View source for Trucker's hitch

{{Short description|Type of knot}}
{{Infobox knot
| image=TruckersHitchUsingAlpineButterfly2.jpg
| caption= Trucker's hitch with [[alpine butterfly loop]]
| name=Trucker's hitch
| names=dolly knot, Wakos transport knot,<ref name="wakos">{{Citation|author=Lofty Wiseman|title=The Sas Survival Handbook}}</ref> lorry driver's hitch,<ref name="pawpock">{{Citation|author=Des Pawson|title=Pocket Guide to Knots & Splices|location=Edison, NJ|publisher=Chartwell Books, Inc.|year=2002|page=142}}</ref> harvester's hitch,<ref name="pawpock"/> hay knot,<ref name="aksday">{{citation|author=Cyrus Lawrence Day|title=The Art of Knotting and Splicing|edition=4th|location=Annapolis|publisher=Naval Institute Press|year=1986|page=116}}</ref> sheepshank cinch,<ref name="aksday"/> trucker's dolly,<ref name="perryknots">{{Citation|author=Gordon Perry|title=Knots|location=North Vancouver|publisher=Quantum Publishing|year=2006|pages=134–135}}</ref> wagoner's hitch,<ref name="perryknots"/> power cinch,<ref name="jacobson">{{Citation|title=Wilderness Canoeing & Camping|author=Cliff Jacobson|year=1977|publisher=Dutton|page=118|quote=...there seems to be no widely accepted name for this hitch, so I took the liberty of naming it the power-cinch}}</ref> rope tackle<ref name="riley1912">{{cite journal|last=Riley|first=Howard W.|journal=The Cornell Reading-Courses|title=Knots, Hitches, and Splices|series=Rural Engineering Series No. 1|volume=1|issue=8|publisher=New York State College of Agriculture at Cornell University|location=Ithaca, NY|date=January 1912|page=1428|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bNNKAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA1428|access-date=2011-11-08}} As collected in ''Documents of the Assembly of the State of New York'', 136th Session, 1913, Vol. 19, No. 29, Part 5.</ref>
| type=hitch
| strength=
| origin=
| uses=Making a rope very tight, such as to secure an object to a vehicle
| releasing=
| related= [[versatackle knot]], [[sheepshank]]
| caveat=Can produce excessive wear on rope, especially if tied repeatedly in the same spot<ref name="riley1912"/>
| abok_number=#1514, #2124, #2125, #2126
| instructions= [http://www.animatedknots.com/truckers/]
}}
{{For|the Ylvis song|Trucker's Hitch}}

The '''trucker's hitch''' is a compound [[knot]] commonly used for securing loads on [[truck]]s<ref name="nzroadcode">{{Citation|title=Heavy Vehicle Road Code|location=New Zealand|year=2016|url=https://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/roadcode/heavy-vehicle-road-code/tlc-general-requirements/load-securing-equipment/=}}</ref> or [[Trailer (vehicle)|trailers]]. The general arrangement, using [[loop (knot)|loops]] and [[Turn (knot)|turn]]s in the [[rope]] itself to form a crude [[block and tackle]], has long been used to tension lines and is known by multiple names.<ref name="pawpock"/><ref name="aksday"/>  Knot author Geoffrey Budworth claims the knot can be traced back to the days when [[wikt:carter|carter]]s and [[Hawker (trade)|hawker]]s used horse-drawn conveyances to move their wares from place to place.<ref name="budult">{{Citation|title=The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Knots|author=Geoffrey Budworth|location=London|publisher=Hermes House|year=1999|pages=224–225}}</ref>

==Variations==
The portion of the trucker's hitch which differs in the following variations is the method used to form the loop which the [[working end]] slides through to produce the [[mechanical advantage]].  The different methods of forming the loop affect the ease and speed of tying and releasing, and the stability of the final product.

The variations are presented in order of increasing stability.

===Sheepshank style loop===
This version of the knot uses a [[sheepshank]],<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBh7_cw2-1s&t=300s very practical, quick, traditional trucker's hitch</ref> in this kind of application also known as a ''bell ringer's knot'', to form the loop.  It is quicker to make than a fixed loop, but is less dependable.<ref name="pawpock"/><ref name="ashley344">{{citation |last=Ashley |first=Clifford W. |title=The Ashley Book of Knots |year= 1944 |publisher=Doubleday |location=New York |page=344 |quote=A quicker but less dependable lashing is based on the Bell Ringer's Knot #1148.}}</ref> It is avoided in critical applications (such as securing a load on a truck) as it can fall apart under too little load or too much load, and can [[knot#Capsizing|capsize]] if not dressed properly.<ref name="perryknots"/> However, this knot may be made secure by adding a Half Hitch to the top bight of the Sheepshank. This form of the trucker's hitch is least likely to [[Knot#Releasability|jam]], coming apart easily once tension is released. Different sources show slight variations in the way the sheepshank portion is formed and dressed.

Versions popular in East Asia use variations of sheep shank using either a simple half hitch<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTiGUYhW1A8 Truckers' hitch using a simple turn half hitch sheep shank eye</ref> or a double turn self crossing half hitch<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Y4xcd-e6rA   Truckers' hitch using a double and crossing turn sheep shank eye</ref> or a triple turn self crossing half hitch.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9_yT8HJF64  Trucker's hitch using a double and crossing turn sheep shank upper eye, and twisted lower eye</ref> A sheep shank with two consecutive half hitches i.e. a [[clove hitch]] to secure the upper eye and to form the lower eye is more popular in the west.

