long-hauler

noun

long-haul·​er ˈlȯŋ-ˌhȯl-ər 

variants or less commonly long hauler

plural long-haulers also long haulers

1

a(1)

: someone who travels long distances

… endurance cyclists—the long-haulers who get lost in the Zen of the sport …

—Kathleen Williams

Lufthansa is embarking on a multimillion refurbishment of its Boeing 747s and Airbus 340s. … An adjustable six-foot-long bed will soon be installed, giving long-haulers a chance to sleep with ease during the trip.

—BusinessWorld

especially : a truck driver who transports loads over long distances

Williams loves truckers. So much so that the Williams City Council threw out a proposal Wednesday to charge for a permit to park in the limited spaces available for long-haulers to stop for the night.

—Susan Meeker

The ATA [American Trucking Association] says most long haulers travel 100,000 miles per year, with an average daily run of 500 miles.

—Matthew Schniper

(2)

: a vehicle that is used to travel long distances

Coupled with the typically exquisite materials and design shared with other Mercedes, the four-door GT seemingly has the ingredients to be a brilliant long-hauler or around-town luxury sedan.

—Joel Stocksdale

especially : a vehicle that transports goods or passengers over long distances

But beneath its polished surface and what Shell [Oil Company] calls its "hyper-aerodynamic design," the long-hauler named Starship is a diesel-powered 18-wheeler built to move massive loads across the United States.

—Guy Koyner

The new jet is designed as a highly efficient long hauler; no airline wants to be saddled with having to limit it to short routes for a year or two while bugs are worked out …

—Byron Acohido

b

: a company or business that specializes in transporting goods or passengers over long distances

… one major reason the international flights often get top marks is because the long-haulers are usually going to baby the heck out of you.

—Jessica Pegis

… experts also point to cautionary tales such as grocer and convenience store owner Hale-Halsell Co. and long hauler Arrow Trucking Co. The former survived more than 100 years and the latter for decades, only to misread the market signs or worse and eventually end up in bankruptcy and liquidation.

—Rod Walton

2

: someone who remains involved in an undertaking or activity over a relatively long period of time

"Real estate goes through cycles and adjustments. … If you're a long-hauler and you intend to be in the property for five, six or 10 years, you can weather some of those cycles and short-term adjustments."

—David Brownell

… zealots are most often temporarily committed, abandoning what they believe today for the "next best thing." Passionate people are long-haulers. Compassionate people are long-haulers who care.

—Thomas E. Boyce

3

medical : a person who experiences one or more long-term effects following initial improvement or recovery from a serious illness (such as COVID-19)

The Mount Sinai Health System's new Center for Post-COVID Care has become an increasingly in-demand resource for so-called 'long-haulers,' those who, for unexplained reasons, experience lingering health issues months after contracting COVID-19.

—Caroline Lewis

Some of the most serious reported health impacts for long-haulers were acute respiratory failure and acute organ injury, including kidney injury in 20% of patients and damage to the heart muscle in 20 to 30% of patients.

—Noelle Toumey Reetz

Examples of long-hauler in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And researchers working on ME/CFS, a condition similar enough to Long COVID that many long-haulers meet its diagnostic criteria, have previously warned that tryptophan supplementation may be dangerous for patients. —Jamie Ducharme, TIME, 23 Oct. 2023

Trouble sleeping is among the hallmark struggles of long-haulers, and may drive the other symptoms. —Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 28 Aug. 2023

Taylor helped organize an April meeting in Washington where long-haulers joined with Solve M.E. to lobby lawmakers to devote dollars to addressing a range of post-viral conditions through the Care for Long Covid Act. —Frances Stead Sellers, Anchorage Daily News, 30 May 2023

Like many long-haulers, Chelsea struggled to get a clear diagnosis from physicians. —Michael Becker, Outside Online, 24 Feb. 2023

Some long-haulers see their symptoms improve over time. —Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2023

That show of unity comes as divisions have emerged among long-haulers, some of whom are less ready than others to accept that the rest of the country has doffed its masks and is moving on. —Frances Stead Sellers, Anchorage Daily News, 30 May 2023

Of the 37 long-haulers, however, 13 successfully settled in new territory while their tracking collars were working. —Rebecca Dzombak, Scientific American, 25 Apr. 2023

Colloquially known as long-haulers, these patients reflect the pandemic’s lasting burden on society and the economy. —Jason Gale, Bloomberg.com, 10 Feb. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1901, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(2)

Medical Definition

long-hauler

noun

long-haul·​er ˈlȯŋ-ˌhȯl-ər 

variants or long hauler

: a person who experiences one or more long-term effects following initial improvement or recovery from a serious illness (such as COVID-19)

I'm what's known as a long-hauler—part of a growing group of people who have COVID-19 and have never fully recovered.

—Margot Gage Witvliet, The Conversation

Some of these patients, often referred to as 'long haulers' or people with long COVID-19, are receiving treatment at post-COVID-19 clinics like the one at Mount Sinai.

—Kevin Loria, Consumer Reports