Rig vs. Truck — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on November 4, 2023
A rig is a large truck with a semi-trailer; a truck is a generic term for vehicles designed to transport cargo.
Difference Between Rig and Truck
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
A rig typically refers to a combination of a truck tractor and one or more semi-trailers to transport freight. A truck, however, is a broader term that encompasses any motorized vehicle with a chassis and a bed used for hauling goods.
When one mentions a rig, it often implies the presence of a semi-truck, which is equipped for heavy-duty hauling and long-haul services. In contrast, trucks can range from small pickups to large commercial vehicles, not necessarily equipped for long-distance freight transportation.
Rig can also refer to the specific setup of a truck, including its attached trailer and the equipment it carries. The term truck, on the other hand, does not inherently include this level of specificity, instead of referring to the vehicle in isolation, which may or may not include additional hauling capabilities.
Driving a rig usually requires a specialized commercial driver's license due to the size and complexity of the vehicle. Driving a truck, depending on its size and use, may not require special licensing beyond a standard driver's license.
A rig is built and designed to be part of a larger vehicle system, including the cab and trailer, for the purpose of hauling substantial loads. A truck is a single vehicle which may function independently for a variety of uses, including transportation, construction, or personal use.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
A rig is a tractor-trailer combination.
A truck is any motor vehicle for cargo transport.
Usage
Rigs are used primarily for long-haul freight.
Trucks have diverse uses, from delivery to personal transport.
Licensing Required
Rig drivers typically need a CDL.
Truck drivers may only need a standard license.
Components
A rig includes a truck tractor and one or more trailers.
A truck is a standalone vehicle with no required additional components.
Typical Size
Rigs are larger and designed for heavier loads.
Trucks vary in size from small to large.
Compare with Definitions
Rig
A rig is a large vehicle specifically designed for hauling semi-trailers.
The rig was fully loaded with cargo for cross-country delivery.
Truck
Truck sometimes refers specifically to a large, heavy road vehicle.
The truck roared as it carried the heavy load up the hill.
Rig
Provide (a sailing boat) with sails and rigging
The catamaran will be rigged as a ketch
A gaff-rigged cutter
Truck
Truck is used colloquially to refer to pickups or small lorries.
He drove his truck to the market every Sunday.
Rig
Set up (equipment or a device or structure), typically in a makeshift or hasty way
The power plant of the lifeboat had been rigged to explode
He had rigged up a sort of tent
Truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construction, with a cabin that is independent of the payload portion of the vehicle.
Rig
Provide (someone) with clothes of a particular type
A cavalry regiment rigged out in green and gold
Truck
A large, heavy road vehicle used for carrying goods, materials, or troops; a lorry.
Rig
Manage or conduct (something) fraudulently so as to gain an advantage
Charges of vote-rigging
The results of the elections had been rigged
Truck
A railway bogie.
Rig
The particular way in which a sailing boat's masts, sails, and rigging are arranged
A ketch rig
Truck
A wooden disc at the top of a ship's mast or flagstaff, with holes for halyards to slide through.
Rig
A device or piece of equipment designed for a particular purpose
A lighting rig
Truck
Barter.
Rig
A person's costume, outfit, or style of dress
The rig of the American Army Air Corps
Truck
Small wares.
Rig
A truck.
Truck
Market-garden produce, especially vegetables
A truck garden
Rig
A trick or swindle.
Truck
Convey by truck
The food was trucked to St Petersburg
Rig
To provide with a harness or equipment; fit out.
Truck
Barter or exchange.
Rig
To equip (a ship) with sails, shrouds, and yards.
Truck
Any of various heavy motor vehicles designed for carrying or pulling loads.
Rig
To fit (sails or shrouds, for example) to masts and yards.
Truck
A hand truck.
Rig
(Informal) To dress, clothe, or adorn
The costumer rigged out the actors in peasant clothing.
Truck
A wheeled platform, sometimes equipped with a motor, for conveying loads in a warehouse or freight yard.
