Trucker Slang
Occasionally People ask me about Trucker Talk, and American trucker slang words like “County Mountie” or “Bear” for example. So I thought I would jot down a few I have picked up during my life on the road. To most people a Bear is a furry animal with long teeth and claws. A “Bear” to a trucker is any law enforcement officer. A County Mountie would mean to most drivers a “County Sheriff.” A “local yokel” in trucker slang means a local “bear” or “City Cop”. and of course there is always the dreaded “Full Grown Bear” ie “you’ve got a Full Grown Bear taking your picture at the east bound 118, driver!” A “Full Grown Bear” meaning “State Highway Patrol”. The 118 being the mile post or location of the Bear, and” taking your picture” is trucker slang for a radar gun pointed in your general direction. Sometimes a driver will say “theres a “Gator” in the east bound hammer lane”. “A Gator” you might say. “you mean one of those big black Prehistoric Lizards with jaws full of razor sharp Teeth!? ” well sort of….in Trucker Slang a Gator is A large section of Rubber usually from a truck tire that has blown out. They quite often look like an “Alligator” stretched across the road. Oh yeah I almost forgot I said “Hammer Lane.” “Hammer Lane” in Trucker Talk means the passing lane and every trucker will tell you “stay out of the “Hammer Lane” except to pass or of course to move over for Emergency Vehicles on the shoulder trying to keep our highways safe!
Another trucker slang word is “Schneider Eggs” When driving in road construction you will notice those big orange barrels that they use to direct traffic. Truckers have a special word for these orange barrels. We call them “Schneider Eggs” Schneider is a large trucking company with orange trucks that happen to be the same color as those Barrels. Thus some imaginative driver long ago started calling them “Schneider Eggs” and it stuck.There are many more Trucker Slang words and from time to time I will jot them down for you as I remember them, but for now it is time for me to climb back in my sleeper so I can put in a full day and get this load delivered. Well watch out for Those Bears and Gators! and keep the shinny side up! Highwaym
life as a trucker can be quite interesting and you will meet all kinds of characters out on the road. One character I met back east while hauling cars was Billy. Billy used to have one particular trucker slang phrase that was always good for a laugh. The trucker slang phrase was “my eyeballs are hangin' on my cheeks” meaning he was Really tired. I havent seen billy in years but I still tell people “my eyeballs are hangin' on my cheeks” when im tired and need a good chuckle….good night….highwaym
Another trucker slang word is “Schneider Eggs” When driving in road construction you will notice those big orange barrels that they use to direct traffic. Truckers have a special word for these orange barrels. We call them “Schneider Eggs” Schneider is a large trucking company with orange trucks that happen to be the same color as those Barrels. Thus some imaginative driver long ago started calling them “Schneider Eggs” and it stuck.There are many more Trucker Slang words and from time to time I will jot them down for you as I remember them, but for now it is time for me to climb back in my sleeper so I can put in a full day and get this load delivered. Well watch out for Those Bears and Gators! and keep the shinny side up! Highwaym
life as a trucker can be quite interesting and you will meet all kinds of characters out on the road. One character I met back east while hauling cars was Billy. Billy used to have one particular trucker slang phrase that was always good for a laugh. The trucker slang phrase was “my eyeballs are hangin' on my cheeks” meaning he was Really tired. I havent seen billy in years but I still tell people “my eyeballs are hangin' on my cheeks” when im tired and need a good chuckle….good night….highwaym
