class B Commercial Driver's License)
The CDL class required to operate single large vehicles, like straight trucks and large buses.
Doubles/Triples Endorsement (T Endorsement)
The CDL endorsement required to pull two or three trailers connected together.
Hazmat Endorsement (H Endorsement)
The CDL endorsement required to haul placardable quantities of hazardous materials.
Tanker Endorsement (N Endorsement)
The CDL endorsement required to haul liquid or gas in a tank with a capacity over 1,000 gallons.
Recruiting & Hiring
Cost Per Hire
The total recruiting spend divided by the number of drivers actually hired in a given period.
Cost Per Seated Driver
The total cost to get one driver fully hired, onboarded, and actively running a truck.
Driver Orientation
The onboarding program a new hire completes before being dispatched, covering safety, policy, and paperwork.
Driver Turnover Rate
The rate at which drivers leave a fleet, typically measured annually across the driver workforce.
Lead Rotation
The system for distributing incoming driver leads across recruiters so none sit unworked.
Prescreening
The early qualification step that filters driver applicants before a recruiter invests time in them.
Recruiter Capacity
The number of leads and candidates a single recruiter can effectively work in a given period.
Speed to Lead
The elapsed time between a driver applicant submitting a lead and a recruiter's first contact attempt.
Unseated Truck
A tractor in a carrier's fleet that currently has no assigned driver and is sitting idle.
Routes & Operations
Deadhead Miles
Miles a truck travels empty, without a paying load, usually between delivery and the next pickup.
Dedicated Route
A trucking route where a driver runs the same customer's freight on a consistent, predictable lane.
Local Route
A trucking route that keeps a driver within a small area and home every night.
OTR (Over-the-Road)
Long-haul trucking where drivers are away from home for multiple days to weeks at a time.
Regional Route
A trucking route confined to a multi-state region, typically allowing weekly or more frequent home time.
Team Driving
Two drivers sharing one truck in shifts so it keeps moving nearly around the clock.
Owner Operator Business
Freight Factoring
A financing service where a carrier or owner operator sells unpaid invoices for immediate cash.
Lease On (Lease Agreement)
The contract under which an owner operator runs their truck under a carrier's operating authority.
Lease Purchase
An arrangement where a driver leases a truck from a carrier with payments applied toward eventually owning it.
Owner Operator
A truck driver who owns or leases their own truck and contracts their services to carriers or shippers.