Teamster

For the labor union, see International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

A modern teamster with his truck

A teamster is a truck driver or a member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a labor union.

Horse-drawn era

Wagoner driving a team of four mules (US, 1914)

A carter (England, 1910)

A group of teamsters posing on a single wagon (Australia, 1924)

In the horse-drawn era, the term teamster meant a person who drove a team of oxen, horses, or mules pulling a wagon, ^[1] replacing the earlier teamer. ^[2] A person hauling a wagon was sometimes called a wagoner , ^[3] and a person operating a horse and cart for haulage was called a carter . ^[4]

The term teamster was common by the time of the Mexican–American War (1848) and the Indian Wars throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries on the American frontier.

Another name for the occupation was bullwhacker, related to driving oxen. A teamster might also drive pack animals, such as a muletrain, in which case he was also called a muleteer or muleskinner. Today this person may be called an outfitter or packer. ^[5]

In Australian English, a teamster was also called a bullocker or bullocky ^{[ citation needed ]} and was sometimes used to denote a carrier. ^[6]

From the Revolutionary War at least through World War I, United States Army enlisted personnel responsible for transporting supplies by wagon and for the upkeep of those draft animals were called wagoners. ^[7]

See also

• Hostler

References

1. Harper, Douglas. "teamster". Online Etymology Dictionary .
2. "teamster, n." OED Online. Oxford University Press. December 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
3. US War Department (1914). "Chapter II. Wagoner or Teamster". Manual for farriers, horseshoers, saddlers, and wagoners or teamsters. Washington: Government Printing Office.
4. Smith, Sarah (21 June 2024). "What is a Carter?". Unlock Your Past.
5. Shemanski, Frances (1984). "Mule Days Celebration". A Guide to Fairs and Festivals in the United States. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. p.  15. ISBN   0-313-21437-9.
6. "The Late Mr. T. Williams". Adelong and Tumut Express. 29 March 1912. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
7. "The American Revolutionary War (1776)". U. S. Army Transportation Museum. Archived from the original on 11 March 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2017.

Further reading

• Damerow, Gail; Ainsworth, Brandt; Edmunds, Bill (2001). Driving Draft Horses (DVD). Cedar Rapids, Iowa: Rural Heritage Video. ISBN   978-1-893707-31-3.
• Damerow, Gail; Rice, Alina (2008). Draft Horses and Mules: Harnessing Equine Power for Farm & Show. North Adams, Massachusetts: Storey Publishing. ISBN   978-1-60342-081-5.
• Elser, Smoke (1980). Packin' in on Mules and Horses. Missoula, Montana: Mountain Press Publishing. ISBN   0-87842-127-0.
• Gebhards, Stacy V. (2000). When Mules Wear Diamonds: Mountain Packing with Mules and Horses. McCall, Idaho: Wilderness Skills. OCLC   47630999.
• Telleen, Maurice (1977). The Draft Horse Primer: A Guide to the Care and Use of Work Horses and Mules. Emmaus, Pennsylvania: Rodale Press. ISBN   0-87857-161-2.