The next time you’re driving along the highway, you may spot truckers cruising by, chatting on their cellphones. That’s not necessarily a bad thing when it comes to your safety or their mental health, writes Gagandeep Singh for CalMatters.
Gagandeep spoke to truckers about their cellphone use on the road, where they drive long hours throughout the day and night delivering goods across the country. While it’s illegal to drive while handling a phone, truckers make a point to comply with state laws by keeping one ear free on their headsets.
Sitting alone behind an 80,000-pound vehicle without access to exercise can be isolating and draining. Truckers say talking on the phone with friends, family and fellow drivers helps with their mental health.
Gerald Bailey says he spends 27 hours on the phone every week with his wife and brothers. Earlier this summer, he spoke on the phone with his wife at a Lodi truckstop.
- Bailey: “I stay on the phone with my wife until she starts snoring.”
Lindsey Bryan, a health and wellness manager at a nonprofit focused on truck drivers’ health, says truckers are away from their loved ones and lack many of the things most people lean on to reduce stress. To date, California has never conducted a statewide study on truck drivers’ mental health, nor established any sort of rehabilitation program if a trucker has mental health issues.
For now, some must rely on phone calls — a small luxury that others, like Peter Andrews, don’t have. “It’s against company policy” to talk while driving, said the Texas trucker who walked through a truck stop near Sacramento.
- Andrews: “I have to pull over the truck to call someone. They’ve put camera equipment with artificial intelligence right on my face, so I can’t use my phone.”
CalMatters events: CalMatters and inewsource are hosting a conversation on Aug. 13 in San Ysidro about the Tijuana River contamination crisis, an environmental emergency affecting millions on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. Register here.
Other Stories You Should Know
What the insurance commissioner race means to renters
You may not own a home, but you have a stake in who becomes California’s next insurance commissioner.
As CalMatters’ Levi Sumagaysay explains, renters make up about 44% of the state. The health of California’s property insurance market hits them in the wallet because it affects the cost of rent, housing supply and the ability of communities to recover from disasters.
Gil Barel found that out when the Eaton Fire ignited in Southern California last year. Her complex did not burn down, but smoke engulfed it for days. A test she ordered found toxic materials, but she’s waiting on more results. Her landlord had the unit cleaned in March, but Barel alleges the cleaning wasn’t thorough enough.
- Barel: “The issue is that I have no control. It really depends on the conversation between my landlord and their insurance company. If the landlord does the minimum, or if they don’t feel the need to fight or be insistent on certain things, then it’s not going to happen.”
Read more about Barel’s struggle and learn about the insurance commissioner race in our voter guide.
Limits on therapy by chatbot
As the use of artificial intelligence chatbots grows, state lawmakers want to rein in AI’s ability to offer mental health support, reports CalMatters’ Ana B. Ibarra.
A bill in the Assembly would ban companies from advertising chatbots as therapy. It would also prohibit AI from making therapeutic decisions without the review of a licensed professional, and it would require health providers to get a patient’s permission before using tools to record therapy sessions.
- Sen. Steve Padilla, a Chula Vista Democrat and the bill’s author: “We’re dealing with a new impactful technology that is unfolding and is deployed in our world at light speed, and so it is both extremely powerful and consequential.”
Business and tech industry groups, such as the California Chamber of Commerce and TechNet, oppose the measure. They say it curbs innovation and restricts AI’s benefits.
California Voices
CalMatters columnist Dan Walters: As terrible as wildfires are, imposing liability on utility companies that are state-regulated and state-protected like California’s three major utilities, is a catch-22.
CalMatters contributor Jim Newton: Los Angeles Councilmember Nithya Raman has criticized Mayor Karen Bass’ signature homeless program even though it helped Raman’s district, underscoring how accountability records get tangled in the race for city mayor.
Other things worth your time:
Energy company profits are soaring with the Iran war. Here’s what CA officials want to do // Los Angeles Times (paywall)
They were voted out in Kings County. They refuse to leave. Now what? // The New York Times (gift link)
Newly-released letters show LAUSD moved to fire superintendent before he resigned // LAist (free)
SF apartment scams are getting much, much more sophisticated // SFGATE (free)
A murdered father, then foster care. Now she’s fighting to replace Eric Swalwell // The San Francisco Standard (paywall)
Utilities threaten action if lawmakers fail to cut their wildfire liability risk // Los Angeles Times (paywall)
‘Unprecedented’ bill sets up power struggle between CA Legislature and Fresno County supervisors // Fresnoland (free)
As Shasta jail surpasses 10 months of paused visitations, experts warn of mental health fallout // Shasta Scout (free)
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