That’s right, trucker bombs. Otherwise known as a pee torpedoe.

Huh? Confused?

OK, let me explain. A trucker bomb aka pee torpedoe is a bottle of urine that is thrown out of a moving truck (vehicle).

That’s right, projectile urine.

Apparently, this is a major problem in some US States where thousands of bottles of urine are routinely tossed out of moving trucks. And this happens more than you might want to imagine.

Some truckers are simply in too much of a rush to stop to use the facilities:

Truckers, for their part, point to a lack of convenient parking areas and an industry that’s become more stressful since deregulation in the 1980s. Urine jugs, says Todd Spencer, executive vice president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, “are an indicator of how much stress and pressure drivers are under.” Those factors range from having to get deliveries on time to making up for higher fuel prices by reducing costs elsewhere. The legal work week for truckers is 60 hours, the former truck driver says, and “the real work week is usually 20 to 30 hours beyond that.” “What actually drives this more than anything else,” he adds, “is that the vast majority of drivers are paid only for miles driven,” so they cut corners where possible. (MSNBC)

I guess “time is money.” But, come on! We all have to stop what we are doing to use the facilities.

We must note that this bad habit is of course not entirely limited to truckers. Other rushed drivers are known to be culprits as well.

I have known this was an issue for a while from my experience with composting toilets and sanitation. But, it wasn’t until I watched The Daily Show (in a funny report by Samantha Bee) tonight that I realized how bad the problem really was.

A Washington State road crew in a small county collected 2,666 2L jugs of urine (among other disgusting things) in one year. That’s about 5000L of urine. In one county. Gross.

These pee bottles are even found at rest stops. Only a few feet away from garbage cans or restrooms…

The Washington Department of Ecology has started a new campaign aimed at stopping the problem. They have increased fines to $1,025 (from $99) for littering what is now classified as “dangerous litter.”

However, until the problem is stopped, this isn’t much comfort for the poor workers who have to clean up the mess from the roadside and from garbage cans. Randy Dobyns, a transporation employee in Colorado said that they often hit them while mowing the grass along the road, causing the bottles to explode! Talk about a good reason for a raise.

So any truckers out there reading this, please take a break from driving and use the bathroom and encourage your fellow drivers to do the same. Or, consider an alternative such as a waterless compost toilet or a portable toilet.

Via The Daily Show and MSNBC.