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. Only 36.7% of surveyed storage facilities confirm it. 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
Spaces here are priced by the stall, not by what 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 at $89 a month.
- A 53-foot trailer aloneAround 53 feet plus landing gear clearance. Fits the 55-foot stall at about $115.
- 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 at $154.99 to $194.99.
- 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.
Now you know what to book
Truck parking from $89 a month and 8×20 vaults from $88, five minutes off I-10 in Brookshire.