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Hard Hat North Long-Haul Trucking Guide
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Trucking glossary

The jargon you hear on day one and quietly look up that night. A one-page reference for the terms this whole site uses.

Key facts

Terms defined
24
Class 1
AB, BC, SK, MB name for the tractor-trailer licence
AZ
ON, QC name for the same tractor-trailer licence
Checked
2026-09-08

Terms tied to a specific cost, hour requirement, or regulation link to the page on this site that covers it in depth and sources it properly -- this page defines the word, it doesn't repeat the numbers.

AZ
Ontario and Quebec's name for the tractor-trailer licence class. Same thing as "Class 1" in Alberta, BC, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba -- see /licensing/.
Bobtail
Driving a tractor without a trailer attached.
Chaining up
Putting tire chains on for winter/mountain driving conditions where they're required or advisable.
Class 1
The tractor-trailer licence class in Alberta, BC, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Called "AZ" in Ontario. See /licensing/.
Clearinghouse
The FMCSA Commercial Driver's License Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse -- a US federal database of CDL holders' drug and alcohol program violations. See /drug-testing/.
Cycle 1 / Cycle 2
The two hours-of-service weekly limit options under the federal Commercial Vehicle Drivers Hours of Service Regulations (section 26): 70 hours on-duty in 7 days (Cycle 1) or 120 hours in 14 days (Cycle 2), depending on which cycle a carrier runs. Checked 2026-09-08.
Deadhead
Driving with an empty trailer (or no trailer) to get to the next load -- unpaid or lower-paid distance from the driver's perspective in most per-mile pay structures.
Drop and hook
Dropping off a loaded or empty trailer at a yard and hooking up to a different one already there, instead of waiting through a live load/unload -- much faster than waiting at a dock.
Dry van
A standard enclosed box trailer with no temperature control -- the most common trailer type for general freight.
ELD
Electronic logging device -- the hardware that automatically records a driver's hours-of-service data, largely replacing paper logbooks.
FAST card
A joint Canada-US program giving pre-approved commercial drivers access to faster dedicated lanes at some border crossings. See /cross-border/.
Flatbed
An open trailer with no sides or roof, used for loads that don't fit in or need to be loaded from the top/side of an enclosed trailer (lumber, steel, machinery).
HOS
Hours of service -- the federal rules limiting how many hours a driver can drive and be on duty before a mandatory rest period. See /life-on-the-road/.
LOA
Living-out allowance -- a per-diem style payment some employers pay to cover meals and lodging while away from home. See /taxes/ for how this interacts with your own tax claim.
Logbook
The record -- paper or, since the ELD mandate, mostly electronic -- of a driver's hours of service. Also the everyday word for the trip records CRA's tax rules ask a long-haul driver to keep. See /taxes/.
LTL
Less-than-truckload -- freight that doesn't fill a full trailer, consolidated with other shippers' freight, typically involving more stops and dock time than a full truckload run.
MELT
Mandatory entry-level training -- the minimum hours of classroom, in-yard, and behind-the-wheel training every province now requires before a Class 1/AZ road test. See /licensing/ and /licence-cost/.
Reefer
A refrigerated trailer with its own temperature-control unit, used for perishable freight.
Spotter / shunt driver
A driver who moves trailers around a yard or distribution centre rather than driving over the road.
Super-B
Two trailers connected by a fixed "B-train" dolly rather than a separate converter dolly, common for hauling extra-heavy or bulk loads (fuel, grain, logs) under provincial configurations that allow it.
TDG
Transportation of Dangerous Goods -- the federal certification required to handle or transport dangerous goods, issued by your employer rather than a government office. See /cross-border/.
TL2
The CRA form (Claim for Meals and Lodging Expenses) transport employees use to calculate a meal/lodging tax deduction. See /taxes/.
TWIC
Transportation Worker Identification Credential -- a US TSA credential needed only to access secure areas of a US maritime port facility or vessel, not for a standard border crossing. See /cross-border/.
Q endorsement / air brake endorsement
The add-on to a driver's licence certifying they're trained on air brakes, required for almost all tractor-trailer combinations. See /licensing/.

Sources

Last checked 2026-09-08.

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between Class 1 and AZ?

Nothing functional -- they're the same tractor-trailer licence class under different provincial naming. Alberta, BC, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba call it Class 1; Ontario and Quebec call it AZ.

What does 'deadhead' mean and does it affect pay?

Deadheading means driving without a loaded trailer (or without a trailer at all) to reposition for the next load. In a per-mile pay structure, deadhead miles are often paid at a lower rate than loaded miles, or not at all, depending on the carrier -- see /pay/ for how pay structures work.

Is an ELD the same thing as a logbook?

An ELD (electronic logging device) is the hardware; the logbook is the record it produces. Most fleets now use an ELD instead of a paper logbook to track hours of service automatically.

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