general haulage

Meanings

1. 1noununcountablebusiness

   The business of carrying ordinary goods by road for many different customers, rather than one special type of load.

   Grammar: Uncountable: no plural and no 'a' — say 'a general haulage company', not 'a general haulage'.

   Patterns

   • general haulage company
   • work in general haulage
   • general haulage operator

   He drives for a general haulage company that moves everything from furniture to food.

   General haulage is less specialized than tanker or refrigerated transport.

   The firm started with general haulage and later moved into construction materials.

2. 2noununcountablebusiness

   The transport of mixed, non-specialized loads, as opposed to a dedicated or specialist service.

   Grammar: Often used before another noun, as in 'general haulage work' or 'general haulage fleet'.

   Patterns

   • general haulage work
   • general haulage fleet
   • general haulage contract

   The depot handles general haulage as well as container work.

   They won a general haulage contract to supply several supermarkets.

Common combinations

general haulage company

A general haulage company picked up the pallets the next morning.

general haulage operator

As a general haulage operator, she carries all kinds of legal loads.

general haulage fleet

The general haulage fleet includes curtainsiders and flatbeds.

work in general haulage

He has worked in general haulage for twenty years.

general haulage contract

The general haulage contract covers deliveries across three counties.

Synonyms and how they differ

road freight

A broader term for goods moved by road, including specialist loads; 'general haulage' stresses that the loads are mixed and ordinary.

trucking

The American everyday word for moving goods by truck; 'general haulage' is the more technical British industry term.

Opposites

Word family

haulage noun

The business or cost of transporting goods, especially by road.

haulier noun

British word for a company or person that transports goods by road.

haul verb

To pull or transport something heavy, often over a long distance.

Commonly confused: general haulage or haulage?

Practice

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