Trucking Laws · California · October 24, 2026

CHP Says a Trucker Skipped a Scale While Watching Netflix on a Tablet

A semi truck rolling on a freeway past a truck scale facility with brown hills behind it on a clear day — Illustration for this story. Not a photo of a specific location.

A semi truck driver in California was ticketed after he bypassed a scale facility and officers found a Netflix show playing on a tablet mounted on his dashboard, the California Highway Patrol says, according to CDL Life.

The details come from an Oct. 20 statement by the CHP's Golden Gate Division, as reported by CDL Life on Oct. 23. The driver was cited, not arrested, and he has not been named. The date of the stop was not given.

What CHP says happened

According to CHP, the semi driver bypassed the scale facility located off Interstate 680 in Walnut Creek, California.

A commercial vehicle officer then tried to pull the truck over. CHP said the driver "was so distracted that it took the span of two miles of lights and sirens to finally get his attention."

During the traffic stop, CHP said, officers learned the driver had been watching a Netflix show on a tablet mounted on the dash, all while "operating an 80,000 pound vehicle on the freeway."

That weight is CHP's description. The actual weight of this particular truck was not reported.

The two citations

According to CHP, as reported by CDL Life, the driver was cited for:

Bypassing the scale facility.
Violating California Vehicle Code section 27602(a), which prohibits operating a vehicle with a video or television screen visible to the driver.

No arrest was reported, and the statement as reported did not say how much the citations will cost.

CHP's message to drivers

CHP used the stop as a reminder for every commercial driver about distraction behind the wheel.

"This behavior is unacceptable and puts everyone at risk. Distracted driving is preventable, costly, and dangerous. The safest choice is to keep your eyes on the road, your hands on the wheel, and your mind on driving," the agency said.

What is known and what is not

A few points are worth keeping straight:

The facts and quotes in this story are CHP's, as relayed by CDL Life. CHP's original social media post was not available to check directly.
The incident date was not included in the statement as reported.
The driver is not named, and the reports describe citations, not an arrest.
The 80,000 pound figure is CHP's phrasing, not a measured weight for this truck.

For drivers who want to stay ahead of the scale

Skipping a scale is what started this stop, before anyone knew about the tablet. For a plain look at how scale facilities work and what drivers are expected to do when one is open, see the Big Rig Daily guide to how weigh stations work.

Drivers who like to check their numbers before they roll can also run their axle weights through the free truck weight and axle calculator. It is a planning tool, not a certified scale.