CB radio lingo has been a staple of trucker culture since the 1970s, thanks to movies like Smokey and the Bandit and Convoy. Whether you’re a seasoned driver or just curious about CB talk, here’s a list of the top 100 CB radio terms and their meanings. Some of these terms are clearly a blast from the past bordering on inappropriate for today’s gentle readers. Other terms are still embeded in today’s trucking culture.

General CB Terms

1. 10-4 – Message received
2. 10-20 (or just “20”) – Location
3. 10-33 – Emergency
4. 10-36 – Correct time
5. 10-100 – Need to use the restroom
6. 10-200 – Police needed
7. Break (or Breaker-Breaker) – Request to join the channel
8. Come back – Asking someone to repeat
9. Got your ears on? – Are you listening?
10. Negatory – No

Law Enforcement and Road Hazards

11. Bear – Police officer
12. Bear in the air – Police aircraft monitoring speed
13. Bear bite – Speeding ticket
14. Bear trap – Speed enforcement area
15. Full-grown bear – State trooper
16. Smokey (or Smokey Bear) – State trooper
17. Plain wrapper – Unmarked police car
18. County Mountie – Sheriff’s deputy
19. Evil Knievel – Motorcycle cop
20. Kojak with a Kodak – Police using a radar gun
21. Gator – Tire tread or debris on the road
22. Local yokel – Small-town police officer
23. Choke and puke – Truck stop or roadside diner
24. Lot lizard – Truck stop prostitute
25. Parking lot – Traffic jam

Truckers and Vehicles

26. Big truck – Semi-truck
27. Four-wheeler – Passenger vehicle
28. 18-wheeler – Semi-truck
29. Bobtail – Truck driving without a trailer
30. Wiggle wagon – Truck with multiple trailers
31. Convoy – Group of trucks traveling together
32. Yardstick – Mile marker
33. Reefer – Refrigerated trailer
34. Rocking chair – Middle truck in a convoy
35. Suicide jockey – Truck carrying hazardous materials
36. Chicken hauler – Fast truck, often hauling produce
37. Stagecoach – Bus
38. Double nickel – 55 mph speed limit
39. Bumper sticker – Vehicle following too closely
40. Wrecker – Tow truck

Traffic and Weather Terms

41. Hammer down – Accelerating/speeding
42. Hammer lane – Fast lane
43. Back door – Behind you
44. Front door – Ahead of you
45. Clear as a bell – Good radio signal
46. Wall-to-wall and treetop tall – Strong signal
47. We got us a convoy! – Group of trucks traveling together
48. Sandbagging – Listening to a CB conversation without speaking
49. Taking pictures – Police using radar
50. Flip-flop – Return trip
51. Over and out – Ending conversation
52. Fog lifter – Sunrise
53. Alligator alley – Road known for tire debris
54. Down and gone – Signing off the CB
55. Skateboard – Flatbed truck

CB Slang for Other Vehicles

56. Four-wheeler – Passenger car
57. Pickle park – Rest area
58. Rolling refinery – Fuel tanker
59. Suicide jockey – Truck hauling hazardous material
60. Chicken coop – Weigh station
61. Chicken lights – Extra lights on a truck
62. Shaky town – Los Angeles
63. Big D – Dallas, Texas
64. The Big Apple – New York City
65. Windy City – Chicago

Truck Stops & Food Terms

66. Choke and puke – Truck stop or roadside diner
67. Coffee break – CB conversation
68. Salt shaker – Road salt truck
69. Rug rat – Child
70. Home 20 – Home location
71. Home skillet – Friend
72. Garbage hauler – Truck hauling produce

CB Radio Insults and Friendly Banter

73. Back off the hammer – Slow down
74. Driving a freight shaker – Driving a Freightliner truck
75. Got a bear in the air – Police aircraft ahead
76. Dragging iron – Driving with chains on
77. Got my ears on – Listening
78. Flip-flop – Return trip
79. Cash register – Toll booth
80. Pay the water bill – Taking a bathroom break
81. Pavement princess – Trucker who only drives easy routes
82. Meat wagon – Ambulance

Emergency and Road Condition Terms

83. Hole in the wall – Small town
84. Comedian – CB radio DJ
85. Roller skate – Small car
86. Flying donut – Police helicopter
87. Greasy – Slippery road
88. Parking lot – Traffic jam
89. Rubbernecker – Person slowing down to look at an accident
90. Black eye – Broken headlight
91. Wiggle wagon – Truck with multiple trailers
92. Cracker box – Small truck
93. Deadhead – Driving an empty trailer
94. Dragon wagon – Tow truck
95. Fender bender – Minor accident
96. Pedal to the metal – Driving at full speed
97. Road pizza – Roadkill
98. Seat cover – Attractive passenger
99. Skid marks – Evidence of sudden braking
100. Runnin’ in the rocking chair – Truck traveling between two other trucks in a convoy for cover

Some of these CB terms and phrases have stood the test of time, keeping truckers and CB radio enthusiasts connected across the miles. Whether you’re using a CB for fun, safety, or nostalgia, now you can “talk the talk” like a true highway legend.

10-4, good buddy! 🚛📡