CB Terminology And Trucker Slang

To be able to work as a trucker, you need to be at least familiar with CB radio terminology and 10-codes.

If you’ve ever seen the Bandit and Smokey, you may already know the meaning of the “10-4” code.

Whether there is a reason to get frightened when you hear that “There’s a bear at your back door”?

Below, you can find the meaning of all 10-codes as well as radio terminology and even some trucker slang.

As a truck driver, you really need to know the meaning of all those numbers and phrases so you can work properly.

If you are a newcomer in the sphere or just need to refresh your knowledge, this article is for you.re.

CB Terminology

CB Terminology	Meaning or Translation
Affirmative	Yes
All locked up	The weigh station is closed.
Anteater	Kenworth T-600 is a truck that got its name because of its sloped hood. It is one of the first trucks that got an aerodynamic design. Also known as an aardvark.
Alligator	A piece of tire on the road, usually a recap from a blown tire that may resample an alligator lying on the road. They are hazards that should be avoided. If you run over them, they can bounce back up and do damage to various parts of your truck or another vehicle, causing an accident. A baby alligator is a small piece of tire, and alligator bait is several small tire pieces. Sometimes called just a "gator".
Back door	Something behind you. "There's a bear at your back door".
Back it down	Slow down.
Backed out of it	No longer able to maintain speed, necessitating a need to downshift. While climbing a steep incline, and for whatever reason, the accelerator has to be let off so the driver loses whatever momentum he has and has to downshift.
Back row	The last rows of parking in a truck stop, often a hangout for prostitutes (see "lot lizards").
Bambi	A deer, dead or alive
Base station or unit	A powerful CB radio set in a stationary location.
Bear	A law enforcement officer at any level, but usually a State Trooper, Highway Patrol.
Bear bait	A speeding vehicle, usually a four-wheeler, which can be used to protect the other speeding vehicles behind it.
Bear bite	A speeding ticket.
Bear den or bear cave	Law enforcement headquarters,station.
Bear in the air	A law enforcement aircraft which can be monitoring the traffic and speeds below.
Bear in the bushes	Law enforcement (at any level) is hiding somewhere, probably with a radar gun aimed at traffic.
Billy Big Rigger	Another term for "supertrucker"; one who brags about himself, or his big, fast, shiny truck.
Bingo cards	These cards held stamps from each state a motor carrier would operate in but they are no longer used, and have been replaced by the Single State Registration System (SSRS).
Bedbugger	Can refer to a household moving company or to the household mover himself.
Big R	A Roadway truck.
Big road	Usually refers to the Interstate, sometimes any big highway.
Big truck	Refers to an 18-wheeler or tractor-trailer. "Come on over, big truck".
Bird dog	A radar detector.
Big word	Closed, when referring to weigh stations. There is often a big sign preceding the weigh station indicating whether it is open or closed, in bright lights. Big word is used for closed stations.
Black eye	A headlight out.
Bobtail	Driving the tractor only, without the trailer attached.
Boogie	The top gear (the highest gear) of the transmission.
Boulevard	The Interstate.
Brake check	There is a traffic tie-up ahead, which will require immediate slowing down or stopping.
Break	If the radio's busy, saying "break-19" is the proper way to gain access to the channel, and begin talking.
Breaking up	Your signal is weak, or fading.
Brush your teeth and comb your hair	Shooting vehicles with a radar gun.
Bubba	What you call another driver, often in a kidding way.
Bull dog	A Mack truck.
Bull frog	An ABF truck.
Bull hauler	A livestock hauler.
Bumper sticker	A vehicle that's tailgating. Sometimes called a "hitchhiker ".
Bundled out	Loaded heavy, or to maximum capacity.
Buster Brown	A UPS truck or driver.
Cabbage	A steep mountain grade in Oregon.
Cabover	Abbreviated term for Cab-Over-the Engine (COE) type of tractor.
Cash register	A tollbooth.
Checking ground pressure	The weigh station is open, and they're running trucks across the scales (see "running you across").
Chicken coop	A weigh station, often called just a "coop".
Chicken lights	Extra lights a trucker has on his truck and trailer.
Chicken hauler or truck	A big, fancy truck; a large, conventional tractor with a lot of lights and chrome. Also, one who hauls live chickens.
Comedian	The median strip in between opposite lanes of traffic.
Container	Refers to an overseas container; intermodal transportation.
Come-a-part engine	Cummins engine.
Come back	An invitation for the other driver to talk. Sometimes used when you couldn't hear the last transmission.
Come on	Telling another driver that you hear him calling you, and to go ahead and talk.
