The term comes from back in the
day when Truckers were Truckers and their rigs didn't have A.
C., in an attempt to cool off, truckers would put a sludge hammer down on the
gas peddle, open their doors and stand outside on the steps while cruising down Route
66 through the Cajon Pass in Calif. They would call out on their
CB's "put the hammer down". You would see a line of semis with truckers driving from the step of their trucks.