The slang words and lingo truck drivers use to communicate with each other can fill as many pages as a phone book. The traditions of the CB radio aren’t as popular today but for veteran drivers and those looking to follow in their footsteps properly, keeping the traditions alive means learning the language of the road. Some terminology is known by many people, and others are saved secrets for comrades on the road, where they’ll remain.

 

Common Truck Driver Lingo Everyone May Know

 

Trucking lingo is sacred to truck drivers and is their way of communicating with drivers and fellows of the trucking world. Others listening would hear gibberish that doesn’t quite make sense. Knowing truck driver lingo is like learning a new language. Some slang words may come as a surprise, while others may have unknowingly graced our vocabulary already.

 

Better Known Truck Driver Lingo

 

-Running on Fumes: Need to Refuel Asap

-Watch Your Six: Check What’s Behind You

-Fender Bender: Accident on the Road

-Crotch Rocket: Sport Motorcycle

 

 

 

 

Multiple Truck Driver Lingo for Similar Situations

 

There are some truck driver lingos and jargon where different words explain the same thing, especially when involving police. Truck drivers work on the road and often must deal with police, which means coming up with ways to communicate these situations on the radio.

 

Truck Driver Lingo for Police

 

-Bear: Police Officer

-Smokey Bear or Smokey: Police Officer

-Full Grown Bear: Highway Patrol

-Bear Trap: Police with Radar

-County Mounty: Sheriff

-City Kitty: City Police

 

If a trucker refers to someone taking pictures, they may also refer to a cop with a radar gun. Many truckers also use city nicknames when referring to a place they’re traveling to or from. It may be challenging to understand the location if you aren’t aware of what that city may also be called.

Truck driver jargon may not be as widely used today as it was in the 1960s when trucking was booming. Many truckers still follow old traditions and pass them on to new drivers waiting to carry the torch or steering wheel. With advancing technologies, the need for CB radios is minimized, making passing down knowledge even more important.

It is still unknown if CB radio will become obsolete one day. For now, learning the language of the road remains essential, if not only for truckers’ sense of identity and community.