Must Know Trucker Slang
Okay, admit it, ever since shows Smokey and the Bandit you have wanted to be able to throw around some of that cool trucker lingo like a pro in your trucking company. The trucker slang we are talking about here is commonly used over a CB or citizens band radio. If you are a working truck driver then you might actually want to study some of the CB lingo or CB slang so you are ready to respond to the radio chatter. Here we will be taking a deeper look at some of the classic must know trucker slang that you might hear come across that old CB radio as an easy reference to list out common phrases or “lingo” used throughout the trucking industry.
Common Trucker Lingo
| Front door | In front of you |
|---|---|
| 10-4 | Okay / Message received |
| Alligator or Gator | A piece of tire on the road |
| Back it Down | Slow down |
| Bear | Police Officer |
| DOT | Department of Transportation |
| Bear in the Air | Aircraft enforcement of the speed limit is in the area |
| Deadhead | Pulling an empty trailer |
| Hammer down | Put the pedal to the metal |
| Parking Lot | A truck hauling cars |
| Wagon | A truck hauling cars |
| Chicken coup | Weigh station |
| Go-go juice | Diesel fuel |
| Reefer | A refrigerated van trailer |
| Skateboard | Flatbed trailer |
| Travel agent | Dispatcher |
| Hundred-mile coffee | strong coffee |
| Comic book | Logbook |
| Rambo | Someone who talks tough on the radio, especially when no one else knows where they are |
| Wrecker | Tow truck |
| Georgia overdrive | Putting the transmission into neutral on a downgrade, to go extremely fast. |
| Yard-stick | mile marker |
| Motion lotion | Diesel fuel |
| Salt shaker | a truck that salts highways |
| Back Door | Watch out behind you / Police behind you |
| Cash register | A tollbooth |
| Kodak | Police officer or law enforcement officer with a radar gun or radar detector. From the show Kojak. |
| Chicken Lights | Orange running lights around truck and trailer |
| Roller skate | Any Small Car |
| Four Wheeler | Car |
| Pickle park | A rest area or truck stop |
| Wiggle wagon | A truck with multiple trailers connected to each other |
| Anteater | Kenworth T-600 model truck |
| Base Station | CB Radio installed at a fixed location such as a house |
| Bobtail | Tractor driving without a trailer |
| County Mountie | Sheriff |
| Gumball machine | The lights on top of a patrol car |
| Flip-flop | Refers to a U-turn, or a return trip |
CB Radio “10-Codes”
| 10-1 | Bad Signal / I can’t hear you well |
|---|---|
| 10-2 | Good Signal / I can hear you well |
| 10-3 | Stop talking on the radio (aka shut up) |
| 10-4 | Okay / Message received |
| 10-6 | Busy/Hold on |
| 10-9 | Repeat message |
| 10-10 | Transmission completed (I’m done talking) |
| 10-13 | Weather/road conditions |
| 10-17 | Urgent business |
| 10-20 | Where are you? |
| 10-27 | I’m switching to channel [insert channel] |
| 10-33 | Emergency traffic at this station |
| 10-38 | Ambulance needed at [your location] |
| 10-45 | All units within range please report |
| 10-62 | Use phone instead of CB |
| 10-99 | Mission complete |
| 10-100 | Bathroom stop |
| 10-200 | Police needed at [your location] |
Names For Cities
| Kansas City, Missouri | Bright Lights |
|---|---|
| Wichita, Kansas | Air Capital |
| Atlanta, Georgia | The Big A |
| San Antonio, Texas | The Alamo |
| New York City | The Apple |
| Boston, Mass. | Bean Town |
| Council Bluffs, Iowa | CB Town |
| Baltimore, Maryland | Charm City |
| Los Angeles, California | Shaky City |
| Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Beer City |
| New Orleans, Louisiana | Mardi Gras |
| Detroit, Michigan | Motor City |
| Buffalo, New York | The Nickel |
| Akron, Ohio | The Rubber |
| Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | Okie City |
| Tampa, Florida | Cigar City |
From factoring to fuel and even trucker slang our team of trucking experts are ready to help. Give us a call today at 913-393-6100!