truck system

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

truck′ sys′tem, 

1. the system of paying wages in goods instead of money. Also called truck. 

• 1820–30

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

truck system noun

1. a system during the early years of the Industrial Revolution of forcing workers to accept payment of wages in kind, usually to the employer's advantage

Etymology: 19th Century: from truck²