WINNIPEG, Man. — Twenty-eight bottles of urine have been found littered along the roadside on a 35-kilometre stretch outside Winnipeg recently, which is possibly an indication of the intense pressure on the trucking industry, according to a story recently published by the Winnipeg Free Press.

There were also reports last month of the same problem in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, according to the same story.

“I got six of them in my truck now,” said trucker Gordy Thomson of Wallaceburg, Ont., during a rest break at a truck stop near Headingley, Man. “At least I am responsible. I always wait until I get to a garbage bin before I throw them out.”

Jim Berezowski of Manitoba Infrastructure and Transport, who has 20 years of experience with highway maintenance, said the problem started to intensify on major highways around Winnipeg in 2002.

“It’s been pretty consistent since the increase to the truck traffic in Manitoba,” Berezowski said.

Some truckers choose making a living over taking bathroom breaks and breaks for much-needed sleep. “All of this boils down to pressure, that drives these guys to not stop, or take rest breaks, if they can avoid it,” said Harry Gow, president of Canadians for Responsible and Safe Highways, who spoke to the Winnipeg Free Press.

–with files from the Winnipeg Free Press