It's not really what you'd think right off the bat, but it sure does make sense once you understand what it symbolizes. Let's see if you can guess what this term is used for. Here's a glossary of the 20 trucking terms you should know before you become a truck driver. This is why they decided to come up with some trucking terms that anyone driving on the road in a big truck could relate to and laugh about. This makes seeing and experiencing the same this over and over again super relatable to other truck drivers. But, for many truckers, there are some exciting ways they can make it fun! Unlike most regular drivers, a truck driver's job requires them to be on the road for long periods, sometimes even throughout the whole day. The above article won the "Best of 2003" award from the Truck Writers of North America, March 25, 2004.Being on the road for a long time can get tiring and boring. I still have a CB radio in my motor home - but we hardly ever use it, because we have cell phones now." Through it all, Fries maintains respect and love for the truck drivers who inspired his greatest hit. In 1986, he was elected mayor of Ouray, a post he held for six years. Davis would later form the successful recording group Mannheim Steamroller, while Fries "went fishing" at a new home in Ouray, Colo. The song spurred dozens of similar CB radio songs, as well as popular truck driving movies (including a movie adaptation of "Convoy," starring Kris Kristofferson and Ali MacGraw). McCall on "American Bandstand" and "Hee Haw," and even licensed the McCall character to Midland International Radios, encouraging consumers to "join the Midland Convoy." Sales of citizens' band radios exploded, so much so that in 1977 the FCC increased the number of available CB channels from 23 to 40 to handle the additional users. In January 1976, "Convoy" topped the country and pop charts, introducing an entire nation to CB lingo. And no matter what station we turned to, within 30 seconds 'Convoy' would be on." We knew the song was a hit when had to go out to Los Angeles, and when we got off the airplane and rode downtown in our rented car, we turned on the radio, and there it was. And I talked over the microphone, like I was on a CB radio. Davis created a patriotic, militaristic sound on the record, with snare drums and a marching band beat. We bought a CB and listened to them, and got a great collection of the jargon, their handles and all the things that they would say. "They would create convoys on the road and try to beat the state patrol. "There was the energy crisis, long lines at gas stations, 55 mph speed limits, and the truckers couldn't get their loads to the marketplace," recalled Fries. McCall had a series of minor country hits in 19, it wasn't until November 1975 when "Convoy," a little-known album track from McCall's second album Black Bear Road, became a monster hit. Fries and Davis sold 30,000 homemade copies, and later signed with MGM Records in 1974. ![]() for Country and Western."Ī 45 rpm record based on the commercials "Old Home Filler-Up An' Keep-On-A-Trucking' Café," was released under the name C.W. The truck drivers for Old Home Bread had initials on their shirts, so he became C.W. I looked down at my desk, and there's a copy of McCall's magazine, and McCall sounded like a good name for a truck driver. "We had to have a truck driver in the commercials," said Fries, "and I needed to have a name for that truck driver. ![]() McCall grew from a series of popular commercials Fries created for Old Home Bread, while he and Davis were working at an Omaha, Neb., ad agency. "We've discovered there's been a rebirth, a whole new generation is suddenly discovering this C.W. Among the new and classic tracks on the CD is a freshly-recorded version of "Convoy." McCall with Mannheim Steamroller in a new CD called American Spirit. Nearly three decades after their biggest hit, Fries and Davis have brought back C.W. McCall, a fictional truck driver/road poet created by advertising executive Bill Fries, who provided the voice and lyrics, and musician Louis "Chip" Davis, who created the orchestrations. It became a worldwide hit, topping the pop and country charts in 1976, and helping to sell millions of CB radios. "Convoy," a song where truck drivers join an ever-growing parade of Peterbilts and Kenworths and use "handles" to avoid the police - all told in CB jargon and lingo - changed all that. In 1975, "Smokey Bear" taught fire safety, a "rocking chair" was where Grandpa sat, and "Ten-four" was the score of last night's baseball game. Write an e-mail to the author of this article "Old Home Filler-Up An' Keep On A-Truckin' Cafe"Īmerican Spirit (with Mannheim Steamroller)Ĭlick here to hear this story with your ReadPlease voice reader
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