A woman shared a universal road trip ritual that she and many others have been engaging in since childhood: arm pumping at truckers in the hopes of getting them to honk their horns. TikTok user and travel enthusiast Tremanda (@travelwithtremanda) posted a viral video showing her catching a trucker’s attention with the motion. Do professional truck drivers find this request to be bothersome? Or do they love it? Tremand’s arm-pump video begins with a recording of her driving on the highway. Her vehicle passes by a large 18-wheeler, and her fist can be seen pantomiming a pulling motion as her car drives alongside the truck. "Doing our part to keep some timely traditions alive on every road trip," she writes in an on-screen caption. It seems like the trucker saw her gesture, as a horn is heard in the background before Tremanda’s video comes to a close. She adds in a caption that she regularly does this. "Do you ever do this on your road trips? It's been something we've done since our very first road trip, and we love counting how many honks we can get every time!" Commenters Sound Off A wave of other users shared their own personal anecdotes about this road-tripping tradition. According to one person, their father, who was a truck driver, told her that they loved it when people asked them to honk their horns: "Fun fact from my dad - semi drivers LOVE when they get the chance to do this, but people rarely do it anymore." Another person who drives trucks for a living corroborated that they, too, enjoy it when fellow commuters request a strong honk. "Coming from a trucker, I LOVE when people do this!" they wrote. "It puts a smile on my face all day. Never stop doing the arm pump!" This was echoed by another person who said they also used to drive trucks for a living. "As a former truck driver, I LOVED when people did this! I even had a man halfway out the passenger side window, pumping his arm for me to honk, and he looked like a kid on Christmas day when I did it! I was happy that both kids and adults were so excited about it. And then I drove a school bus and my middle schoolers would try to get EVERY vehicle to honk, not just trucks," they penned. Another user said that they wished more people would ask them to honk their horn whenever they were driving. "Duuuude this has only happened twice in my trucking career, I wish people did it more often. It really makes our day," they remarked. And there were others who said this type of wholesome road interaction makes them grin from ear to ear. "2 hour drive to San Diego, I got 86 trucks to do this. One of my favorite childhood memories," one TikToker penned. Where Did the Arm Pump Originate? Modern horns are engaged by pressing a button in the middle of a car’s steering wheel. So why is it that when people want a truck to rattle off its horn, they act like they’re in a Wildwood, New Jersey, dance club blasting DJ Tiesto? According to folks in this Quora post, the tradition dates back to when large trucks and vehicles had their horns operated by a chain dangling closer to the ceiling of their cabin interiors. Yanking on that chain would activate the horn, and children would act out this motion in the hopes that truckers would acknowledge them with the loud noise. In a separate Quora post, another user showcased the cab configuration of a truck that features a chain dedicated to blaring its horn. In one of the images shared in the post, someone can be seen sitting in the driver’s seat with a large smile on their face as they pretend to pull a cord, further reinforcing the idea that doing so instantly instills a feeling of simple joy. In the same thread, another driver shared his own horn configuration, albeit on a newer truck. He wrote, "Mine still [uses a pull-cord air horn.] I drive a brand new Kenworth T680, and the pull cord for the air horn is in the same place Kenworth has been putting it, probably since they started putting air horns in trucks." Going a step further, he showed off Kenworth’s mechanism for the horn, along with the hoses that connect the lever to the alert mechanism: "The two S hooks connect the top end of the lanyard to the lever that actuates the air valve for the horn…green hose visible behind it is the air supply, the black hose running with it is what goes to the horn." The same driver added that "regardless of if we actually honk it," the "arm pump motion is universally known among drivers." Moreover, he stated that whenever a truck driver sees someone perform this motion, they’ll "almost always do it" for a fellow commuter. He went on to say that he probably enjoys seeing the overjoyed reactions from children when he sounds off the horn more than they do from seeing him initiate a honk. Additionally, someone else in the same discussion mentioned that their 2016 Kenworth truck also features a lanyard for honking. Is It Dangerous for Trucks to Honk for No Reason? Washington Trucking School notes that while most times the gesture is harmless and truckers love it, there are some instances where you should probably avoid giving the signal. These include: When you’re in standstill traffic If there’s a bicycle or motorcycle rider nearby If you’re in a construction zone If you’re in a school zone The school advises always paying attention to one’s surroundings and making sure the gesture won’t distract the driver. It adds, "If you want to be cautious, you might ask your kids to give you a heads up when you’re driving. That way, you won’t be surprised. And everyone can enjoy the moment of magic that is the truck horn together." Gallery: Kenworth Semitruck Generations Other Truck Drivers Love the Arm Pump On Reddit’s r/Truckers sub, someone asked professional drivers if they "like it when people do the arm pump for the horn?" And, just like the responses to Tremanda’s TikTok video, there were a myriad of folks who corroborated that they appreciate the gesture from others on the road. "I love it when kids do the arm pump for the horn and then see their parents crack up laughing," one person said. "Literally the only reason I drive a truck," another remarked. Someone else said that it’s "disappointing when no one does it!" They went on to joke that the reason why they’re so alert on the road is because they’re looking out for arm pumps. Based on this, if you’re contemplating whether or not you should request a truck driver to sound off their horn while driving, you should probably just go ahead and throw your hand in the air. Motor1 has reached out to Tremanda via TikTok direct message for further comment. We'll update this if she responds. We want your opinion! What would you like to see on Motor1.com? Take our 3 minute survey. - The Motor1.com Team
Liked by Isabelle Morgan, Carter Smith
Liked by Isabelle Morgan, Carter Smith
Liked by Isabelle Morgan, Carter Smith
