What is power only?
Power only is work where the carrier supplies just the tractor and driver, pulling a trailer that belongs to the shipper, broker or another carrier. No trailer of their own is involved.
It suits operators who have a tractor but no trailer, or whose trailer is committed elsewhere. Preloaded trailers are typically dropped and hooked rather than loaded at the dock.
Because the trailer is not theirs, the carrier's responsibility for its condition and for the freight inside needs to be clear before hooking.
What it means on a dispatch desk
Power only removes the largest capital item from the equation, which makes it a genuine route in for a new operator. The thing to settle in advance is liability for the trailer itself and for anything wrong with a preloaded one, because a driver who hooks without inspecting has accepted whatever is inside and whatever is wrong with the equipment.
Related terms
- Dry vanA dry van is an enclosed trailer with no temperature control, used for freight that needs protection from weather and theft but not refrigeration. It is the most common trailer type on the road.
- FlatbedA flatbed is an open trailer with no sides or roof, used for freight that cannot be loaded through the rear doors of an enclosed trailer, such as steel, lumber, machinery and building materials.
- BobtailBobtailing is driving a tractor with no trailer attached at all. It is distinct from deadhead, which is pulling an empty trailer.
- DrayageDrayage is short-distance trucking that moves a container between a port, rail yard or terminal and a nearby warehouse. The distance is small but the work is dense with waiting and appointment rules.
- Step deckA step deck is a flatbed trailer with two deck heights, the rear section sitting lower than the front. The drop lets it carry taller freight without exceeding legal height limits.
Knowing the term is the easy half
Knowing which carriers are worth calling this morning is the hard half.
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