Rig
To make or construct in haste or in a makeshift manner
Rig up a tent for the night.
Truck
A set of bookshelves mounted on four wheels or casters, used in libraries.
Rig
To manipulate dishonestly for personal gain
Rig a prizefight.
Rig stock prices.
Truck
One of the swiveling frames of wheels under each end of a railroad car or trolley car.
Rig
(Nautical) The arrangement of masts, spars, and sails on a sailing vessel.
Truck
Either of the frames housing a pair of wheels on a skateboard or landboard.
Rig
Special equipment or gear used for a particular purpose.
Truck
(Nautical) A small piece of wood placed at the top of a mast or flagpole, usually having holes through which halyards can be passed.
Rig
A truck or tractor.
Truck
Chiefly British A railroad freight car without a top.
Rig
A tractor-trailer.
Truck
The trading of goods or services without the exchange of money; barter.
Rig
A vehicle with one or more horses harnessed to it.
Truck
Articles of commerce; trade goods.
Rig
The special apparatus used for drilling oil wells and extracting the oil.
Truck
Garden produce raised for the market.
Rig
Western US See saddle.
Truck
(Informal) Worthless goods; stuff or rubbish
"I was mooning over some old papers, or letters, or ribbons, or some such truck" (Edna Ferber).
Rig
(Informal) A costume or an outfit
Wore an outlandish rig to the office.
Truck
(Informal) Dealings; business
We'll have no further truck with them.
Rig
Fishing tackle.
Truck
To transport by truck.
Rig
(nautical) The rigging of a sailing ship or other such craft.
Truck
To carry goods by truck.
Rig
Special equipment or gear used for a particular purpose.
The climbers each had a different rig for climbing that particular rockface.
Truck
To drive a truck.
Rig
(US) A large truck such as a semi-trailer truck.
Every rig at the truckstop had custom-made mud-flaps.
Truck
(Slang) To move or travel in a steady but easy manner.
Rig
The special apparatus used for drilling wells.
Truck
To have dealings or commerce; traffic
They were trucking with smugglers.
Rig
(informal) A costume or an outfit.
My sister and I always made our own rigs for Halloween.
Truck
To exchange; barter.
Rig
A personal computer, typically one modified for looks.
Truck
To peddle.
Rig
An imperfectly castrated horse, sheep etc.
Truck
A small wheel or roller, specifically the wheel of a gun carriage.
Rig
(slang) Radio equipment, especially a citizen's band transceiver.
Truck
The ball on top of a flagpole.
Rig
(animation) A model outfitted with parameterized controls for animation.
Truck
(nautical) On a wooden mast, a circular disc (or sometimes a rectangle) of wood near or at the top of the mast, usually with holes or sheaves to reeve signal halyards; also a temporary or emergency place for a lookout. "Main" refers to the mainmast, whereas a truck on another mast may be called (on the mizzenmast, for example) "mizzen-truck".
Rig
A ridge.
Truck
A heavier motor vehicle designed to carry goods or to pull a semi-trailer designed to carry goods
Mexican open-bed trucks haul most of the fresh produce that comes into the United States from Mexico.
Rig
(obsolete) A wanton; one given to unbecoming conduct.
Truck
A lorry with a closed or covered carriage
Rig
A promiscuous woman.
Truck
A railroad car, chiefly one designed to carry goods
Rig
(obsolete) A sportive or unbecoming trick; a frolic.
Truck
Any smaller wagon/cart or vehicle of various designs, pushed or pulled by hand or (obsolete) pulled by an animal, used to move and sometimes lift goods, like those in hotels for moving luggage or in libraries for moving books.
Rig
(obsolete) A blast of wind.
Truck
Abbreviation of railroad truck or wheel truck; A pivoting frame, one attached to the bottom of the bed of a railway car at each end, that rests on the axle and which swivels to allow the axle (at each end of which is a solid wheel) to turn with curves in the track.
Rig
An algebraic structure similar to a ring, but without the requirement that every element have an additive inverse.