===Slipped overhand loop===
The loop formed in one version is a simple [[Overhand knot with draw-loop|Slipped Overhand Loop]]. This version is good for light to moderate loads

===Simple friction loop===
Another version uses a multiply twisted bight to pass a bight of the working end to form the eye of the loop. This version tolerates higher load.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvgFyqFZK54 The Truckers' Hitch - tied 3 different ways</ref> 

===Fixed loop===
The most reliable common variation uses a fixed loop, such as an [[alpine butterfly loop]], [[artillery loop]], [[figure-eight loop]] or [[directional figure-eight]] loop, or another of many suitable loop knots.<ref name="perryknots"/><ref name="ashley271">Ashley, p. 271</ref>  If a fixed loop is used repeatedly for tying the trucker's hitch in the same portion of rope, excessive wear or other damage may be suffered by the portion of the loop which working end slides against.<ref name="pawpock"/>

If extra loops are used to form the eye it tends to ease untying. In order to prevent the closing of the loop under load, the loop must be formed by the working end of the rope (which will later pass through the loop). If the standing end goes through the loop, it will close under load.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="150px">
File:Truckers' Hitch With Simple Slip Knot.jpg|Truckers' Hitch With Simple [[Slip knot]] as upper loop
File:Truckers' Hitch With Twisted Slip Knot.jpg|Truckers' Hitch With Twisted [[Slip knot]] as upper loop
File:Truckers' Hitch With Figure Eight Slip Knot.jpg|Truckers' Hitch With [[Figure-eight knot|Figure-eight]] slip knot / noose as upper loop
File:Truckers' Hitch With Half Hitch Sheep Shank.jpg|Truckers' Hitch With [[Half hitch]] [[sheep shank]] as upper loop
File:Truckers' Hitch With Double Half Hitch Sheep Shank.jpg|Truckers' Hitch With Double [[Half hitch]] [[sheep shank]] as upper loop
File:Truckers' Hitch With Triple Half Hitch Sheep Shank.jpg|Truckers' Hitch With Triple [[Half hitch]] [[sheep shank]] as upper loop
File:Truckers' Hitch With Clove Hitch Secured Sheep Shank as upper loop.jpg|A version of the trucker's hitch based on the [[sheep shank]] using two consecutive half hitches i.e. a [[clove hitch]].
File:Truckers' Hitch With Figure Eight Loop.jpg|Truckers' Hitch With [[Figure-eight loop]] as upper loop. A [[directional figure-eight]] loop could be more suitable.
File:Truckers' Hitch With Overhand Loop.jpg|Truckers' Hitch With [[Overhand loop]] as upper loop
File:Truckers' Hitch With Artillery Loop.jpg|Truckers' Hitch With [[Artillery loop]] as upper loop
File:Truckers' Hitch With Span Loop.jpg|Truckers' Hitch With [[Span loop]] as upper loop
File:Truckers' Hitch With Bowline On The Bight.jpg|Truckers' Hitch With [[Bowline on the bight]] as upper loop
File:Truckers' Hitch With Anglers Loop.jpg|Truckers' Hitch With [[Angler's loop]] as upper loop
File:TruckHitch 027.jpg|A double friction loop version of the trucker's hitch with even more mechanical advantage
File:TruckersHitchUsingAlpineButterflyAndSlippedDoubleHalfHitch.jpg|Trucker's hitch using [[alpine butterfly loop]], finished with a [[slipped loop|slipped]] double [[half hitch]]. 
</gallery>

==Finishing the hitch==
[[File:Truckers hitch pulley model.png|thumb|right|80px|Diagram showing the (theoretical) 3:1 mechanical advantage of the Trucker's Hitch]]
In tightening the trucker's hitch, tension can be effectively increased by repeatedly pulling sideways while preventing the tail end from slipping through the loop, and then cinching the knot tighter as the sideways force is released. This is called "sweating a line".<ref name="troublesafloat">{{Citation|title=Handling Troubles Afloat|author=John Mellor|location=Dobbs Ferry, NY|year=1996|publisher=Sheridan House|pages=195–196}}</ref>

If the tail end is wrapped through the last loop twice, the resulting friction may render manual cinching unnecessary.

Once tight, the trucker's hitch is often secured with a [[half hitch]], usually [[slipped loop|slipped]] for easy releasing and to avoid the necessity of access to the end of the rope, though a more secure finish, such as [[two half-hitches]], may be called for. Under large loads, the finishing half hitch can jam, especially if it is not slipped; the difficulty of releasing it can be compounded by the fact that the knot is typically still under tension when it is to be untied.

Finishing with a [[taut-line hitch]] or a [[Farrimond friction hitch]] to the standing part allows the finishing knot to be tied and untied with no tension.  This eliminates any jamming problems and also allows the line to be re-tensioned if necessary.

A mechanical advantage of ideally 3:1 can nearly be achieved when using an equivalent setup with pulleys,<ref name="Com">{{cite book|first=Nic|last=Compton|title=The Knot Bible|publisher=Adlard Coles Nautical|year=2013|isbn=978-1-4081-5476-2|page=74}}</ref><ref name="Til">{{cite book|first=Buck|last=Tilton|title=Outward Bound - Ropes, Knots, and Hitches|publisher=Falcon|year=2019|isbn=978-1-4930-3503-8|page=34}}</ref> but is reduced substantially by friction when using knots.

== Cultural references ==

The trucker's hitch knot is portrayed by comedy duo [[Ylvis]] in their 2014 [[Trucker's Hitch|song with the same name]]. The lyrics and the video pretend (in a humorous way) to demonstrate how to tie the knot.<ref>{{youtube|TUHgGK-tImY}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Load securing]]
*[[List of knots]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Animated Knots|truckers|Trucker's Hitch|12 February 2013}}

{{Knots}}