hauliers

Meanings

1. 1nouncountableBritish

   A person or company that transports goods by road, usually in large trucks.

   Grammar: Countable; the singular is "haulier", so say "a haulier" or "several hauliers".

   Patterns

   • a haulier for a company
   • work as a haulier
   • a haulier's lorries

   The port is used by hauliers moving freight between Britain and the continent.

   She set up as an independent haulier with two second-hand lorries.

   Local hauliers complained that the new tolls would raise their costs.

2. 2nouncountableBritish

   A person whose job is driving a large truck that carries goods.

   Grammar: Countable and used mainly in British English; American English normally says "trucker".

   Patterns

   • a long-distance haulier
   • hauliers on strike

   My uncle was a haulier for thirty years, driving between Glasgow and London.

   The strike by hauliers left shelves empty within days.

Word forms

Common combinations

a road haulier

Road hauliers say fuel prices are squeezing their margins.

a long-distance haulier

Long-distance hauliers often sleep in their cabs.

a haulage firm

He sold the farm and bought a haulage firm instead.

hauliers' association

The hauliers' association wants lower fuel duty.

Synonyms and how they differ

trucker

The everyday American word for the driver; it does not usually suggest owning the business.

carrier

A more formal word for a company that moves goods, used in contracts and shipping.

freight company

Refers to the business rather than a single driver, and is not restricted to roads.

Word family

haulage noun

The business or cost of moving goods by road or rail.

haul verb

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

hauler noun

The American spelling and usual American word for a haulage company.

Commonly confused: hauliers or hauler? hauliers or hawker?

Practice

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