A trucker hat or mesh hat is a type of baseball cap

Baseball cap

A baseball cap is a type of soft cap with a rounded stiff brim. The front of the cap typically contains designs or logos of sports teams ,...

. It is also sometimes known as a "gimme cap" (as in "give me") or a "feed cap" because this style of hat originated as a promotional give-away from feed or farming supply companies to farmers, truck drivers, or other rural workers.

The design of a trucker hat is similar to that of a baseball cap, with a slightly curved bill in front, joined triangular sections forming the hat, and a button on top. Instead of being made of cotton fabric like a typical baseball cap, the front section of a trucker hat above the bill is foam, and the rest is plastic mesh for breathability. The foam front of the hat stands up straight and stiff, which makes the trucker hat taller than most baseball caps. There is an adjustable plastic snap closure in the back to ensure that one size fits most.

The original feed caps bore company logos on the front foam section of the cap, either printed or as a patch sewn on. These companies typically had a rural clientele, such as the local feed store or John Deere

Deere & Company

Deere & Company, usually known by its brand name John Deere , is an American corporation based in Moline, Illinois, and the leading manufacturer of agricultural machinery in the world. In 2010, it was listed as 107th in the Fortune 500 ranking...

 tractors. Trucker-style hats can now be found with other pictures, logos, flags, camouflage, or humorous sayings on the front. Trucker hats are still available as promotional items.

2000s trend

In the early 2000s, the trucker hat became a mainstream fashion trend, predominantly among suburb

Suburb

The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...

an American youth. This came about with a sense of irony due to the hat's rural or blue collar

Blue collar

Blue collar can refer to:*Blue-collar worker, a traditional designation of the working class*Blue-collar crime, the types of crimes typically associated with the working class*A census designation...

 association and typically older demographic. It has frequently been donned by celebrities; musician Pharrell Williams

Pharrell Williams

Pharrell Williams , commonly known simply as Pharrell, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, composer, and fashion designer. Williams and Chad Hugo make up the record production duo The Neptunes, producing hip hop and R&B music...

 and actor Ashton Kutcher

Ashton Kutcher

Christopher Ashton Kutcher , best known as Ashton Kutcher, is an American actor, producer, former fashion model and comedian, best known for his portrayal of Michael Kelso in the Fox sitcom That '70s Show...

 in particular helped make the hat fashionable. However, in a 2008 interview with Fashion Rocks

Fashion Rocks

Fashion Rocks was an annual international charity fundraiser event which features fashions by the world's top designers being presented to live performances by popular music acts.The inaugural event was held at the Royal Albert Hall on October 15, 2003...

magazine, singer Justin Timberlake

Justin Timberlake

Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...

 claimed that, while Kutcher has been cited for popularizing the trucker hat, Timberlake had been wearing them since the age of seventeen. The trucker hat trend was lampooned in the King of the Hill

King of the Hill

King of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas...

episode "Grand Theft Arlen

Grand Theft Arlen

"Grand Theft Arlen" is the 209th episode of the FOX animated television series King of the Hill, and was the 8th episode broadcast in the 11th season.- Plot :When Hank finds out that Bobby has been skipping P.E...

", in which teenagers confuse Hank Hill

Hank Hill

Henry Rutherford "Hank" Hill Age 50 animated series King of the Hill. Hank lives in Arlen, Texas and works at the fictional Strickland Propane selling propane and propane accessories. Hank's voice is provided by series creator Mike Judge. The Economist named Hank Hill as one of the wisest people...

 by asking where he bought his Strickland Propane cap and questioning its irony.

Comedian Judah Friedlander

Judah Friedlander

Judah Friedlander is an American actor and comedian, known for his trademark trucker hats, oversized glasses and unkempt appearance, which he retains in many of his screen roles.-Early life:...

 is known for his signature trucker hats, which depict various humorous phrases. Having worn trucker hats since the 1980s, Friedlander claims a fondness for them and has ignored any rejecting or embracing fashion trends surrounding the hats throughout the decades. In a 2007 interview, he stated:

I was never into anything trendy. If I'm ever doing something that happens to be trendy, it's probably a coincidence and I don't even realize it's trendy. Just a note: I've been making and wearing trucker hats for years--since the '80s actually, when those were pretty much the only kind of hats you could get. I remember about 10 years ago, people used to make fun of me for wearing trucker style hats. And then when they became trendy a couple years ago, those same people came up to me and said shyly, 'Uhm, where do you get your hats? I need to get some.' Years ago, some people used to get angry with me for wearing them and someone even called me racist for wearing a trucker hat 'cause I looked like a redneck

Redneck

Redneck is a historically derogatory slang term used in reference to poor, uneducated white farmers, especially from the southern United States...

. I bet now, some people think I'm a loser for wearing them because now they're out of fashion. But you know what, I never wore 'em to be 'in' or trendy or cool. I just like 'em. And I'll be wearing them long after they're a not a trend.

In recent times, many outlaw country, punk, metal, blues and rock musicians have worn trucker hats on stage and in photographs. This includes Scott H. Biram

Scott H. Biram

Scott H. Biram, aka Scott Biram, SHB, Hiram Biram, or The Dirty Old One Man Band is an American blues, punk and country music musician, based in Austin, Texas.-Biography:...

, Bob Wayne of the Outlaw Carnies, Hank Williams III

Hank Williams III

Shelton Hank Williams, known as Hank 3 , is a neotraditional country and punk metal singer, drummer, bassist, and guitarist. In addition to his honky tonk recordings, Williams' style alternates among country, punk and metal...

, Gary Lindsey of Assjack

Assjack

Assjack is an American punk metal band led by Hank Williams III and Garrett Bremer . Assjack is one of the three features of Williams's live show, and they started off playing psychobilly material throughout 2008 to 2010, until they evolved into a strictly metal/punk band.-Career:For Assjack's long...

 and Black Eyed Vermillion, Zach Shedd of Assjack

Assjack

Assjack is an American punk metal band led by Hank Williams III and Garrett Bremer . Assjack is one of the three features of Williams's live show, and they started off playing psychobilly material throughout 2008 to 2010, until they evolved into a strictly metal/punk band.-Career:For Assjack's long...

 and Hank III's Damn Band, Shawn "McNasty" McWilliams also of the Damn Band, Dave "Shep" Shepherd & "Dixie" Dave Collins of Weedeater (band)

Weedeater (band)

Weedeater is a sludge metal band formed in Wilmington, North Carolina in 1997 with members from the recently defunct Buzzov•en. The band has released four full length albums...

, and many others.

Trucker hats are also worn by Squidbillies

Squidbillies

Squidbillies is an animated television series about the Cuylers, an impoverished family of anthropomorphic hillbilly squids living in the Appalachian region of North Carolina's mountains. The show is produced by Williams Street Studios for the Adult Swim programming block of Cartoon Network and...

 protagonist Early Cuyler, who wears a different hat in each episode (and sometimes multiple hats within a single episode).