You've probably noticed that the trucking industry has its own lingo…which can be like a foreign language to the Average Joe. Take a look at a few commonly used terms…you might be able to impress your friends on your next road trip:

Terminal – Fancy trucking term for "office" or "branch"
Commercial Freight – Brand new manufactured items (ex: computers, TV's, exercise equipment). On a household goods move, we put commercial freight on the back portion of the PUP (see definition below) that is unused by the U-Pack customer. The good news is that we make sure it doesn't include anything dangerous or smelly so it doesn't affect your goods.
Bulkhead – This is the divider wall you put in after your goods are in our trailer. Watch how a bulkhead is installed at upack.com.
Liveload – If you live in a metro area like Chicago, Boston or Seattle, you may not get the normal 3 business days to load. Due to parking restrictions, you usually have a 2-4 hour period where our ABF driver waits with the truck while you load.
Spot – Not a word used to describe a stain or blemish. This word is what truckers say when they have dropped off an empty trailer at your home for loading. For example: I just spotted a trailer at Mr. Johnson's house.

PUP – It looks like this…

First things first, PUP is the industry's nickname for a short tractor trailer…it's not a flatbed trailer you hook to the back of your pickup and drive yourself. It is similar to the back part of the 18-wheel trucks you're familiar with seeing on the road - except it's about half as long – 28 ft. as compared to 53 ft. I'm not sure why it's called a PUP, so if you find out, let me know…