Comic book	The log book.
Commercial company	A prostitute.
Convoy	A group of trucks traveling together.
Copy	Transmission acknowledged, agreed with, or understood.
Cornflake	Refers to a Consolidated Freightways truck.
County Mountie	County police, often a sheriff's deputy.
Covered wagon	Flatbed type of trailer, with sidewalls, and a tarp.
Crackerhead	A derogatory term; insult.
Crotch rocket	A motorcycle built for speed; not a Harley-Davidson.
Deadhead	Pulling an empty trailer.
Destruction	Road construction.
Diesel car	A semi- tractor.
Diesel cop	A DOT, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement officer.
Donkey	Behind you. "A bear is on your donkey".
Do what?	I didn't hear or understand you.
Double nickel	55 mph.
Doubles	Refers to a set of double trailers.
Drawing lines	Completing your log book
Driver	What drivers call other drivers on the CB, especially if their CB handle is not known.
Driving award	A speeding ticket.
Downstroke	Driving downwards, downhill, on a decline.
Dragon wagon	A tow truck.
Dragonfly	A truck with no power, especially going uphill.
Dry box	An unrefrigerated, freight trailer. Also considered a dry van
18-wheeler	Any tractor-trailer.
85th Street	Interstate 85.
Evil Knievel	A law enforcement officer on a motorcycle.
Eyeball	To see something.
Feeding the bears	Paying a ticket or citation.
Fingerprint	To unload a trailer by yourself.
Flip-flop	Refers to a u-turn, or a return trip.
FM	An AM-FM radio.
42	Yes, or OK.
Four-letter word	Open; referring to weigh stations being open or closed.
4-wheeler	Any passenger vehicle; cars or pickups.
Freight shaker	A Freightliner truck.
Front door	In front of you.
Full-grown bear	State Trooper, or Highway Patrol.
Garbage hauler	A produce load, or produce haulers.
Gear Jammer	A driver who speeds up and slows down with great frequency.
General mess of crap	A GMC truck
Georgia overdrive	Putting the transmission into neutral on a downgrade, to go extremely fast. Definitely not recommended!
Go-go juice	Diesel fuel.
Good buddy	This used to be the thing to say: "10-4, good buddy". Not anymore, as this calling someone a homosexual.
Good neighbor	Usually used when you're showing appreciation to another driver.
Got my nightgown on	I'm in the sleeper, and ready to go to sleep.
Go to company	When you tell another driver from your company to go to the designated company CB channel. Drivers do this so that they can talk about company business or personal matters.
Go to the Harley	Turn your CB to channel 1.
Got your ears on?	Are you listening
Gouge on it	Go fast, put the throttle to the floor, step on it, etc.
Granny lane	The right, slower lane on a multi-lane highway, or on the Interstate.
Greasy	Icy, or slippery.
Greasy side up	A vehicle that's flipped over.
Green Stamps	Money.
Grossed out	Your gross vehicle weight is at maximum capacity; commonly 80,000 pounds.
Ground pressure	The weight of your truck, as in "the scale's testing your ground pressure".
Gumball machine	The lights on top of a patrol car.
Hammer down	Go fast, step on it.
Hammer lane	The left, passing lane of traffic.
Hand, Han	What a driver sometimes calls another driver. Stems from the term farmhand, and means helper, or fellow worker.
Handle (CB handle)	CB handles are nicknames which are used to identify the speaker. A driver often selects his own handle.
Happy happy	Happy new year; "Have a happy happy, driver".
Having "shutter trouble"	Having trouble keeping awake.
Ho Chi Minh Trail	Refers to California Highway 152, known for it's abundance of accidents.
Holler	Call me on the radio, as in "give me a holler when you get back".
Home 20	A driver's home location.
How 'bout	When you're trying to contact other drivers, you can say "how 'bout you, eastbound?".
Hood	A conventional tractor, as opposed to a cab-over.
Hundred dollar lane, high dollar lane	In certain heavily populated areas, trucks will be prohibited from driving in the far left lane, with a heavy fine for violators. This term refers to that prohibited lane.
Jackpot	Same as gumball machine, refers to a patrol car's lights.
Key down	When you talk over somebody who's trying to transmit. A bigger, more powerful radio can easily drown out a lesser one.
Key up	Pushing the transmit button on the CB Mike. "Key up for about 20 minutes, and tell me how bad you are".
In my back pocket	Behind you; a place you've passed.
In the big hole	The top gear of the transmission.
K-whopper	A Kenworth tractor, or just KW.
Kojak with a Kodak	Law enforcement using a radar gun.
Land line	A stationary telephone; not a cellular-phone.
Large car	A conventional tractor, often with a big sleeper, lots of chrome and lights, etc.
Left Coast	The West Coast.
Local information	A driver asks for local information when he needs directions in area he's unfamiliar with.
Local-yokel	A county, city, or small-town officer.
Lollipop	The small reflector or marker poles on the sides of the highway.
