CARDINAL, Ont. – The life of a trucker depends so greatly on time and on deadlines.

Whether waiting for a load, sitting in traffic or thwarted by a snowstorm, truckers are in the hands of time.

Solitude can be tough to deal with during a long haul, so when there is a little time to kill, it is important to keep busy.

Although free time is rare while en route, a driver can sometimes find himself wondering what to do while waiting.

Without having the luxury of taking this time to do hobbies, catching up on the little things at home, or spending time with family, many drivers still manage to be productive with their waiting time while on the road.

Truck News stopped by the 730 Truck Stop in Cardinal, Ont., to talk to drivers about how they like to spend the hours in between.

For Dale Perry of Cornwall, Ont., free time allows him to learn more about the trucking industry.

“I am new to trucking, I’ve only been driving for three months so I’m usually quite busy with the paperwork, but if I do get some time, I like to talk to the other drivers along the way because I can learn so much from them about the industry,” says Perry who drives for T-Line in Kingston, Ont.

Transport St. Barthelemy driver, Dave Lacroix, says he is one of the lucky ones.

“I don’t really have to worry too much, I drive a dumper so I really don’t have much in the line of wait times, which is definitely a bonus,” says Lacroix.

“I try to get a quick snooze in if I can, it’s nice if I can get home refreshed after a day of driving, but I make deliveries, so I don’t very often get that chance,” says Gary Mackay who drives for Burnbrae Farms of Lyn, Ont.

Donald Lewis drives for Tilbar of Cardinal, Ont., and says the best thing to do if there is some time to kill is to catch some shut-eye.

“I get some sleep, lots of it, if I have some spare time,” says Lewis. “That’s really all I do.”

Steve Tozer is a company driver with Laidlaw in Cardinal, Ont., and he says he likes to read when he is stuck somewhere on the road.

“I like to read western novels, in fact I only read westerns. I probably go through three or four books a week,” says Tozer.

Tozer reluctantly says he also gets caught up playing the addictive video games at the truck stops quite often.