Slight Detour – October 2025

Our first stop on this Slight Detour is in Pennsylvania, where a driver recently took a literal detour – leaving a path of destruction while earning a pretty cool nickname in the process.

Residents in Delaware County recently woke one day to find their street had been torn up by a tractor-trailer that police have dubbed “Truckzilla” when the driver detoured through a residential part of the city.

Police said they believed the driver had entered into the area after trying to avoid the Route 420 Bridge – a 12-and-a-half-foot railroad bridge notorious for peeling trailers open like a can opener.

Part of the destruction was caught by a resident’s doorbell camera, which showed the black semi mowing over a stop sign before crushing a curb, tearing down some power lines and wrecking a neighbor’s lawn.

Unfazed, the hungry beast continued through the unsuspecting neighborhood, tearing down another utility pole five blocks away.

Officials tracked down Truckzilla’s owners and will be looking to collect a pretty hefty repair bill. No word on the fate of the driver – who clearly needs a refresher on what to do after causing thousands of dollars’ worth of damage – but I’m really liking that nickname. Hopefully, I’ll see a “Truckzilla” on the show circuit soon.

No bull

Not all truckers take out their frustrations on inanimate objects. Sometimes, they take them out on off-duty sheriff’s deputies.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd seems to take pride in keeping citizens informed. During a recent Morning Briefing on Facebook – something it appears he does nearly every day in a pretty entertaining fashion – Judd shared the story of a trucker from Florida who was driving recklessly through his county.

In his report, Judd said the trucker was driving “really out of control,” catching the attention of an off-duty deputy. The street-clothes-clad deputy then attempted to get close enough to the truck to jot down its DOT number. As he approached, the driver reportedly threw a “cup of liquid in a Styrofoam container” through an open window and struck the deputy – who, by the way, he still thought was just an ordinary civilian.

Now, a “cup of liquid” is pretty ambiguous, but my mind obviously goes to the worst-case scenario here. I’m really hoping it was just watered-down sweet tea. I feel like if it were something really gross, Judd would have told us.

“He’s not just any victim; he’s an off-duty Osceola deputy sheriff and a former nationally recognized bull rider,” Judd said. “Well, now he’s involved in some bull here.”

Deputies in the area spotted the truck and pulled it over. The driver was quickly identified by the off-duty officer as the culprit behind the Styrofoam chalice of mystery juice. He was arrested, and his truck was towed.

The lesson here should be about the consequences of road rage, but if there’s one thing I’ve taken away from it, it’s that this sheriff is one heck of a storyteller. He mentioned the driver was a bull rider only to get that bull pun in; I’m 100% convinced of that. And I’m not even hating. As a connoisseur of the corny, I loved it – and he did a hell of a job delivering the line.

A captivating tale from start to finish. He even concluded with a dash of “disappointed dad.”

“Just behave. No road rage, no reckless driving,” Judd said. “You know, our professional truck drivers are really, really awesome. He was an embarrassment to all of them.”

See what I mean? I give this 10 out of 10. No notes.

Well-done irony

Sticking with the bovine theme, our next story takes us to Missouri, where firefighters recently fought a blaze with plenty of sizzle and a pinch of irony.

The Doolittle Rural Fire Protection District in Phelps County was recently called to a tractor-trailer fire. First responders arriving on the scene soon discovered – presumably from a delicious aroma filling the air – that the trailer was packed with 40,000 pounds of ribeye steaks.

“Probationary Firefighter Jenna Ulrich is the only vegan on our department,” the department’s Facebook post read. “So naturally, her very first fire involved a tractor-trailer carrying 40,000 pounds of ribeye steak.”

I have to admit, that is pretty funny. No injuries were reported from the blaze, but the steaks were a “total loss.” If I’m being honest, anything past medium is a total loss in my book.

Now, here’s where the story takes an even weirder twist. The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals heard what happened and sent a letter to the department. The group wanted to reward the vegan firefighter and her cohorts on a “job well done” with a box of “hearty, super-tasty vegan steaks” – their words, not mine.

Then, the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association somehow heard about PETA’s plans to send the department a “box of fake meat from Slovenia” – and the next day, a letter arrived saying the association wanted to right that wrong.

“We believe you deserve better. We believe hardworking men and women like the real thing,” the group’s letter read. “We believe you prefer American as well. Nothing against Slovenia, but give me a break. What is even in that stuff?”

According to its Facebook page, the department plans to have a steak cookoff to determine the winner. Something tells me I already know how this is going to end, but I’m pretty excited to see the results.

Stowaway

This Slight Detour has been full of drivers who weren’t exactly putting their best foot forward. Let’s end on one who did an impressively good job.

Officials in Colorado were recently called to assist in removing a baby racoon from the engine compartment of a parked semi.

According to the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office, the baby raccoon “wasn’t exactly happy” about being roused from slumber – as is the case with most anyone whose nap is interrupted – but it eventually grabbed on to a catch pole and was removed unharmed.

Officials said the masked stowaway was returned to its natural habitat.

While a tip of the cap goes out to the officers for snagging the tiny raccoon, I think the driver should be getting some praise for finding it in the first place. That must have required one hell of a pre-trip inspection – so props for dotting each “i” and crossing each “t.” LL