Lot lizard	A prostitute that solicits truck-to-truck in a truck stop or rest area.
Lumper	Casual labor that loads or unloads your trailer, often requiring payment in cash.
Male buffalo	A male prostitute.
Mama-bear	Refers to a female law enforcement officer.
Mash your motor	Go fast, step on it. Same as  gouge on it  and  hammer down .
Meat wagon	An ambulance.
Merry merry	Merry Christmas.
Motion lotion	Diesel fuel.
Moving on	Heading down the road.
Mud duck	A weak radio signal.
Negatory	Negative or no.
95th Street	Interstate 95.
On the side	On standby.
Parking lot	An auto transporter, often used when the trailer is empty.
Pay the water bill	Taking a rest room break.
Pickle park	A rest area frequented by lot lizards (prostitutes).
Pigtail	The electrical connection from the tractor to the trailer.
Plain wrapper	An unmarked law enforcement vehicle, usually said with color added as a description: "you've got a plain brown wrapper on your back door".
Plenty of protection	Usually means there's plenty of police in the area, but I've heard it used to tell drivers to go ahead and step on it because there's speeding four-wheelers ahead blocking or covering for them.
Pogo stick	Usually a metal, flexible support located on the tractor catwalk, that holds up the connections to the trailer.
Power up	Go faster, speed up.
Preeshaydit	Thank you, I appreciate it.
Pumpkin	A Schneider truck, because of it's orange color.
Radio	A CB radio.
Radio check	How's my radio working, transmitting, getting out there.
Rambo	Someone who talks really tough on the radio, especially when no one else knows where they are.
Ratchet jaw	Someone who talks a lot on the radio, while keying-up the whole time and not letting anyone else get a chance to talk.
Reading the mail	Not talking; just listening to the radio.
Reefer	Usually refers to refrigerated van trailer, but sometimes just to the reefer unit itself.
Rest-a-ree-a	Another way to say rest area.
Road pizza	Roadkill on the side of the road.
Rockin' chair	A truck that's in the middle of two other trucks.
Roger	Yes; affirmative.
Roger beep	An audible beep that sounds when a person has un-keyed the mike, and finished his transmission. Used on only a small percentage of radios, and not recommended.
Roller skate	Any small car.
Rooster cruiser	A big, fancy truck; a large, conventional tractor with a lot of lights and chrome.
Runnin'you across	The weigh station is open, and they're weighing trucks, probably in a quick fashion.
Salt shaker	The road maintenance vehicles that dumps salt or sand on the highways in the winter.
Sandbagging	To listen to the radio without talking; also "readin' the mail".
Sandbox	An escape ramp, which sometimes uses sand to stop vehicles.
Schneider eggs	The orange cones in construction areas.
Seat cover	Sometimes used to describe drivers or passengers of four-wheelers.
Sesame Street	Channel 19 on the CB.
Shaky	Refers to California in general, sometimes Los Angeles, and, occasionally, San Francisco.
Shiny side up	Your vehicle hasn't flipped over after a rollover or accident. "Keep the shiny side up" means to have a safe trip.
Shooting you in the back	You're being shot with a radar gun as your vehicle passes a law enforcement vehicle.
Short short	A short amount of time.
Shutdown	Put out of service by the DOT because of some violation.
Sleeper creeper	A prostitute; same as a lot lizard.
Skateboard	A flatbed, or flatbed trailer.
Skins	Tires.
Smokin' scooter	A law enforcement officer on a motorcycle.
Smokin' the brakes	The trailer brakes are literally smoking from overuse down a mountain grade.
Smokey or Smokey Bear	A law enforcement officer, usually highway patrol.
Split	A junction, where the road goes in separate directions.
Spy in the sky	A law enforcement aircraft, same as a "bear in the air".
Stagecoach	A tour bus.
Stand on it	Step on it, go faster.
Swinging	Carrying a load of swinging meat.
Taking pictures	Law enforcement using a radar gun.
Apr. 10, 2019	OK, message received. Some drivers just say "10".
Thermos bottle	A tanker trailer.
Through the woods	Leaving the Interstate to travel secondary roads.
Throwin' iron	To put on snow tire chains.
Too many eggs in the basket	Overweight load or gross weight.
Toothpicks	A load of lumber.
Travel agent	The dispatcher, or sometimes a broker.
Triple digits	Over 100 mph.
VW	A Volvo-White tractor.
Wagon	Some drivers refer to their trailer as a wagon.
Walked on you	Drowned out your transmission by keying up at the same time.
Wally world	Wal-Mart (the store or the distribution center), or a Wal-Mart truck.
West Coast turnarounds	Uppers; speed or benzedrine pills; the idea is that a driver can drive from the East Coast to the West Coast, and back again without having to sleep. Obviously illegal!!
Wiggle wagons	A set of double or triple trailers.
Yard	A company terminal, drop lot, etc.
Yardstick	A mile marker on the highway.

