Teamster

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(For the labor union see International Brotherhood of Teamsters)

Teamster driving a team of six horses at the Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany

A teamster, in modern American English, is a truck driver, or a member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a labor union in the United States and Canada.

Originally, the term "teamster" referred to a person who drove a team of draft animals, usually a wagon drawn by oxen, horses, or mules.[1] This term 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.

In other places, a teamster was known as a carter, referring to the bullock cart.[2]

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 known as a muleteer or muleskinner. Today this person may be called an outfitter or packer.[3] In Australian English, a teamster was also known as a bullocker or bullocky.

Notes

  1. ^ Harper, Douglas. "teamster". Online Etymology Dictionary.
  2. ^ Gunasekera, Jayantha (Feb 9, 2014). "How Kotelawala (Snr) got young brother-in-law killed". The Sunday Times. Sri Lanka.
  3. ^ Shemanski, Frances (1984) "Mule Days Celebration", A Guide to Fairs and Festivals in the United States, Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut, p. 15, ISBN 0-313-21437-9

Further reading

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