Vocabulary for professional drivers – talk to the dispatcher and at the loading dock
A professional driver's vocabulary covers the names of vehicles and trailers, transport documents (CMR, list przewozowy, WZ), words from loading and unloading (awizacja, rampa, plomba), names of roads and manoeuvres, and phrases needed during a breakdown and a roadside inspection. Below you will find about 60 entries with plain explanations, safety phrases and three short dialogues. In a trial lesson we will check how you handle a phone call to the dispatcher or to roadside assistance.
Learning order: from documents to dialogues
First learn the words from documents and loading – you use them on every run. Then move on to the road and breakdowns, and finally practise the dialogues aloud, ideally as a phone call. The glossary is a material for our Polish courses for work – it supplements the Polish course for professional drivers. Phrases useful in any job, e.g. about leave and pay, are collected in our everyday phrasebook for work.
The vehicle
The names of vehicles and their parts are useful when loading, when talking to a workshop and when describing a breakdown.
| Polish word | Meaning and situation |
|---|---|
| ciągnik siodłowy (colloquially: ciągnik) | a lorry that pulls a semi-trailer; “solo” is the tractor unit alone without a trailer |
| naczepa, przyczepa | the part without an engine in which the goods travel |
| zestaw | the tractor unit together with the trailer |
| plandeka (colloquially: firanka) | a trailer with fabric sides that slide open |
| chłodnia | a refrigerated trailer, e.g. for food |
| samochód dostawczy (colloquially: bus, dostawczak) | a small vehicle for carrying parcels and goods |
| opona, koło zapasowe | the rubber on a wheel; an extra wheel for replacement |
| hamulce, lusterka, światła | parts that you check before setting off |
| tachograf | a device that records driving and rest time |
| karta kierowcy | the card you insert into a digital tachograph |
| zbiornik, AdBlue | the fuel tank; a liquid for cleaning exhaust gases in a diesel engine, poured into a separate tank |
Documents
Documents are the most important part of the glossary – they decide whether the goods are accepted and the run is settled.
| Polish word | Meaning and situation |
|---|---|
| prawo jazdy | the document that allows you to drive a vehicle of a given category |
| dowód rejestracyjny | the vehicle's registration document |
| zlecenie transportowe | information from the company: what, from where, to where and by when you are carrying |
| list przewozowy, CMR | a transport document; the CMR is the international consignment note |
| WZ | the document for issuing goods from the sender's warehouse |
| dowód dostawy | a document with the recipient's signature that the goods have arrived |
| pieczątka, podpis | Poproszę o pieczątkę i podpis. |
| uwagi | the place in a document where you write a problem, e.g. damage |
| wydruk z tachografu | a paper printout of data on driving and rest periods |
Loading and unloading
At the ramp you talk to a warehouse worker – usually briefly and to the point, so these words are worth knowing by heart.
| Polish word | Meaning and situation |
|---|---|
| nadawca, odbiorca | the company that sends the goods; the company that receives them |
| awizacja, awizować się | an agreed time for loading or unloading; to announce your arrival |
| okno czasowe | the range of hours in which you have to be on site |
| rampa, brama | the place you back up to for loading |
| podstawić się pod rampę | to back up to the ramp |
| miejsca paletowe | how many pallets fit in the trailer |
| mocowanie ładunku, pasy | securing the goods so that they do not shift |
| maty antypoślizgowe | rubber mats under pallets that reduce shifting |
| plomba | a numbered seal on the trailer doors; Numer plomby się zgadza. |
| przestój | waiting for loading or unloading longer than planned |
| dyspozytor, spedytor | the person who plans your routes; the person who organises the transport |
The road and manoeuvres
You will hear the words in this table in directions from the dispatcher, the warehouse worker or the satnav. We explain the difference between “jechać” and “jeździć” in our guide to verbs of motion.
| Polish word | Meaning and situation |
|---|---|
| autostrada, droga ekspresowa (colloquially: ekspresówka) | fast roads with several lanes in each direction |
| obwodnica | a road around a town |
| zjazd, wjazd, węzeł | an exit from a road, an entrance onto a road, a place where roads join |
| rondo, skrzyżowanie | Na rondzie drugi zjazd. |
| pas ruchu, pas awaryjny, pobocze | the part of the road for driving; places where you stop in a breakdown |
| MOP (miejsce obsługi podróżnych) | a rest area by a motorway or expressway |
| objazd, roboty drogowe | another road because the main one is closed; road repairs |
| korek | cars are standing or moving very slowly |
| skręcić, zawrócić, cofać | to change direction; to go the other way; to drive backwards |
| ograniczenie prędkości, zakaz wjazdu | signs that you must understand |
| pauza, odpoczynek, nocleg | a break in driving; a longer rest; sleeping on the road |
Breakdowns, collisions and roadside inspection
In a difficult situation you have to say quickly what has happened and where you are – practise these words until you can say them without thinking.
