Reference · Brookshire, TX
Truck parking and storage terms, in plain English
Bobtail, drop lot, deadhead, kingpin, drive-up unit. The vocabulary that gets used around a yard without anyone explaining it — defined here, with a link to the page that sells the thing where there is one.
3485 FM 362, Brookshire, TX 7742335 terms · truck, trailer, yard and storage
The terms
What people mean when they say it
Grouped by where you will hear them, with a link to the relevant page where there is one. Nothing here is specific to LockRig except the vault, which is our own name for an 8×20 drive-up unit — everything else is the ordinary vocabulary of a yard, written down because nobody ever explains it and most people are too sensible to ask.
The truck
- BobtailA tractor unit driven or parked without a trailer attached. See more
- Day cabA tractor with no sleeper berth, built for runs that end at home. See more
- Sleeper cabA tractor with a berth behind the seats for resting on multi-day runs.
- TractorThe powered unit that pulls a trailer. Also called the cab or the power unit.
- SemiA tractor coupled to a semi-trailer. Also 18 wheeler, tractor trailer or big rig — all the same vehicle. See more
- Straight truckA truck where cab and cargo body sit on one frame, rather than a separate tractor and trailer. See more
- Box truckA straight truck with an enclosed cargo box. Also cube truck, box van or cargo box truck. See more
- Cargo vanA panel van with no rear windows, used by trades and couriers. A Sprinter is one common type. See more
The trailer
- Dry vanAn enclosed, unrefrigerated trailer. The most common box on the road. See more
- ReeferA refrigerated trailer, carrying its own cooling unit and fuel. See more
- FlatbedAn open trailer with no sides or roof, loaded from any direction.
- Pup trailerA short trailer, typically 26 to 32 feet, often run in pairs. See more
- KingpinThe pin under the trailer nose that locks into the tractor's fifth wheel.
- Fifth wheelThe coupling plate on the tractor that the trailer kingpin locks into.
- Landing gearThe legs that hold a trailer level when it is not coupled to a tractor.
- TandemThe pair of axles under a trailer, often slidable to shift weight distribution.
The yard
- Drop lotA yard where a trailer is left without its tractor, to be collected later. See more
- Drop and hookLeaving one trailer and collecting another, rather than waiting to load. See more
- StallOne marked parking space. Priced by length and width rather than by vehicle. See more
- Blindside parkingBacking into a space on the driver's off side, where the mirror view is poor. A yard with no blindside stalls has none. See more
- Pull-throughA stall you enter and leave forward, without reversing.
- No-exit loopA yard laid out so vehicles enter and leave the same way, with no through route. See more
- DeadheadDriving empty. Every mile of it is cost with no revenue against it.
- IOSIndustrial outdoor storage — yard space leased for vehicles, containers or equipment.
Storage
- Drive-up unitA storage unit at ground level you reverse a vehicle to, with no corridor or lift. See more
- Storage vaultLockRig's 8×20 all-steel drive-up unit. 160 square feet, double swing doors, no shared walls. See more
- Climate controlledA unit held at a stable temperature and humidity. Vaults are not — they are sealed but outdoor. See more
- Roll-up doorA shutter that rolls overhead. Common in corridor units and narrower than the opening it sits in.
- Swing doorsHinged doors that open the full width of the unit. What a vault has. See more
- Ground levelNo lift, no stairs, no ramp. The floor is the same height as the yard. See more
Hours & access
- HOSHours of service — the federal limits on how long a driver may drive before resting.
- 24/7 accessIn and out at any hour, every day. See more
- Gate codeA PIN entered at the gate. A shared code is not access control; an individual credential is. See more
- App accessGate entry from a phone, issued per person, so each entry is attributable. See more
- Resident managerContinuous on-property management, rather than a patrol or an office that closes. See more
Sizing
The measurement that decides the rate
Every standard stall here is $129.99 a month or $14.99 a day, whatever you drive. These are the numbers that matter when you are working out which one you need.
- A tractor aloneRoughly 20 to 25 feet. Fits the 40-foot stall.
- A 53-foot trailer aloneAround 53 feet plus landing gear clearance. Fits the 55-foot stall.
- A full combinationRoughly 70 to 75 feet. Needs the 80-foot stall at $129.99.
- A 26-foot box truckUnder 30 feet overall. The 40-foot stall is plenty.
- Standard stall width11.6 feet. Wide loads take 13, 13.6 or 14.6-foot stalls; call 1-844-LOCK-RIG for the rate.
- An 8×20 vault160 square feet of floor, twenty feet of it in a straight line — long enough for 16-foot material, which a 15-foot indoor unit cannot take at all.
- Length, not areaTwo units can have near-identical floor area and take completely different loads. A 10×15 is 150 square feet; a vault is 160. The five extra feet of length is what decides whether the lumber goes in.
The whole rate card is published — no quote form, no callback.
Questions
The ones people actually ask
What is a bobtail?
A tractor unit driven or parked without a trailer attached. A day cab is the short version without a sleeper berth.
What is the difference between a semi, an 18 wheeler and a tractor trailer?
Nothing. They are three names for the same vehicle: a tractor coupled to a semi-trailer. Big rig is a fourth.
What is a drop lot?
A yard where a trailer is left without its tractor, to be collected later by the same operation or a different driver.
What does blindside parking mean?
Backing into a space on the driver's off side, where mirror visibility is poor. A yard with no blindside stalls has none of them.
What is a drive-up storage unit?
A unit at ground level that you reverse a vehicle to, with no corridor, lift or trolley between the vehicle and the door.
Find the yard
Five minutes north of I-10, exit 732
3485 FM 362, Brookshire, TX 77423 — tap the map and Google Maps takes you straight to the gate.
The entrance is signed from the road — no hunting an unmarked driveway in the dark.
Now you know what to book
Truck parking $129.99 a month or $14.99 a day, and 8×20 vaults from $88, five minutes off I-10 in Brookshire.