| u’ve ever heard a couple of truckers chatting | | | | fork lift truck driver. |
| between road haulage trips in the UK, you may have | | | | Shed |
| found yourself baffled by the assortment of phrases | | | | The ‘shed’ is simply the term for the |
| and expressions littered throughout the conversation. | | | | warehouse – think of it as where the |
| Well, consider the confusion gone; as I lift the lid on | | | | ‘forkies’ live. |
| the mystery of haulage company speak: | | | | Bun Wagon |
| Wagon | | | | I must admit, I was lost for words when I first heard |
| Wagon’s just a standard term for | | | | this little gem slipped into conversation. What it |
| one’s haulage vehicle. In my experience, UK | | | | actually refers to is one of those mobile fast food |
| road haulage workers are fiercely proud of the | | | | vans, which is often overly tempting to a haulage |
| ‘wagons’ and make every effort to | | | | company worker with a rumbling stomach! |
| make them as glamorous and comfortable a space | | | | Back Loads |
| as possible. Which seems fair enough, considering | | | | In normal deliveries, you take your |
| how long they have to spend in such a tiny space. | | | | ‘load’ up to the delivery point, then |
| Tramping | | | | drive back and collect another. The back load is a |
| This one is as a direct result of making the | | | | clever solution to save on fuel costs, where the |
| ‘wagon’ comfortable – many | | | | driver arranges to make another pickup at the drop |
| heavy haulage and logistics drivers will take to spend | | | | off point, allowing them to earn a little more and |
| days at a time camped out in their | | | | save on fuel costs with a well timed delivery on the |
| ‘wagons’. Extended stays in this | | | | journey home. |
| ‘home away from home’ is | | | | Milk Run |
| affectionately known as ‘tramping’. | | | | If a haulage company’s driver has a days |
| Cab | | | | work composing of quite a few deliveries on a set |
| Technically, the part of the ‘wagon’ | | | | route, the day’s work is playfully described as |
| that the haulage company workers will spend their | | | | a ‘milk run’. |
| time ‘tramping’ in is the front section | | | | Finally, there are a couple of expressions that |
| of the lorry with the controls. This part is known, in | | | | workers in the UK road haulage industry are well |
| the UK road haulage industry, as the | | | | used to hearing, much to their frustration: |
| ‘cab’. | | | | “It’s only 2 inches on the map |
| Fitter | | | | – what’s taken you so long?” |
| The fitter is, as you might expect, a mechanic | | | | Usually delivered in a frustrated tone, to regular |
| charged with fixing up faulty haulage vehicles. With | | | | haulage company drivers, inches on a map can be |
| the daily use the ‘wagons’ take, its | | | | easily translated into an approximate delivery time! |
| no wonder that a trip to the ‘fitter’ is | | | | “I’ll call you back in a minute” |
| a regular, but unwelcome part of the UK road | | | | In more professions, this means exactly what it says: |
| haulage worker’s schedule. | | | | you will be called back shortly, because |
| Forky | | | | something’s come up. In the world of heavy |
| While it’s tempting to consider this is a | | | | freight and logistics, this almost universally means |
| delightful colloquialism for cutlery, in the same way as | | | | “I have tired of talking to you now, and am |
| “knifey” or “spooney” | | | | going to end the conversation. |
| would be, it’s actually just the term for a | | | | |