| Polish word | Meaning and situation |
|---|---|
| awaria | the vehicle has broken down; Mam awarię, nie mogę jechać dalej. |
| przebita opona (colloquially: złapać gumę) | a hole in a tyre |
| pomoc drogowa, laweta, holowanie | a company that comes to a broken-down vehicle; a truck that takes the vehicle away; towing a vehicle |
| trójkąt ostrzegawczy, kamizelka odblaskowa | you put the triangle out behind the vehicle; you put on the vest when you step onto the road |
| kolizja, wypadek | a collision without injuries; an incident in which someone is injured |
| oświadczenie sprawcy | a document that drivers fill in after a collision when they do not call the police |
| kontrola drogowa | being stopped by the police or a transport inspectorate |
| Inspekcja Transportu Drogowego (ITD) | the service that inspects, among other things, lorries and transport operations |
| mandat | a fine for an offence |
| ważenie pojazdu | checking a vehicle's weight on a scale |
Safety and inspection phrases
During an inspection you most often hear short instructions – understand them and answer calmly, politely and briefly.
| Phrase | What it means and what you do |
|---|---|
| Proszę zjechać na pobocze. | stop safely at the edge of the road |
| Proszę jechać za radiowozem. | follow the police car to the inspection point |
| Proszę zgasić silnik. | switch off the engine |
| Proszę przygotować dokumenty. | show your driving licence, and the vehicle and transport documents |
| Skąd i dokąd pan jedzie? | give the place of loading and unloading |
| Nie rozumiem dobrze po polsku. Czy może pan mówić wolniej? | a polite request when you do not understand |
| Stoję na pasie awaryjnym, kilometr sto dwadzieścia, w kierunku Gdańska. | this is how you give the location of a breakdown on a motorway or expressway – you state the direction by naming the city you are heading towards |
A driver's dialogues
A call to the dispatcher, a conversation at the loading dock and reporting a breakdown are situations in which you need to speak quickly and to the point. Practise them aloud – best with someone who plays the dispatcher or the warehouse worker.
Telefon do dyspozytora (a phone call to the dispatcher)
– Halo, tu Ivan, wiozę towar do klienta.
– Słucham, gdzie jesteś?
– Stoję w korku na obwodnicy. Będę na rozładunku około jedenastej, nie o dziesiątej.
– Dobra, dam znać klientowi. Napisz, jak będziesz na miejscu.
Na rampie (at the ramp)
– Dzień dobry, mam rozładunek, awizacja na dziesiątą.
– Numer zamówienia?
– Proszę, tu jest CMR.
– Brama numer pięć. Proszę się podstawić i otworzyć naczepę.
– Jedna paleta się przechyliła. Wpiszemy to do uwag?
– Tak, zaraz to sprawdzimy.
Awaria na trasie (a breakdown on the road)
– Pomoc drogowa, słucham.
– Dzień dobry, mam przebitą oponę w naczepie.
– Gdzie pan stoi?
– Na autostradzie, kilometr osiemdziesiąt cztery, w kierunku Poznania, na pasie awaryjnym.
– Trójkąt jest wystawiony?
– Tak, a ja jestem w kamizelce.
In the trial lesson you will role-play a conversation with the dispatcher or with a police officer during a check with your teacher – and you will hear what you already say well and what is worth improving.
Frequently asked questions
What does “awizacja” mean in transport?
Awizacja is a loading or unloading time agreed in advance. People also say awizować się – that is, to announce your arrival at the warehouse: Mam awizację na dziesiątą.
How do you let the dispatcher or a customer know you will be late?
Say: Spóźnię się około godziny or Będę spóźniony, jestem w korku. It is good to give the new time straight away: Będę o jedenastej.
What does “złapać gumę” mean?
It is a colloquial expression meaning to get a puncture. When talking to roadside assistance it is better to say it plainly: Mam przebitą oponę.
Vocabulary and conversations from your industry. Book a trial lesson and we will tailor the programme.
See also
- Transport and driversTalking to the dispatcher, loading and unloading, transport documents, roadside inspections and breakdowns.from 99 PLN / lessonRead →
- Workplace phrasesAbout 70 everyday phrases: instructions, schedule, leave, sickness, pay and chatting over coffee.Read →
- Job interviewRecruiter questions, ready answers, the pan / pani form and an employment glossary.Read →