There are other truck drivers here besides me. I’m OTR (Over-The-Road) and that’s a dwindling group. Container-hauling from inland rail ports changed cross-continent. But, when east of IH35 (west of which the rains stop), there’s a great deal of OTR drivers who mainly use AM-19.
This is assuming they are actual Americans, and are motivated enough to try and make a radio work. The typical Class 8 tractor nowadays is mainly composite-body, thus an RF groundplane has become exceedingly-difficult to work with.
1). See the map Mega-Regions of the United States. Traffic between these will feature drivers attentive to AM-19, but drivers out-of & back-into the same city will not. These are fleets of company drivers.
2). A ways away from those city regions and where you are traversing the factory floor (America doesn’t have farmers & ranchers anymore; it has assigned way-stations on the food manufacture line), there are FAR more owner-operators going significant distances. As being away from the Interstate is a feature of their work, AM-19 is monitored even where another channel may be in use.
— Those are the main groups. There are a kajillion sub-groups, some of whom operate a couple of months per year, to a heavy number in just one small region (and not seen anywhere else).
— Heavy Haul is the most interesting group to cover ALL of North America and to the Arctic Circle. The (literal) most-remote places. Might have 2-3 radios going at once (just spent a few days with some in my company fleet). You “may” hear them working with escort vehicles (pilot cars) on 19.
3). The Locals:
This ranges from great to terrible (on AM- 19). So much so I’ve decided to get and try a 355-series Bearcat Scanner to see what else is out there. I know that there’s always talk on other channels (before we get to SSB), but chasing it manually is too much work while driving.
There are areas where CB is local fun. I remember a long drive in Kentucky near the Ohio one summers afternoon & evening circa 1998, and my route had me bending away and then back towards the same 10-20 doing some hell-raising. Boats, pickemups and base stations. (I’ve noticed this near other major rivers and on the Gulf Coast away from tourists).
Truck drivers are most active on radio near dawn. On their way into a city for delivery. By the time they’ve chased down a new load and are outbound after 1300, their day is nearing its end. I’m underway by 0300-400, and prefer to be parked again by/before 1700 with about 500-miles done. (That’s an ideal day).
3-million truck drivers. 750k of them 150-miles or more away from home during the typical workweek. I’m west of Fort Worth with a load that came from Mexican border this morning (Wednesday night now). Deliver tomorrow north of OKC, bobtail to south of Muskogee to get another trailer, then re-load in Joplin, MO early Friday and will be in San Diego, CA on Monday. (A good week, as not all of them are; I came out of shop near Houston yesterday).
Most of us are involved in being 2-3 days ahead of where we are at the moment (well, the good drivers are). The inferior ones are past their true skill level at anything above 45-mph (not kidding), and what’s on the radio is more than walnut-sized craniums can deal with.
All that said, many have the radio on. All day. “Quiet” is relative.