Glossary of Truck Accidents Terms
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Cabover (Cab-Over-Engine, COE): Truck or
tractor design in which the cab sits over the engine
on the chassis.
Cargo Weight:
Combined weight of all loads, gear and supplies on a
vehicle.
Cartage Company:
Company that provides local (within a town, city or
municipality) pick-up and delivery.
Cast Spoke Wheel: Wheel with five or six spokes originating from a
center hub. The spoked portion, usually made of cast
steel, is bolted to a multiple-piece steel rim (see
Demountable Rim; Disc Wheel).
CB (Citizens Band Radio):
Two-way radio for which no license is required by
the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Long
beyond its heyday in the '70s, CB is still used by
truckers and motorists for everything from traffic
condition reports to emergency calls to idle
chatter.
CDL (Commercial Driver's License): License which authorizes an individual to operate
commercial motor vehicles and buses over 26,000
pounds gross vehicle weight. For operators of
freight-hauling trucks, the maximum size which may
be driven without a CDL is Class 6 (maximum 26,000
pounds gross vehicle weight).
CE (CF, LP): Distance from back of a truck's cab to the end of
its frame.
CFC:
Chlorofluorocarbon.
CG (Center of Gravity):
Weight center or balance point of an object, such as
a truck body. Calculated to help determine optimum
placement of truck bodies on chassis.
Chassis Weight (Curb Weight, Tare Weight): Weight of the empty truck, without occupants or
load.
CNG: Compressed natural gas.
COFC (Container On Flat Car):
Method of moving shipping containers which involves
transporting them on railroad flat cars.
Common Carrier:
Freight transportation company which serves the
general public. May be regular route service (over
designated highways on a regular basis) or irregular
route (between various points on an unscheduled
basis).
Compensated Intracorporate Hauling:
Freight transportation service provided by one
company for a sister company.
Container (Shipping Container):
Standard-sized rectangular box used to transport
freight by ship, rail and highway. International
shipping containers are 20 or 40 feet long, conform
to International Standards Organization (ISO)
standards and are designed to fit in ships' holds.
Containers are transported on public roads atop a
container chassis towed by a tractor. Domestic
containers, up to 53 feet long and of lighter
construction, are designed for rail and highway use
only.
Container Chassis: Single-purpose semitrailer designed to carry a
shipping container.
Contract Carrier:
Company that transports freight under contract with
one or a limited number of shippers.
Converter Dolly (Dolly): Auxiliary axle assembly equipped with a fifth wheel
(coupling device), towed by a semitrailer and
supporting the front of, and towing, another
semitrailer.
Cube (Cubic Capacity):
Interior volume of a truck body, semitrailer or
trailer, measured in cubic feet.
