Trucking industry reacts to television-watching trucker

By Amanda Lorbetski

BELLEVILLE – James Rosatte has seen his fair share of distracted truck driving and says watching television, as one trucker was charged with doing near Odessa recently, isn’t even the most extreme example.

The operations supervisor for a local trucking company said that after more than 10 years on Canadian and U.S. roads, he’s seen it all.

“I’ve seen many times with truck drivers having laptops propped up on their dash watching movies,” Rosatte said. “I’ve even seen a guy playing the trombone, driving a transport up the highway.”

A truck driver was charged for watching television while behind the wheel on Highway 401 in Loyalist Township around 8 p.m. on Nov. 28, Napanee OPP said.

The driver had a seven-inch screen for a DVD player secured to the dashboard and an extendable arm attached to an iPad stand on the floor, police said. The driver was hauling a 52-foot trailer of heavy rubber from Laval, Que., to Toronto.

Rosatte, who spoke on condition that the trucking company he works for not be named, said that the 401 is one of the straightest, most flat and boring highways he’s seen in North America. Travelling the same route for hours on end can become boring, so drivers often look for ways to pass the time, he added.

“It’s just a lot of time doing nothing, literally. You know, 10, 12, 14 hours of sitting in a seat. I mean, just imagine sitting in your living room staring at the same wall every day for 14 hours.”

Terry Cox, an instructor for Crossroads Training Academy, a school for truck drivers, in Kingston, said distracted driving is an issue for all motorists, not just those on 18 wheels. She has some tips for motorists looking to reduce their distractions.

“We would recommend … not to be adjusting GPS and that sort of thing. If you’re going to program a GPS, program it before you leave your parking position. If you’re using phone, it should be hands-free.”