Mental Floss

30 Colorful Pieces of Truck Driver Slang

Michele Debczak|
These slang terms will have you speaking like a trucker in no time.
These slang terms will have you speaking like a trucker in no time. | mladenbalinovac/iStock via Getty Images

There's a lot the average driver doesn't know about the trucks they pass on the highway. For instance, the spikes on truck wheels are often made of plastic, and the word  doesn't indicate half a vehicle. But one of the most inscrutable aspects of big rig culture is trucker slang.

If you've ever eavesdropped on a CB radio frequency, you know that truck drivers communicate in their own language. Using special lingo, truckers discuss everything from hazards on the road to the best spots for coffee. Even if you only drive vehicles with four wheels, you can still have fun using these pieces of truck driver slang on your next road trip.

1. All locked up

A weigh station is closed.

2. Alligator

A piece of tire on the road, usually from a tire blowout.

3. Anteater

A Kenworth T-600 truck.

4. Back door

There's something behind a driver.

5. Bambi

A deer in or near the road.

6. Bear

Police, including state troopers and highway patrol.

7. Bear bite

A speeding ticket.

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8. Bear in the bushes

A police officer hidden from view, usually with a radar gun waiting for speeders.

9. Big road

An interstate or any large highway.

10. Black eye

A headlight that's out.

11. Bobtail

A tractor without the trailer attached to it.

12. Bullfrog

A Mack truck.

13. Bumper sticker

A tailgating vehicle.

14. Buster brown

A UPS truck.

15. Cash register

A tollbooth.

15. Chicken coop

A weigh station.

16. Comedian

The median strip dividing opposite lanes of traffic on a highway.

17. Convoy

Multiple trucks traveling as a group.

18. Double nickel

Driving at 55 mph, which is thought to be the most efficient speed for highway driving.

19. Evel Knievel

A police officer riding a motorcycle.

20. Front door

There's something in front of the driver.

21. Got your ears on?

Are you listening?

22. Go-go juice

Diesel fuel.

23. Hundred mile coffee

Very strong coffee.

24. Pay the water bill

Stop for a bathroom break.

25. Reading the mail

Listening to CB radio without talking on it.

26. Road pizza

Roadkill.

27. Sesame Street

Channel 19 on CB radio (because everyone lives there).

28. Wally World

Wal-Mart. Can be in reference to stores, distribution centers, or Wal-Mart trucks.

29. 4-wheeler

Passenger vehicles, including cars and pickup trucks.

30. 10-4

Message received.

A version of this article was originally published in 2022 and has been updated.

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