Truck
The part of a skateboard or roller skate that joins the wheels to the deck, consisting of a hanger, baseplate, kingpin, and bushings, and sometimes mounted with a riser in between.
Rig
(transitive) To fit out with a harness or other equipment.
Truck
(theater) A platform with wheels or casters.
Rig
To equip and fit (a ship) with sails, shrouds, and yards.
Truck
Dirt or other messiness.
Rig
To move (a heavy object) with the help of slings, hoists, block and tackle, levers, or similar equipment.
To rig such massive equipment requires experienced riggers
Truck
Small, humble items; things, often for sale or barter.
Rig
To dress or clothe in some costume.
Truck
(historical) The practice of paying workers in kind, or with tokens only exchangeable at a shop owned by the employer [forbidden in the 19th century by the Truck Acts].
Rig
(transitive) To make or construct something in haste or in a makeshift manner.
Rig up a makeshift shelter
Truck
Garden produce, groceries (see truck garden).
Rig
(transitive) To manipulate something dishonestly for personal gain or discriminatory purposes.
To rig an election
Truck
Social intercourse; dealings, relationships.
Rig
To make free with; hence, to steal; to pilfer.
Truck
(intransitive) To drive a truck.
My father has been trucking for 20 years.
Rig
To outfit a model with controls for animation.
Truck
(transitive) To convey by truck.
Last week, Cletus trucked 100 pounds of lumber up to Dubuque.
Rig
To play the wanton; to act in an unbecoming manner; to play tricks.
Truck
To travel or live contentedly.
Keep on trucking!
Rig
A ridge.
Truck
To persist, to endure.
Keep on trucking!
Rig
The peculiar fitting in shape, number, and arrangement of sails and masts, by which different types of vessels are distinguished; as, schooner rig, ship rig, etc. See Illustration in Appendix.
Truck
To move a camera parallel to the movement of the subject.
Rig
Dress; esp., odd or fanciful clothing.
Truck
To fight or otherwise physically engage with.
Rig
A romp; a wanton; one given to unbecoming conduct.
Truck
To run over or through a tackler in American football.
Rig
A sportive or unbecoming trick; a frolic.
Truck
To fail; run out; run short; be unavailable; diminish; abate.
Rig
A blast of wind.
That uncertain season before the rigs of Michaelmas were yet well composed.
He little dreamt when he set outOf running such a rig.
Truck
To give in; give way; knuckle under; truckle.
Rig
To furnish with apparatus or gear; to fit with tackling.
Truck
To deceive; cheat; defraud.
Rig
To dress; to equip; to clothe, especially in an odd or fanciful manner; - commonly followed by out.
Jack was rigged out in his gold and silver lace.
Truck
To tread (down); stamp on; trample (down).
Rig
To play the wanton; to act in an unbecoming manner; to play tricks.
Truck
(transitive) To trade, exchange; barter.
Rig
To make free with; hence, to steal; to pilfer.
Truck
(intransitive) To engage in commerce; to barter or deal.
Rig
Gear (including necessary machinery) for a particular enterprise
Truck
(intransitive) To have dealings or social relationships with; to engage with.
Rig
A truck consisting of a tractor and trailer together
Truck
A small wheel, as of a vehicle; specifically (Ord.), a small strong wheel, as of wood or iron, for a gun carriage.
Rig
Formation of masts, spars, sails, etc., on a vessel
Truck
A low, wheeled vehicle or barrow for carrying goods, stone, and other heavy articles.
Goods were conveyed about the town almost exclusively in trucks drawn by dogs.
Rig
A set of clothing (with accessories);
His getup was exceedingly elegant
Truck
A swiveling carriage, consisting of a frame with one or more pairs of wheels and the necessary boxes, springs, etc., to carry and guide one end of a locomotive or a car; - sometimes called bogie in England. Trucks usually have four or six wheels.
Rig
Gear used in fishing
Truck
A small wooden cap at the summit of a flagstaff or a masthead, having holes in it for reeving halyards through.
Rig
A vehicle with four wheels drawn by two or more horses
Truck
A freight car.
Rig
The act of swindling by some fraudulent scheme;
That book is a fraud
Truck
A frame on low wheels or rollers; - used for various purposes, as for a movable support for heavy bodies.
Rig
Arrange the outcome of by means of deceit;
Rig an election
Truck
A motorized vehicle larger than an automobile with a compartment in front for the driver, behind which is a separate compartment for freight;
Rig
Manipulate in a fraudulent manner;
Rig prices
Truck
Exchange of commodities; barter.
Rig
Connect or secure to;
They rigged the bomb to the ignition
Truck
Commodities appropriate for barter, or for small trade; small commodities; esp., in the United States, garden vegetables raised for the market.
Rig
Equip with sails, masts, etc.;
Rig a ship
Truck
The practice of paying wages in goods instead of money; - called also truck system.
Rig
Rig can refer to the special equipment setup on a vehicle.
He customized his rig with high-end off-road gear.
Truck
To transport on a truck or trucks.
Rig
In oil and gas, a rig is the structure housing equipment for drilling.
The oil rig stood tall against the ocean skyline.
Truck
To exchange; to give in exchange; to barter; as, to truck knives for gold dust.
We will begin by supposing the international trade to be in form, what it always is in reality, an actual trucking of one commodity against another.
Rig
Rig also denotes the arrangement of sails and masts on a ship.
The sailing ship had a traditional square rig.
Truck
To exchange commodities; to barter; to trade; to deal.
A master of a ship, who deceived them under color of trucking with them.
Despotism itself is obliged to truck and huckster.
To truck and higgle for a private good.
Rig
In fishing, a rig is the combination of the rod, reel, line, and other gear.
He caught the trophy fish using a fly fishing rig.
Truck
An automotive vehicle suitable for hauling
Truck
A handcart that has a frame with two low wheels and a ledge at the bottom and handles at the top; used to move crates or other heavy objects
Truck
Convey (goods etc.) by truck;
Truck fresh vegetables across the mountains
Truck
A truck is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo.
The delivery company added a new truck to its fleet.
Truck
In British English, a truck can also mean a railway freight vehicle.
Goods were loaded onto the truck for rail transport.
Truck
The term truck encompasses various commercial vehicles used for hauling.
The construction site was busy with trucks coming and going.
Common Curiosities
Can a truck be called a rig?
Yes, but usually only if it's a semi-truck used for heavy-duty transport.
What distinguishes a rig from a truck?
A rig specifically refers to a truck tractor and attached trailers, while a truck is any cargo-carrying vehicle.
Do you need a special license to drive a rig?
Yes, driving a rig usually requires a Commercial Driver's License (CDL).
Are rigs and trucks subject to the same traffic laws?
Generally, yes, but rigs often face stricter regulations due to their size and weight.
Is a pickup truck considered a rig?
No, pickups are generally not referred to as rigs.
Do rigs always include a semi-trailer?
Typically, yes, a rig includes at least one semi-trailer.
Are all rigs used for long-haul freight?
Most rigs are designed for long-haul, but some may be used for regional hauling.
Can the term truck refer to vehicles other than for road transport?
Yes, in British English, it can also refer to railway freight vehicles.
What types of trucks require a CDL to operate?
Large commercial trucks, especially those combined as rigs, require a CDL.
Can rigs be used for purposes other than transportation?
While primarily for transport, rigs can be equipped for specialized uses like oil drilling.
Are there electric trucks and rigs?
Yes, there are electric models of both trucks and rigs, although less common for rigs.
What is the difference in fuel consumption between a rig and a truck?
Rigs usually consume more fuel due to their larger size and the weight of the cargo.
Can anyone rent a rig or a truck?
Trucks can be rented by anyone with a valid license, but rigs often require a CDL.
Do the terms rig and truck vary by country?
Yes, the understanding of these terms can vary, especially between the US and the UK.
Is maintenance costlier for a rig than a truck?
Yes, due to their complexity and size, rigs generally have higher maintenance costs.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
