(a Language All Their Own)
THE SUNDAY AGE
Saturday July 16, 1994
11. Truck-drivers.
A regular lexicon of the jargon used by the various professions.
Backload: Goods carried by a truck on a return journey.
Change channel: Warning given on CB radio from one driver to another to change to a channel unlikely to be listened to by many CB users, so that foul language or a secret, which is about to be transmitted, is not heard by others.
Cheps: Timber pallets upon which goods are stacked. Named after the company Chep, which makes them.
Copy: Term used by truck drivers on CB radio. A driver is asking another driver to respond to his call.
Fak: Acronym for freight all kind. Refers to a container which is carrying a variety of goods.
Forky: Forklift driver.
Goose neck trailer: Trailer used to carry over height goods. The base of the truck is low to the ground and the front is long like a goose's neck.
Hume cowboys: Usually young truck drivers who travel the Hume Highway.
They are often considered dangerous because they illegally carry too much cargo and work for long hours without rest.
Manifest: List, usually for customs and quarantine purposes, which describes the goods carried by a truck or ship.
Mobile circus: Truck adorned with too many lights.
Pill poppers: Truckies who use pills (usually stimulant weight loss tablets), to stay awake on long journeys. These drivers do not take the stipulated rest periods, in the hope of completing the job more quickly.
Prime mover: Motorised part of truck which holds the engine and driver.
Ro/ro vessel: Acronym for roll on roll off. A ship whose back or front has a drawbridge, used by trailers (instead of cranes) to load or unload the ship.
Smokey at the back door: CB radio signal advising that a police vehicle is behind you.
Tailgate: Inspection of goods on the truck by Customs.
© 1994 THE SUNDAY AGE