A "toll road" in the United States is often called a "turnpike". The term "turnpike" probably originated from the gate, often a simple pike, which blocked passage until the fare was paid at a "toll house" (or "toll booth" in current terminology). When the toll was paid the pike, which was mounted on a swivel, was turned to allow the vehicle to pass. Tolls were usually based on the type of cargo being transported, not the type of vehicle. The practice of selecting routes so as to avoid tolls is called shunpiking. This may be simply to avoid the expense, as a form of economic protest (or boycott), or simply to seek a road less traveled as a bucolic interlude.