Cb Radio

I was wondering when I get my own truck is a cb radio needed on the road

Not necessary, but it sure is helpful. Most company trucks are prewired for it and it’s well-worth it. Even if you just get a basic model (mine’s a Cobra I didn’t spend more than $129 for).

You won’t regret buying one, but you might regret not having one.

I just bought mine this winter. most days there is no chatter at all unless an accident or storm ahead which is when they are really helpful. i got one with all the bells and whistles. it comes on with weather alerts when powered off, has blue tooth and a bunch of options i never learned to use. honestly like youtube, all you here is racists, sexists or super truckers who complain about the new generation of drivers who knows nothing.

most customers do not use them anymore, they use cell phones. most drivers dont leave them on, so even telling someone their lights are out or their tire is flat doesnt work.

the.older cascadia, my 2015 and 2016 have a slot for.them above the drivers seat. the brand new Cascadia i just saw does not have a slot. im.not sure it would have the wiring for the antenna.

I didnt get mine till I started pulling a tanker. Lots of shippers and receivers have them. And it's pretty handy to tune to channel instead of dialing a phone while your sitting on the scale.

Otherwise it's nice to know what's going on around you but when you go into big city's get ready to a lot of BS just as Rainy mentioned.

I rarely used mine while OTR. Now that I'm local, I use one even less. I was in Texas once and the weather alert kept going off. There were thunderstorms and heavy, damaging hail nearby. It occurred to me that I had no idea what I would do if 4" hail started crashing through the roof of my fiberglass palace. Instead of worrying or learning the right thing, I turned off the CB. I needed sleep. I would still want a CB if I were OTR. It's not terribly expensive and it's some to listen to on the late night drives.

I rarely talk on my CB, but I assure you it's always on when my truck is rolling.

Sure, most of the time there's nobody on there talking. And there's times when the radio Rambo's are fighting each other, or you have the guy with a 10 million watt radio skipping in from Canada, drowning out everything and ruining your favorite radio program.

BUT... and this is a huge BUT.

It's all worth it when you're bebopping along and you suddenly hear on the CB "back it down eastbound, you're coming to a dead stop just over the hill at mile marker such and such."

Or..

"Hey northbound they got the highway blocked at mile marker whatever for a rollover. Find another way around if you can."

I've been driving for less than 2 years, and I've already had more times than I can count on both hands where the CB has saved me time, trouble, and possibly more.

I'll never go without one. That's my take on it.

I agree with Turtle. A CB is a necessity. You don't need the best and most expensive rig. But even a cheap $40 CB hooked up to a trucks cheap preinstalled antenna can save your bacon. So what you only get a 1/2 mile from it. In a hilly situation or one of poor visibility, it could mean the difference between coming to a stop safely and plowing headlong into a bad situation.

More than a few times I have got the call that a full stop was happening just ahead of me. Trust me, you don't want to be full throttle and heavy cresting a hill only to find out everything on the other side of the hill is at a dead stop.

You have to agree with everyone here. I always had a CB from the time they were available back when there was only 10 channels to scan and listen to. If you are OTR you can listen with squelch tuned off for full volume or lower the squelch to run "silent" until someone starts talking. If in doubt just go with your gut feelings but I would have one no matter what. I still run one in the pickup when pulling the 5th wheel as it is a valuable tool.