Glossary of Terms
There are 74 entries in this glossary.B
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Baffle |
A partition or separator within a liquid tank, used to inhibit the flow of fluids within the tank. During acceleration, turning, and braking, a large liquid-filled tank may produce unexpected forces on the vehicle due to the inertia of liquids. |
| Bill of lading (BOL) |
A paper document between a shipper and a carrier acknowledging the receipt of goods for transport. Usually describes the nature of the cargo; hazardous materials classification (if any); amount of cargo by weight, size, and/or number of pallets, boxes, barrels, etc; and the origin and destination of the cargo. |
| Bobtail |
Tractor without a trailer. |
| Box truck |
A smaller single-unit, non-articulated truck, usually having between 6 and 10 wheels. |
| Broker |
A person or company which arranges for the truck transportation of cargo belonging to others, utilizing for-hire carriers to provide the actual truck transportation. |
| Bulk cargo |
Bulk cargo is commodity cargo that is transported unpackaged in large quantities. These cargos are usually dropped or poured, with a spout or shovel bucket, as a liquid or solid, into a bulk carrier's hold, railroad car, or tanker truck/trailer/semi-trailer body. Bulk cargos are classified as liquid or dry. |
| Bulkhead |
A strong wall-like structure placed at the front of a flatbed trailer (or on the rear of the tractor) used to protect the driver against shifting cargo during a front-end collision. A bulkhead may also refer to any separator within a dry or liquid trailer (also called a baffle for liquid trailers) used to partition the load. |