“
One way to get up-to-date travel information while driving in the South is to install a citizens band, or CB, radio into your car.
…truckers devised their own radio dialect based on jargon filtered down from military, aviation and law enforcement radio protocols. A basic understanding of on-air etiquette and terminology is essential for those wishing to join in the conversations…might include an exchange like this (with translations):
Break one-nine. (Please, gentlemen, might I break in on this conversation? [on channel 19])
Go ahead, breaker. (Oh, by all means.)
Hey J.B., you got your ears on? (You, sir, driving the J.B. Hunt truck, are you listening to your CB radio?)
Ten-four. (Yes.).
“Can I get a bear report?” (Are there any police behind you?)
“Yeah, that town up ahead of you is crawling with local yokels.” (The town I just left has a number of municipal police looking for speeders.)
…For an average motorist, tuning a CB radio to channel 19 for the first time is like being cured of life-long deafness – provided there are truckers nearby. The big rigs that loomed large and soulless suddenly have personalities emanating from them. Truckers with similar destinations will keep each other awake for hundreds of miles at a stretch, chatting about politics, religion, sex, sports, and working conditions. This provides hours of entertainment for those listeners who can penetrate the jargon and rich accents.
”
”