Do you need one?

Do you ever weigh your load at a truck stop where they talk to you on the CB? Do you ever load or unload where you wait in the truck until they yell at you on the CB? Do you ever need directions from another driver who may know the best way into a location from a truckers point of view? Will you ever see traffic slowing down up ahead, notice an exit you can get off before the jam, and wish you can find out before you are stuck in slow or stopped traffic on the interstate? After all you could have sat in a truck-stop having coffee in comfort saving fuel for a few hours rather than wait idling in traffic for the jam to be cleared. Have you ever been passing Holbrook in the winter going west, wondering if an eastbound driver can tell you if the road is badly iced over around Flagpole. Or Heading south to Phoenix. Or in general in any of a thousand places a similar situation might occur.

I guess only you can answer that since having to chain up or hoping there is a runaway ramp going down the grapevine in Chinese overdrive on a sheet of ice should not be the situation you hope for.

 

Been without a CB for years and haven't sat there once wishing I had one. Almost any place will take your phone number as well to call you when your done. Makes your sleep much easier during wait time instead of hearing the whole parking lot jibber all night.

CB for scales? Haven't seen one since the POS ones flying J had.

Get around traffic? I'm smart enough to use a map. Same with getting directions into a place. Call the customer. Use google maps to check all surrounding roads for a escape plan and verify it via road atlas and GPS. Beats a CB everytime. That driver you ask for directions from may be toying with you and send you in a bad area or wrong direction.

 

I have a CB, but I tell the Customers that want to know if I have one that it's broken.

Most trucks should be 'pre-wired'.

 

Love it or hate it, I still use my CB often. I'm paid by the hour, so speeding does me no good and traffic is usually not a big deal to me. So, I don't really use it for "Bear Reports" and "Traffic Reports". We always run legal, so I don't worry about scales and surprise check points.

But, I'm still a little old school and in the habit of turning the CB on when I crank over the big CAT in my rig. But like mentioned above, it's a lot easier these days with smart phones that have GPS and Google Maps and of coarse, cell phones to call for directions to shippers/receivers.

I usually turn the CB off when there's too much negative gibber jabber about BS and jack wagons that play stupid music on the CB.

Overall, I think it's a great tool to have in the cab ready if you need it.

 

I could have but then that would not have given you examples of when one is useful. Judging from you thanking the second poster who said no and not me I have to assume you were really looking for excuses to not have one, in lieu of your open question as to pro or con. Also, 5 years driving is little experience, no matter how smart you are with maps they do not indicate wrecks up ahead on the interstate which just occurred nor do they tell you in winter driving what the conditions are miles ahead of you.

 

your google map and smart phone wont tell you about that blowout on your passenger inner tandem 20 miles back. my 2 cents.

 

yup- don't leave home without it