Fuel for Thought

IYKYK

New truck drivers will hear these acronyms and abbreviations thrown about by others in the industry and not really know what they mean, so I compiled a short list of the more common ones (there are many others).

FMCSA - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

FMCSR - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations

CVSA - Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance

CSA - Compliance, Safety, Accountability

DOT - Department Of Transportation

NHTSA - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 

FMVSS - Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards

CMV - Commercial Motor Vehicle

DEF - Diesel Exhaust Fluid

DOC - Diesel Oxidation Catalyst

DPF - Diesel Particulate Filter

SCR - Selective Catalytic Reduction

EGR - Exhaust Gas Recirculation

GHG - GreenHouse Gas

NOX - Nitrogen Oxide

CAC - Charge Air Cooler

CDL - Commercial Driver’s License

ICOA - Independent Contractor Operating Agreement

ELD - Electronic Logging Device

HOS - Hours Of Service

GPS - Global Positioning System

EIA - Energy Information Administration

IFTA - International Fuel Tax Association

FSC - Fuel SurCharge

RPM - Rate Per Mile

CPM - Cost Per Mile (or Cents Per Mile)

FB - Freight Bill

RC - Rate Confirmation (RateCon)

POC - Point Of Contact

POD - Proof Of Delivery

PSI - Pounds per Square Inch

RR - Rolling Resistance

ABS - Anti-lock Brake System

ATC - Automatic Traction Control

TPMS - Tire Pressure Monitoring System

GVW - Gross Vehicle Weight

GVWR - Gross Vehicle Weight Rating

VIN - Vehicle Identification Number

CB - Citizens Band Radio

AM - Amplitude Modulation

FM - Frequency Modulation

APU - Auxiliary Power Unit

PM - Preventive Maintenance

SCAC - Standard Carrier Alpha Code

HM - Hazardous Materials (HazMat)

HRHAZ - High Risk Hazardous Materials

HMSP - Hazardous Materials Safety Permit program

FAK - Freight All Kinds

HHG - HouseHold Goods

OS - OverSize

OW - Over Width (OverWeight)

OL - Over Length

These are just some of the abbreviations and acronyms used everyday in the trucking industry. Some of these you might see or use daily. Sometimes you might have a sense of how it is used, and the general meaning of it, without knowing the actual wording behind the abbreviations. I purposefully omitted many terms that came about during the height of the CB years. As CB usage from new drivers has been on the decline for the past several years, I chose to ignore the CB slang and stick with common abbreviations and acronyms. 

IYKYK (If You Know, You Know)... and now you know.

Those people who develop the ability to continuously acquire new and better forms of knowledge that they can apply to their work and to their lives will be the movers and shakers in our society for the indefinite future. 

 - Brian Tracy

See you down the road,

Greg