What does Short Haul mean?

In trucking, short haul refers to a commercial vehicle being driven over a relatively short distance in a day (i.e., up to 250 miles) and returning to a home base at the end of each shift. This is in contrast to tractor-trailer units driven much farther, such as interstate or between cities—known as long haul or OTR (over the road).

An example of a short haul trip could be a food and beverage delivery truck with a dozen customers to service in a single day, all in the same local area.

Short haul drivers may be exempt from some HOS (Hours of Service) rules and using an electronic logging device (ELD).