Operations

Your Dec. 22 Pre-Trip: The origins of trucker slang

Dec. 22, 2015

Here are five things worth knowing today.

Here are five things worth knowing today: 1. “Bed buggers.” “Pickle parks.” “Smokey in the bush.” The sayings may seem cryptic, but for decades, truckers have created their own slang to communicate with each other on the road. An Atlas Obscura report explores the use of dashboard CB radios and how truckers have used them for the last 70 years to develop a universal language among professional drivers. Though truck drivers have more advanced ways to communicate with each other today – mainly through new apps and smartphones – they’re still using CBs, according to the report. “Until these apps can allow for fun words like ‘loot limo’ and ‘redneck radio,’ why would drivers want to stop using CBs anyway,” Atlas Obscura asks.2. The truck driver involved in crash that killed five Georgia Southern University nursing students last spring has admitted to texting at the time of the crash, WSAV News 3 reports. According to the report, the message that driver John Wayne Johnson received contained nude images of a woman and his cab was filled with pornography. Johnson allegedly had been fired from one company for falling asleep at the wheel, overturning the truck and totaling it. The most current trucking company he worked for said the decision to hire him was a mistake, according to WSAV.3. According to the LA Times, a surge in online shopping is taking its toll on holiday deliveries. Though December is always the busiest month for shipping packages, according to the report, this year’s bigger-than-ever push has put even more stress on delivery companies. UPS is expected to deliver 420 million packages in the U.S. this month, while FedEx is expected to deliver 228 million. The LA Times says volume is about 8% higher than last year.4. Stan Koch & Sons Trucking is suing an insurance firm in the Cayman Islands for deceptive insurance practices involving workers’ compensation, according to SETexasRecord. The trucking firm seeks exemplary damages, Texas Insurance Code damages, attorney fees, wants the defendant to pay workers’ comp claims already filed, recovery of claims it paid to its employees, actual damages of at least $2 million and a trial by jury. SETexasRecord has more.5. A trucking business is moving from the west side of Elgin to an industrial park near a 10-year-old residential subdivision, and residents of that subdivision are speaking out, according to the Chicago Tribune. Residents are concerned about traffic, safety, property values and unsightly signage. The Tribune has more.

About the Author

Cristina Commendatore

Cristina Commendatore was previously the Editor-in-chief of FleetOwner magazine. She reported on the transportation industry since 2015, covering topics such as business operational challenges, driver and technician shortages, truck safety, and new vehicle technologies. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut.