Say What? I Learn About the Language

Today, the Passenger asked the Trucker about CB lingo - what are some phrases and what do they mean?  Use of CB radios is less frequent since the advent of cell phones and headsets, but still the radio is a standard in trucks.  The Passenger sees them used mostly for traffic condition updates.

What about the number codes?  These came into use in the 1920's and 1930's when law enforcement began to use radio.  There was a need for clear and concise communication on those early radios.  There was also a need for a few seconds for the radios to warm up before use, which often cut off the first word.  The ten code, which can be looked up online, seemed to solve that problem.  It was first used by the Illinois State Police, and gradually was adopted across the country.  The two the Passenger has heard most frequently:

10-4 = I agree, I understand
10-20 = your current location

Then there is CB lingo.  Again for clear, concise communication, but maybe more so for a sense of community.  And humor.  Again, these can be obtained online, but here are a few which the Trucker provided, in no particular order:

smokey bear = policeman
bear trap = speed trap
bear in the air = law enforcement aircraft
bear bite = speeding ticket
paperhanger = an officer giving out tickets
scales = chicken coop (referring to the small building with glass window where the officers sit

Tijuana Taxi = fully decked out police car
plain wrapper = unmarked police car
bubble gum = lights on top of a police car
fender bender = accident
meat wagon = ambulance

covered wagon = trailer with a tarp
bobtail = tractor only, no trailer
18 wheeler = tractor trailer
4 wheeler = car/pickup truck
on the side = stop talking for a while

skateboard = flatbed trailer with no sides
bull hauler = cattle hauling truck/driver
bucket = dump trailer
thermos bottle = high pressure propane tank
tanker yanker = driver who pulls a tank trailer

portable parking lot = car hauler
stagecoach = tour bus
person who talks a lot = ratchet jaw
alligator = a piece of rubber (usually from a re-capped tire) on the road, that when hit, can fly back and "bite" or do damage to the truck

anteater = a Kenworth T600, which has a sloped, aerodynamic hood
back door = behind you
Bambi = deer

And there are many more - the list could be almost endless.  Trucking has changed over the years, and with it, the language.  Some would say the sense of community and camaraderie has been lost, in favor of each driver for himself.  This Passenger is not an authority, just an observer, supporting her Trucker as best she can.