Talk Trucker To Me
This is what you call a tractor driving down the road without a traler.
What is Bobtail
This is the maximum number of hours a contractor can drive in a single day per DOT regulations.
What is 11 hours?
This is the board code you enter in FM2 to pull up the entire IC fleet.
What is #IC?
This is the percentage of the linehaul rate that ICs are paid.
What is 65%?
It's your first day managing your 5 ICs. What's the FIRST thing you do to introduce yourself and set the tone?
Call each IC personally, introduce yourself, ask about their preferences (home time, lanes), and set communication expectations.
These are the empty miles a truck drives - it can also happen on the way to the shipper.
What is Deadhead?
What is 8 hours?
These are the 4 basic check call items you review on every load in FM2: check call history/notes, appointment times, this distance metric, and Hours of Servce.
What is MTG (Miles to Go)?
IC pay periods run Sunday through Saturday and pay out on this day of the following week.
What is Friday?
Your IC calls and says they've been sitting at a shipper for 3 hours waiting to get loaded. They're frustrated. What do you say and do?
Empathy first ("I understand, that's frustrating") → Action (call the shipper for a status update) → Follow-up (relay a timeline back to the IC, document for potential detention pay).
This coupling device connects the airlines from the tractor to the trailer - and has a friendly name.
What is a Glad Hand?
This is the total on-duty window a contractor has each day - and once it starts, it doesn't pause for anything except a 10-hour break.
What is the 14-hour clock?
In FM2, this status code means "There is a problem" — and should trigger you to pick up the phone immediately.
What is PR?
If an IC doesn't have a bank account set up in Workday, they receive their pay in this format — which takes longer to arrive.
What is a paper check?
You log in Monday morning and see: one IC is "MD" status, another has a load delivering in 2 hours with no loaded call, and a third IC is calling your phone. What do you handle first and why?
Triage thinking. The missing loaded call on a load delivering in 2 hours is the most time-sensitive operational risk. Quickly acknowledge the phone call, then address the MD to assess severity.
This curly wire on the back of the tractor connects the tractor to trailer electrically.
What is a Pigtail?
A contractor has worked 70 hours in an 8-day period. This is how long they must take off before they can regain any hours.
What is 34 hours?
When you need to clear a DRT error in FM2, these are the two fake times you enter into the DRT box.
What are 11:11 and 22:22?
Name 3 of the 6 main sections that make up a driver's settlement statement.
What are (any 3): Pay Settlement/General, Earnings Summary, Deductions, Earnings Detail, Deduction Detail, Net Pay?
A brand-new IC just came out of orientation last week. They call you confused about why their settlement was so low. They don't understand deductions. How do you walk them through it without overwhelming them?
Patience and education. Pull up their settlement, walk through the 6 sections simply, highlight which deductions are mandatory vs. optional, and let them know which ones they can cancel if they choose.
This is the large pin located under the nose of the trailer that locks into the fifth wheel to secure the connecton.
What is a King Pin?
Your IC started their day at 5:00 AM. They've driven 9 hours and been on duty for 13 hours total. It's now 6:00 PM. Name TWO things that are true about their remaining availability.
They have 2 drive hours left AND their 14-hour clock expires at 7:00 PM - so they really only have 1 hour before the clock shuts them down regardless of remaining drive time.
What is the blue arrows?
Your IC calls and says they stop their deductions because too much money is coming out. Name 3 optional deduction elections that an IC could cancel if they chose to.
What are (any 3): ATBS, Driver's Legal Plan, Roadside Masters, DriveWyze, or switching tolls to "pay as incurred"?
DAILY DOUBLE
You're managing 5 ICs. One consistently delivers on time and never complains. Another calls you 3 times a day with questions. A third has been showing "HM" (Home) status for 4 days straight. How do you prioritize your time across all three — and what's your approach with each?