CB Radio: Still a vital tool despite its recent reputation as "old school"...

Anyone travelling on the roads these days who may think that citizens band radio is somehow "outdated"; that it has been "replaced" by cellphones, is deluding themselves.

Read this shocking story:

http://fleetowner.com/driver-management-resource-center/trucker-mocked-warning-cb-radio-about-pile

Keep your vehicle equipped with a CB radio, avoid frivolous chatter and, in particular, avoid becoming drawn into arguments by foul-mouthed, road-rage types who only want an audience for their antics.

Monitor channel 19 and, where relevant, channel 9 in those localities where some emergency services may continue to exist.

 

A working cb should be required safety equipment. Get stopped without it on and working and you should get a citation

 

Yep.....yo southbound, a couple of loose bulls on your side, in hammer lane

 

Compared to the value of getting and giving a life-saving message on the CB, the $$ involved and the pains of listening to some nasty schoolyard talk is well worth it. I can't imagine anyone not taking advantage of it, but there it is.

 

They can especially save lives in rural, mountainous areas. I've also reasoned that the reason these new drivers keep making the same mistakes over and over again is because they don't have a radio. Back in the day your mistakes would be pointed out and you could learn from them. Things were more civil back then. It is a shame society has gone in the direction is has.

 

Not having one is like standing in a crowd of your peers with no voice to be able to talk to them with, and knowing that they are probably all talking to one another and you can't hear them.

 

Worst night I remember, was right after a roll over accident occurred and seen two bodies laying in the road... East bound shut it down, you've got bodies in the road, no response. Flashed my lights and long as I could, I watched in my mirror for brake lights, none. <---the memory still haunts me

I'm lucky to have a dedicated run from Chicago to Dayton, and hear from all the same drivers every night and some new voices on the way. I've always got a front door, and back no matter what time I leave, and road reports all the way.

My thought is, the majority of new drivers never had a truck that would allow them to do over the speed limit, so they had no use for bear reports. And now they can just click their phone for weather and traffic, thus the evolution/extinction of CB radio.

 

But but.... I thought if important information needed to be passed on to a driver it'd come over the qualcomm.

If everyone simply monitored 19, as the OP said, it'd save more lives, lost revenue, and property damage annually than any ATA ankle monitor they think will make us safer.

 

^^ Great post, OP, and all y'all others. THIS is what legislature should be looking at, not whether or not the 34 hour reset was ever written correctly in the FIRST place!
ps: The qualcomm question; if the FM's and the Dispo's had a CLUE, we WOULD get those messages, eh?

 

Well, this is all well and good. But why not also discuss the reason many of us get fed up with the BS and must turn it off. I forgot where I was yesterday as some bunch of yahoos, both with big radios went on and on with the most childish "conversation" I think I've ever heard. I listened to the foolishness for a while hoping they'd shut up soon, and it seemed at least one was going my direction and couldn't listen any more and turned it off.

So If I don't have mine on, you'll understand I got fed up with some of the BS at some point earlier and turned it off. If that pisses you off, then you're just going to feel pissed on.

Nad furthermore, if you're a couple chatting "company business" for miles and miles, TAKE IT TO ANOTHER CHANNEL! and do us all a favor.