Driver’s roadside coffee break blocking highway ends in temporary OOO placement

A truck driver and a motorist were cited after taking a joint coffee break on the side of an Ottawan highway over the weekend. 

The incident occurred on Saturday, February 8th, on Highway 417 near Moodie Drive at about 5 p.m. in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

According to Ottawa Citizen, truck driver and motorist both pulled over on Highway 417 near Moodie Drive and stopped on the shoulder, with the semi truck partially sticking out into the lane of travel. Both the trucker and the motorist then got out of their vehicles and stood on the shoulder of the highway, drinking coffee together. 

An Ottawa OPP police officer then spotted the roadside coffee break and pulled up to investigate the situation. 

“The transport was partially blocking the lane, forcing vehicles to enter the highway more quickly and, of course, nobody expects to see that when you’re coming around that corner,” OPP Ottawa detachment media relations officer Const. Michael Fathi wrote in an email. 

Fathi says that it is “illegal to park along the highway, including the shoulder,” and both drivers received a $110 ticket. The two were also ticketed for “pedestrian using controlled-access highway,” and interfering with traffic. 

The officer then conducted a commercial motor vehicle inspection and discovered “numerous violations.” The violations resulted in charges for the trucking company, and the officer temporarily placed the tractor trailer out of service.