He explains how deregulation and collective action by employers transformed trucking's labor markets-once dominated by the largest and most powerful union in US history-into an important example of the costs of contemporary labor markets for workers and the general public. He then shows how inexperienced workers are convinced to lease a truck and to work as independent contractors. Drawing on more than 100 in-depth interviews and years of extensive observation, including six months training and working as a long-haul trucker, Viscelli explains in detail how labor is recruited, trained, and used in the industry. The Big Rig explains how this massive degradation in the quality of work has occurred, and how companies achieve a compliant and dedicated workforce despite it. This is a powerful and important book that brings clear insights into some of the machinations of. Coupling fascinating accounts of personal struggles with sharp structural analyses linking these struggles to macroeconomic forces, it is the best kind of ethnographic sociology. Trucking used to be one of the best working-class jobs in the United States. The Big Rig is sure to become the touchstone study of U.S. The typical long-haul trucker works the equivalent of two full-time jobs, often for little more than minimum wage. Long-haul trucks have been described as sweatshops on wheels.
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