{"product_id":"the-big-rig-trucking-and-the-decline-of-the-american-dream-9780520278127","title":"The Big Rig: Trucking and the Decline of the American Dream","description":"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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Big Rig\u003c\/i\u003e 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSteve Viscelli\u003c\/b\u003e is a political sociologist and lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also a senior associate at the Center on Wisconsin Strategy. In addition to his academic research, he works with a range of public and private stakeholders to make the trucking industry safer, more efficient, and a better place to work. To learn more, please visit: http: \/\/www.steveviscelli.com\/.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"University of California Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50325019296018,"sku":"9780520278127","price":32.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_cd106432-232f-4a5c-a55a-6d482edb778f.jpg?v=1727678486","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-big-rig-trucking-and-the-decline-of-the-american-dream-9780520278127","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}