noun, verb
General Slang
Bobtail
· noun, verb · trucker
A semi-truck driving with no trailer attached — just the tractor unit on its own.
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Definitions
1
A tractor unit rolling without a trailer hooked up. Looks stubby and weird without the box behind it, hence the name — like a dog with a docked tail. Can be a noun (the truck itself) or a verb (the act of driving one that way). Bobtailing is sketchy in the wet: no trailer weight on the drives means the back end wants to swing out under braking.
“I dropped the load in Memphis and bobtailed back to the yard.”
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2
A short-haul straight truck, particularly in the propane delivery world — a small bulk-delivery rig that's all one piece, not a tractor-trailer.
“The bobtail driver topped up our propane tank Tuesday morning.”
by community
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Bobtail In A Sentence
I dropped the load in Memphis and bobtailed back to the yard.
The bobtail driver topped up our propane tank Tuesday morning.
Origin & Usage
From the 19th-century term for a horse with a docked (bobbed) tail, later applied to any short, stubby vehicle. CB radio culture cemented it for tractors running solo.
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