Two for one 'hot' trucks

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Another day, another 'hot' truck but this time Indiana State Police stopped two at once.

The Tippecanoe County Health Department was called in to inspect the improperly refrigerated food and Environmentalist Craig Rich said what he found was disturbing.

"One of the most disturbing things in both of these trucks, a lot of kids' yogurt, a lot of kids' drinks. Kids don't know and it's just kind of sad that this is allowed to happen and your kids could get sick and you wouldn't know what it's all about," Rich said.

State Police public information officer Sgt. Richard Meyers said troopers have been cracking down on 'hot' trucks because the extreme temperatures outside are making trucks' refrigeration systems work over time to stay below the allowable 41 degrees.

Meyers said commercial motor vehicle troopers can stop trucks for any reason especially if they want to check what's inside.

"They can stop to check their paperwork, to make sure that they're mechanically sound, or that their load is well and that's what we're doing and this is what we're finding," Meyers said.

In the stop Thursday, more than 500 pounds of spoiled dairy products and meats were thrown out.

Environmentalist Craig Rich said the best way to prevent this kind of food from ending up on your table is to know where it's coming from.

"As a consumer, you really don't have a lot of control over this because they're going to either a restaurant or grocery store. So you need to make sure you're going wherever you're shopping or eating, it's got to be someone you trust," Rich said.

One of the two drivers pulled over said he thinks the heat caused his refrigeration unit to stop working properly. He said when he left Chicago this morning the cooler was running fine and his truck was cold. He would never intentionally deliver spoiled food.

"In my perspective that's terrible because you may be affecting somebody's health if not causing their death maybe even. Me personally, I wouldn't be able to live with that so that's just wrong," driver David Hernandez said.

After the spoiled food was removed from Hernandez's truck he was released by Indiana State Police and Tippecanoe County Health Department and said what food was left behind won't be making it to Indianapolis as planned.

"Now I'm going to drive back to the warehouse. I mean, there's no point in finishing the route if half of the stuff is missing," Hernandez said.