Do you want to drive a lorry or a truck?

It’s funny how British people often say lorry. Sometimes people from other countries don’t recognise what they are talking about.

The reason British use the word is probably because it originated from the verb, ’lurry’ that dates back to the 17th century - meaning to lug or pull about.

Lorry was initially used in Britain to categorise a low-loading trolley, pulled by a horse-drawn vehicle to carry vehicles and other large loads. This is likely to have been the first transport lorry on British roads.

The word truck is also believed to have stemmed from the 17th century. It was a used to describe the small strong wheels on ships’ cannon carriages. The word developed into the description for carts that carried heavy loads.

These names for Heavy Goods Vehicles have been a longstanding Anglo-American debate. But in reality, lorry and truck are now known to mean the same thing.

And as the word truck is more commonly used in American English, and a lot of people who learn English as a second language are taught American-English, it means that truck is sometimes more easily understood.

If fact, one of the notable dictionaries, Collins, give the two words identical meanings.

Lorry − noun (British English)
’A large vehicle that is used to transport goods by road’

Truck − noun (American English)
’A large vehicle that is used to transport goods by road’

So, why do the British still say lorry and Americans say truck?

It’s just the differences in national vocabulary, think of, boot/trunk, bonnet/hood - Londoners fill up with petrol or diesel, New Yorkers stop at the gas station. Brits have one word, Americans have another and they both mean the same thing.

The words have simply become ingrained in their national language. Lorry and truck have both been used to describe HGVs that have been essential to our society since the early 20th century.

If you want to learn to drive a lorry or a truck because the weight of the vehicle will be more than you are permitted to drive on your car licence, you will need to pass a driving test and get LGV entitlement (Large Goods Vehicle) to be able to drive HGV’s (Heavy Goods Vehicle).

Give Wallace School of Transport a call on 0208 453 3440 or take a look at our website www.wallaceschool.co.uk and we will talk you through how to do it.