CB Slang for Popular Cities

Terminology	U.S. City
The Big A	Atlanta, Georgia
Air Capital	Wichita, Kansas
Armadillo	Amarillo, Texas
The Alamo	San Antonio, Texas
The Astrodome	Houston, Texas
The Apple	New York City
Bean Town	Boston, Mass.
Beer City	Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Big D	Dallas, Texas
Big O	Omaha, Nebraska
Bull City	Durham, North Carolina
Bikini	Miami, Florida
Bright Lights	Kansas City, Missouri
Capital City	Raleigh, North Carolina
CB Town	Council Bluffs, Iowa
Charm City	Baltimore, Maryland
Cigar City	Tampa, Florida
Circle City	Indianapolis, Indiana
The Cities	Minneapolis and St. Paul, Mn
Cow Town	Calgary, Alberta
The Dirty	Cleveland, Ohio
The Flag or Flagpole	Flagstaff, Arizona
Philly	Philadelphia, Pa
The Gateway	St. Louis, Missouri
Gold City	Goldsboro, North Carolina
Guitar	Nashville, Tennessee
Hog Town	Toronto, Ontario
Hotlanta	Atlanta, Georgia
The Irish	South Bend, Indiana
Lost Wages	Las Vegas, Nevada
Mardi Gras	New Orleans, Louisiana
Mile High	Denver, Colorado
Motor City	Detroit, Michigan
Music City	Nashville, Tennessee
The Nickel	Buffalo, New York
Okie City	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
The Peg	Winnipeg, Manitoba
Queen City	Charlotte, North Carolina
The Rubber	Akron, Ohio
Sack of tomatoes	Sacramento, California
Shaky City	Los Angeles, California
Steel City or Town	Pittsburgh, Pa
The Swamp	Montreal, Quebec
Windy City	Chicago, Illinois

CB “10-Codes”

10-Code	Translation
10-1	Receiving poorly
10-2	Receiving well
10-3	Stop transmitting
10-4	OK, message received
10-5	Relay message
10-6	Busy, standby
10-7	Out of service, leaving air
10-8	In service, subject to call
10-9	Repeat message
10-11	Talking too rapidly
10-12	Visitors present
10-13	Advise weather, road conditions
10-16	Make pickup at...
10-17	Urgent business
10-18	Anything for us?
10-19	Nothing for you, return to base
10-20	My location is...
10-21	Call by telephone
10-22	Report in person to...
10-23	Stand by
10-24	Completed last assignment
10-25	Can you contact
10-26	Disregard last information
10-27	I am moving to channel...
10-28	Identify your station
10-29	Time is up for contact
10-30	Does not conform to FCC rules
10-32	I will give you a radio check
10-33	Emergency traffic
10-34	Trouble at this station
10-35	Confidential information
10-36	The correct time is...
10-37	Wrecker needed at...
10-38	Ambulance needed at...
10-39	Your message delivered
10-41	Please tune to channel...
10-42	Traffic accident at...
10-43	Traffic tie up at...
10-44	I have a message for you
10-45	All units within range please report
10-50	Break channel
10-60	What is next message number?
10-62	Unable to copy, use phone
10-63	Net directed to...
10-64	Net clear
10-65	Awaiting your next message, or assignment
10-67	All units comply
10-70	Fire at...
10-71	Proceed with transmission in sequence
10-73	Speed trap at...
10-75	You are causing interference
10-77	Negative contact
10-81	Reserve hotel room for...
10-84	My telephone number is...
10-85	My address is...
10-91	Talk closer to mike
10-93	Check my frequency on this channel
10-94	Please give me a long count
10-99	Mission completed, all units secured
10-100	Rest stop
10-200	Police needed at...

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