Forgotten Trucking Words and Phrases
During the 1970s and early 1980s, truck drivers in the United States have mainly used a unique lingo or argot while interacting with one another by means of CB Radio (Citizens Band Radio) as a form of land mobile radio system. Here are some of the most interesting and common CB lingo words and phrases:
- Alligator: is the tread from the shredded tire of an 18-wheeler that can be found on the road
- Bit on the seat of the britches: Got tagged by the police for a speeding ticket
- Bear Den: is the term for police headquarters
- Bear in the Air: when the highway speed is checked by an airplane or helicopter
- Boy Scouts: another term for the state police
- Bunny Hopper: would be a vehicle that changes lanes constantly
- Clean Shot: when the road up ahead is free of any obstructions, construction, or police
- County Mounties: would be a local sheriff’s patrol
- Dropped it off the shoulder: is when a vehicle ran off the side of a highway
- Fender bender: is a common term for a traffic accident
- Flag waver: is what a highway repair crew is called
- Kojak with a Kodak: police that are using a radar gun at the side of the road
- Mile Marker: is the name of the mileposts that are on interstate highways
- Nightcrawlers: is when many police are in the area
- Paperhanger: is when police are giving out tickets
- Parking Lot: is what you get when you have a traffic jam
- Peel your eyeballs: is when you want to be on the lookout (usually for police)
- Plain white wrapper: is a term for an unmarked police car
- Rolling roadblock: a construction vehicle that is moving at a very slow speed
- Rubberneckers: drivers that are interested in looking off the road, typically at an accident scene
- Wear your bumper out: when a vehicle is following too close
