When you are driving a truck your ear must be trained to understand and enjoy CB radio. It is like being inside a community; it has language, codes and problems of its own. This radio is a mix between culture and technology that seems to be dominated by truck drivers.
This weapon against fatigue and loneliness on the road is a simple invention. The Citizen Band was created in1945 when the U.S. government allowed any citizen to use it for private communication.
The Citizen Band is an 11 meter band (short distance radio) with 40 channels that is able to provide communication in two ways. Any person that has a CB radio equipment can use the channels.
By 1970 CB radio had its peak due to the low cost of radio appliances. There was no need to have a license. Movies and the entertainment world in general transformed the Citizen Band into pop culture.
For many people talking anonymously on radio channels became a hobby.
The Federal Communications Commission augmented the channels from 23 to 40 and recommended the use of the 10 Code for communication; this code became part of the unique argot of the CB radio.
But the advance of new communication technologies displaced the Citizen Band radio fever. Despite this its usefulness remains on the trucking business. The use of this radio band allowed truckers to specialize more and more while improving their communication skills.
CB is used to exchange information between truck drivers. Weather conditions, traffic jams, accidents, emergencies, police presence, good food places and more are some of the main topics of the conversations that truckers have through this radio.
Slang and codes have proper reasons to be. Regulations made by the Federal Communications Commission say that anyone can use any channel at will; you must respect the needs of others to communicate and left room for other conversations. The conversation cannot be more than five minutes long; after that you must wait about a minute to get in again.
The shorter the message is the better the communication will be. This is the reason why the Ten code is useful for CB users. Although the codes may vary on each state, they usually mean the same thing.
For example: "10-20" is equal to say "My location is" or "10-42" is a traffic accident, "10-70" is "Fire at" and "10-4" means "Ok, message received". They can also be combined with normal phrases.
Obscene, profane or offensive language cannot be used at Citizen Band but the regulation allows the slang. This particular behavior changes the meaning of certain words and creates new concepts according to the communication needs of truckers. It is made by truckers and used by truckers so it is not strange that they use their handles (nicknames) very proudly.
Trucker slang has its own characteristics in every state. On the Mid West of the country patrols are called Bubble Gum Machine, an alligator is a truck with tire problems on the road, pumpkin is a flat tire, xyl is the abbreviation for ex young lady or wife and idiot box is for television, among many others.
You can use any of the 40 channels but channel 9 has to be left for emergencies. Channel 19 is one of the most used by truckers.
CB is an appliance that cannot be absent in the truck cab because of its very particular meaning. Long travels are shorten and dangerous situations are avoided.