In this Book

University of California Press
summary
Long-haul trucks have been described as sweatshops on wheels. The typical long-haul trucker works the equivalent of two full-time jobs, often for little more than minimum wage. But it wasn’t always this way. Trucking used to be one of the best working-class jobs in the United States.  

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. 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. He then shows how inexperienced workers are convinced to lease a truck and to work as independent contractors. 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.

Table of Contents

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  1. Cover
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  1. Title Page, Copyright
  2. pp. i-iv
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  1. Contents
  2. pp. v-vi
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  1. Preface
  2. pp. vii-xii
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  1. Acknowledgments
  2. pp. xiii-xvi
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  1. Introduction. Where Did All These Bad Jobs Come From?
  2. pp. 1-27
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  1. 1. The CDL Mill: Training the Professional Steering-Wheel Holder
  2. pp. 28-57
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  1. 2. Cheap Freight, Cheap Drivers: Work as a Long-Haul Trucker
  2. pp. 58-104
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  1. 3. The Big Rig: Running the Contractor Confidence Game
  2. pp. 105-139
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  1. 4. Working for the Truck: The Harsh Reality of Contracting
  2. pp. 140-167
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  1. 5. Someone to Turn To: Managing Contractors from an Arm’s Length Away
  2. pp. 168-189
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  1. 6. “No More Jimmy Hoffas”: Desperate Drivers and Divided Labor
  2. pp. 190-208
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  1. Appendix A. Data and Methods
  2. pp. 209-232
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  1. Notes
  2. pp. 233-244
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  1. Glossary
  2. pp. 245-246
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  1. Bibliography
  2. pp. 247-256
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  1. Index
  2. pp. 257-268
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