Sure it became a fad, but it was originally something used by long haul truckers to chat and relay messages and tips/warnings about police on the highway and when it was "safe" to go faster to make your run in time. A kind of ham radio of the highway, used by the guys driving commercially and their families. There are lots of "hidden meanings" to anyone who doesn't have the jargon, the entire song is a total mystery unless you understand Bears are state police, Kenworth, Jimmy etc are trucks' brand names, what places are meant by Shaky and Flag towns, and the trucker specifics such as swindle sheets (driving logs, "swindle" sheets both because they're sometimes falsified and because the company rules "swindle" drivers out of decent pay per hours worked) and cb 10 codes (10-4 = Yes, Affirmative). Convoy = a line of trucks all traveling together down the highway, suicide jockeys carry dangerous cargo, the rocking chair (found in longer versions) is the spot right behind the truck in the lead, etc.