CB Radios

Do Truckers still get the benefit of using CB radio's to help communicate information to each other about traffic conditions?

There are benefits to having one if you get through the trash that is usually being spotted on them lol. A lot of drivers don't use them anymore and the ones who do tend to use them to bad mouth each other.

That said, you can get info on lane closures and the like when you hit bad traffic areas, some drivers will let you know if you have a light or or something else v going on, and some customers will use them to let you know when a load is ready. Sometimes you even get lucky and find people willing to have decent conversation.

They aren't necessary, but can be useful. They can also be annoying. If you get one, be sure to turn it off before backing.

I run with mine on and it is occasionally helpful. A few weeks ago I had a trailer recap start coming off, was warned on the cb and got it pulled over before it blew. Also had another guy let me know a mudflap had come off the trailer not long before that.

It seems like there is much less chatter now than even a couple of years ago, seems a lot of guys aren't running them anymore.

I was coming into flagstaff, az under winter weather conditions in May of this year and I probably tried 20 trucks before I got a response on the conditions (it was quite ugly weather wise there too).

There are idiots that pop off on them but I haven't even noticed much of that lately. I try to warn people of brake checks, closed highways where they may want to reroute due to wrecks, if I see something wrong with their vehicle, etc... Seems pretty rare that I get a response anymore. Easy to see how they get these 100+ truck pileups in the winter.

The CB has saved me more than once to avoid a traffic problem. One time I was listening to drivers talking about a brake check, "only one lane open but can get around it on service road by taking exit ##". So I took said exit before I could see any problem ahead, and sure enough I went right by the jam up at 40 mph on the service road and back on the highway.

Another time I was hearing drivers talking about a backup ahead and had my atlas on my steering wheel looking for a way around when a driver passing me said "follow me Prime I'll get you around the mess ahead." Apparently he saw me looking at the atlas and knew what I was doing. It worked out good he kept in radio contact with me when I got stopped at a light so I wouldn't make a wrong turn.

It's helped out many other ways as well, even just asking a driver where the shipping office is can be a big help at some places. I've gotten directions to a truck stop while I was on the freeway. Another time I was going to a port and saw a couple container trucks and asked them if they were going to the port, and was welcomed to follow them there. I believe a CB is an important tool, you can get by without one but it's been very helpful for me.

Those are great and inspiring stories Chris L.! That's the sort of community i'm looking forward to joining! Sad to hear from so many truckers that it's dying out, but also it's good to hear tales of road camaraderie like yours. I'll definitely be getting a CB.

I'm a super huge proponent of having a CB. In fact, it makes no sense not to have one. They are an indispensable tool that over time will save you all kinds of grief and allow you to save others from all sorts of grief in return.

Easy to see how they get these 100+ truck pileups in the winter.

Ain't that the truth! How many videos are there on YouTube at this point of trucks barrelling into a big wreck in dense fog or on icy roads? How many people get needlessly injured or killed every year because people don't have their CB on?

Not only are they obviously practical, but they can be a ton of fun, too! I can't begin to count the number of long days and nights I've passed having amazing conversations with super interesting people. As the sun goes down you're thinking, "Man this is gonna be a long night." Soon after you hook up with another driver or two and it seems like twenty minutes later the sun is coming up again! It's like, wow, where did the time go? That was great!

And there seems to be a lot of people that think the trash-talking baloney is something new. It's not. The CB hasn't changed in 50 years. There have always been obnoxious idiots and there always will be. So what? Turn it down or turn it off for a short time if need be. No big deal. But I'm telling you, that CB will save the day time and time again.

And besides, what is there that has replaced it? Nothing. It's often times helpful and sometimes critically important to be able to communicate with everyone around you in real time. That will never change on the highways. If something superseded the CB that would be fine. We could all switch to something better. But if I'm driving an 80,000 pound building on wheels over mountains, through deserts, into gigantic cities, and through terrible weather I'm going to have every tool I can think of at my disposal to make things easier and safer. The CB is super high on that list for me.

We hooked up our CB two days ago and other than a bunch of static, all I have heard so far is a few syllables of conversation when passing a truck stop. Do I need to invest in a more expensive CB radio or a better antenna? (We have a new FL with thick plastic mirror arms.) The truck has a preinstalled antenna that we are currently hooked up to.

Sounds like you need a better antennae, or at least it needs to be grounded better. Any radio will receive well if the antenna is set up properly. The more expensive ones have more features and the ability to add more transmitting power. By law a CB can not transmit with more than a few watts but the better radios are easy for the radio pros to modify for you.

If your radio has an SWR meter built in you need to learn how that works and dial it in. If it doesn't you should take it to a radio shop and have them look at your set up. For a small fee they'll make sure you have a good match with your antennae, it's grounded properly, and the SWR is in a good range.

Thank you Brett. Will look for a shop to check it out.

I agree that they are very useful. I was just mentioning the trash talk so that someone new to the cb knows what to expect. There are times I run for hours barely hearing a peep on the radio, times there is plenty of chatter, and times I have to turn it off because someone feels the need to be obnoxious and I don't feel like listening to it.

There have been plenty of times it had allowed me to get into the proper lane in a construction zone out if there was an accident ahead, it even just about the traffic altogether.