Italy CQC Goods Transport Exam key terms

A driving style that cuts fuel use and wear through smooth acceleration, early upshifting, steady speed, anticipation of traffic and minimal idling, without reducing safety or average journey time.

Slowing the vehicle by releasing the accelerator and using the engine's compression resistance, often with a retarder or exhaust brake, to spare the service brakes on long descents.

Loss of braking efficiency caused by overheating of brake linings or discs after repeated or prolonged braking, typically on long downhill gradients with a laden vehicle.

A supplementary continuous brake, such as a retarder, exhaust brake or hydraulic retarder, fitted to heavy vehicles to control speed on long descents without overheating the service brakes.

The total distance travelled from the moment the driver perceives a hazard until the vehicle halts, combining reaction distance and braking distance; it grows with speed and with mass.

The distance covered while the driver perceives a hazard and moves the foot to the brake, roughly speed in metres per second multiplied by reaction time, typically about one second.

The force opposing wheel motion caused by deformation of tyres and road surface; it rises with under-inflation and load, increasing fuel consumption and tyre heat.

The way cargo mass is spread over the axles and within the load bed, affecting steering grip, braking balance and compliance with permitted axle and total weights.

The set of measures, such as lashing, blocking, wedging and friction mats, that prevent cargo from sliding, tipping or falling during transport, protecting the vehicle and other road users.

The maximum force a lashing or strap assembly is designed to withstand in service, marked on the label and used to calculate how many lashings a given load requires.

The portion of a vehicle's total mass carried by one axle or axle group, which must stay within the manufacturer's and the national legal limits for that configuration.

The maximum total weight of a vehicle including its load, declared by the manufacturer and approved by the authorities, which must never be exceeded on the road.

A recording device fitted to goods vehicles that logs driving time, other work, availability and rest, used by enforcement authorities to check compliance with social rules.

A personalised smart card inserted in the tachograph to identify the driver and store that driver's activity records, which must be downloaded and kept by the operator.

A record the driver adds to the tachograph to account for activities not captured automatically, such as other work, rest or a period spent on a different vehicle.

The total accumulated driving time between the end of one daily or weekly rest and the beginning of the next, normally limited to nine hours and extendable to ten twice a week.

The rule obliging a driver to take a break of at least 45 minutes after four and a half hours of driving, which may be split into 15 minutes followed by 30 minutes.

A continuous rest period of at least 45 hours, or a reduced rest of at least 24 hours, that the driver must take regularly and that is recorded on the tachograph.

Temporary domestic haulage carried out in a host country by a carrier established elsewhere in the EU, allowed only for a limited number of operations after an international delivery.

A harmonised EU authorisation issued to a road transport operator by its home state, proving the right to carry goods internationally and within the Union under common rules.

The notification a carrier submits to the host country's authorities before sending a driver to work temporarily there, listing the driver, the operator and the planned period of activity.

The set of requirements, covering establishment, financial standing, professional competence and good repute, that a haulier must satisfy to be authorised to operate.

The condition of not having been convicted of serious transport-related offences, such as repeated tachograph or road safety violations, required to hold an operator licence.

The requirement to hold sufficient available capital, calculated from the number and type of vehicles operated, to ensure the undertaking can meet its obligations reliably.

The qualification, obtained through examination or recognised experience, that demonstrates the knowledge needed to manage a road transport undertaking lawfully and is required for access to the profession.

The standard international document for road carriage of goods that records the parties, the goods and the terms of carriage, and serves as evidence of the contract.

The carrier's legal responsibility for loss, damage or delay to goods occurring between taking over and delivery, subject to limited defences such as inherent defect or force majeure.

A document accompanying the goods that lists what is being delivered and is signed by the recipient as proof of receipt, often used alongside the consignment note.

The total operating cost of a vehicle divided by the distance it covers, used to build prices and compare routes, and made up of fixed, variable and overhead components.

An expense that arises regardless of how far the vehicle travels, such as insurance, vehicle tax, depreciation or licence fees, and that must be recovered in pricing.

An expense that changes with distance or activity, such as fuel, tyres, maintenance and tolls, forming the largest share of running costs on long routes.

The European agreement governing the international carriage of dangerous goods by road, setting rules on classification, packaging, vehicle equipment, documentation and driver training.

The training certificate a driver must hold to carry dangerous goods, issued after approved instruction and examination and valid for a limited period before refresher training.

The rectangular orange marking bearing hazard identification and UN numbers, displayed on vehicles carrying dangerous goods in quantities above the thresholds set by the ADR rules.

A load whose dimensions or mass exceed the normal legal limits, requiring a special authorisation, an agreed route and often escort or warning measures.

The periodic technical inspection verifying that a goods vehicle meets safety and environmental requirements, with intervals set by national rules and recorded on a certificate.

A code indicating the maximum mass a single tyre can carry at a given speed and pressure, which must be adequate for the axle load actually imposed.

The periodic copying of data from the tachograph unit and driver cards into the operator's systems, required at set intervals so records can be produced to inspectors.