A tractor-trailer driver in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, was taken into custody after he called 911 to report himself, state police said. He told troopers he was driving while impaired, as reported by WTAJ. It came just minutes after a witness had already alerted police to the truck.
The Pennsylvania State Police station in Punxsutawney said it happened on April 29 in Clover Township. The trouble started on Route 28, also known as Mount Pleasant Road. Within minutes, troopers fielded two 911 calls about the same truck.
A witness called first, reporting a maroon tractor-trailer crawling along at about 5 mph. The caller said the truck was driving erratically and snarling traffic. They worried that a crash was coming, troopers said.
Moments later, troopers said, a second call came in, this time from the trucker himself. He allegedly told them he was “high on cocaine and methamphetamine” and needed to be arrested. Troopers took him into custody.
A Strange Report, Six Weeks Later
State police in Punxsutawney did not make the case public until this weekend, more than six weeks after the April 29 incident. Their account is brief. It does not name the driver or say where the maroon truck had been headed.
The report also lists no charges, and it’s unclear whether the driver was cited for driving under the influence. It doesn’t address what prompted him to call 911 on himself. State police could only offer the outline of the two calls and the arrest.
Why the Caller Was Worried
A loaded truck moving erratically poses a danger to everyone nearby, which is what the first 911 caller described. Driving under the influence of drugs is a serious offense in Pennsylvania. For a professional driver, the penalties can threaten a commercial license and a livelihood.
Commercial drivers are usually held to higher standards when it comes to driving impaired than others under federal rules, though none of that appears in the state police account. The driver’s own words actually suggested he understood the type of risk he was facing. It’s unclear where this case will go from here, but it’s not every day this type of call comes in.