If you’re just starting out in trucking then you might have a few questions about the different words you’ve been hearing on the radio or at truck stops. Here is a brief guide to help you with some of the terms you might hear.
- Kojak with a Kodak: Police that are using a radar gun at the side of the road
- Boy Scouts: Another term for the state police
- Clean Shot: When the road up ahead is free of any obstructions, construction, or police
- Parking Lot: Is what you get when you have a traffic jam
- Rubberneckers: Drivers that are interested in looking off the road, typically at an accident scene
- Bear in the Air: When the highway speed is checked by an airplane or helicopter
- Bunny Hopper: Would be a vehicle that changes lanes constantly
- Back it down: Slow down
Here are some slang terms you might hear on the CM radio.
- Affirmative: Yes
- All locked up: Weigh Station is closed
- Bingo Cards: These cards held stamps from each state a motor carrier would operate in; these cards are no longer used and have been replaced by the Single State Registration System (SSRS).
- Bobtail: Driving the tractor only, without the trailer attached
- Bubba: What you call another trucker – friendly tone
- Bundled out: Loaded heavy, or to maximum capacity
