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2010
In the Driver's Seat: Living and Working as a Trucker
Cassandra Lively
Loyola University Chicago
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LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO
IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT:
LIVING AND WORKING AS A TRUCKER
A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO
THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL
IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
PROGRAM IN SOCIOLOGY
BY
CASSANDRA A. LIVELY
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
AUGUST 2010
Copyright by Cassandra A. Lively, 2010
All rights reserved.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I am thoroughly indebted to a number of individuals for their help and support in
the writing of this dissertation. First and most importantly, I thank the people who so
generously agreed to be interviewed and observed for this project, taking time out of their
very busy schedules to help me understand their lives. Although their free time was very
limited, these individuals gave of it freely and for this I am so very grateful.
My committee members dedicated so much of their time to helping me improve
this dissertation. Dr. Judith Wittner is the rock of the department for so many students,
and always found time to answer questions, provide insightful feedback, and give words
of encouragement whenever I needed them. Dr. Japonica Brown-Saracino asked difficult
questions and pushed me to further develop my arguments. Dr. Lawrence Ouellet, from
the University of Illinois-Chicago, provided the invaluable perspective of someone who
has experience as both an academic and a truck driver. His research and his guidance
have been so helpful. Dr. Peter Whalley, whom we lost much too soon, started out on
my committee and contributed valuable insights to this project in its early stages.
I am also grateful to Loyola University Chicago and the Sociology department,
who provided funding to help me through the first several years of my graduate study.
All of the faculty members in the department provided a solid foundation and encouraged
intellectual curiosity throughout my graduate education. I would like to specially thank
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Dr. Kevin Henson and Dr. Marilyn Krogh, who helped nurture the early stages of this
research by serving as my thesis committee and by supervising my graduate assistantship.
During my time at Loyola, the department simply wouldn’t have functioned without the
hard work of Patty Robertson, Rosa Negussie and Christine Wolff – thank you.
My parents, Aleta and Keith Lively, have encouraged me every step of the way,
even when it seemed that I would never be able to finish this project. Mom and Dad,
your support and love made me confident even during times of frustration and doubt, and
your pride in me gave me the motivation to see this through. Words can’t express how
much I love you. In addition to my parents, I’ve been blessed with close network of
extended family – thank you.
I’ve also been fortunate to have a group of so many amazing friends. Kim F., you
are an inspiration. Thank you for helping me to see this was possible. Kevin, Lindsey,
Holly, Joy, Heather J., Margaret, Nick, Adrienne, Godfrey, Tory, Darby, Theresa,
Rebecca, Burt, Heather C., Patti, Chris and Kim D. – you are my second family. Thank
you for listening to me, encouraging me, and distracting me when I needed to think about
something else and have a good time.
For the past five years, I have worked at a wonderful non-profit organization, the
Center for Conflict Resolution. To my boss, Marilyn, thank you for always being
supportive of my dissertation work and helping me to find time and space to make it
happen. To my other co-workers, Krisanne, Stacey, Roy, Jeff, Chez, Scott, Margaret,
Ericka, Alyson, Carolyn, Susan, Jen, Molly and Jessica, thank you for making our office
the fantastic and inspiring place that it is.
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For my parents
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii
LIST OF TABLES viii
ABSTRACT ix
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW 1
CHAPTER TWO: METHODS 8
CHAPTER THREE: BEING A TRUCKER IN A CHANGING INDUSTRY 25
Deindustrialization, Globalization and Deregulation 26
Getting into Trucking 38
Learning to Drive 41
Driver Earnings 46
The Role of Unions 51
Union Leadership 57
Conclusion 61
CHAPTER FOUR: TIME, SAFETY AND WORKER AUTONOMY 64
The Last of the Cowboys? 67
Truckers and Safety 75
Why Safety May Not Always Be Priority Number One 80
Electronic and Supervisory Control of Drivers 90
Conclusion 96
CHAPTER FIVE: TRUCKERS AND HEGEMONIC MASCULINITY 98
Boundary Work: Continual Assertion of Hegemonic Masculinity 99
Gender-based Boundary Heightening 100
Work Smarter, Not Stronger 108
Feminism on the Road? 111
Emphasized Heterosexuality 114
“Foreigners!” – Ethnicity and Boundaries 119
The Taboo Topic: Racial Boundaries 122
Conclusion 124
CHAPTER SIX: RACING TO THE BOTTOM AT HOME 127
How Does it All Come Together? Gender, Class and Family Life 128
Partnership or Inequality? The Lives of Married Men Drivers 131
Creating a Work/Life Balance on Limited Time 144
Cleaning, Cooking, Home Maintenance and Yard Work 144
Caring For and Nurturing Children 150
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“I Have No Life” – Creating Time for Leisure and Relationships 163
Conclusion 170
CHAPTER SEVEN: CONCLUSION 173
Study Implications 174
Unions Are Still Relevant 174
Policy Development 177
Gender, Work and Life 180
Race, Gender and Sexuality at Work 182
Limitations of this Research 184
Directions for Further Research 186
Detailed Quantitative Data 186
On-the-Job Violence 186
Deregulation of Industry 187
The Future of Trucking 187
APPENDIX A: IRB MATERIALS 193
APPENDIX B: INTERVIEW SCHEDULES 196
REFERENCE LIST 201
VITA 216
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LIST OF TABLES
Table One: Selected Demographic Characteristics of Driver Interviewees 9
Table Two: How Interviewees Entered the Trucking Industry and Learned to Drive 40
viii
ABSTRACT
This project examines the work and personal lives of truck drivers. Using data
from fieldwork at a Midwestern trucking company, along with interviews with 38 drivers,
dispatchers, company management and spouses and partners of drivers, I explore the
questions: Thirty years out from deregulation, how are drivers’ lives affected by the
economic state of the industry? How do drivers and unions interact with public policy
and company regulations that shape their on-the-job autonomy and their own and others’
safety on the road? What are the dynamics of the industry around race, gender and
sexuality? How does working in a high-stress, long-hours occupation affect the family
and personal lives of drivers?
Using a grounded theory approach to guide interviews and analyze data, I find
that as destructive competition between trucking firms has led to a race to the bottom,
drivers' career paths have been shaped by firms closing and restructuring, union trucking
jobs have disappeared, wages have declined and autonomy has decreased. Competing
interests of drivers, trucking companies, industry groups, unions and regulators have
created an environment where safety often loses out to economic concerns. Women and
people of color have increasingly entered the industry and often face resistance from
some of their fellow workers. At the same time the industry has been transformed by
deregulation, American family life has also undergone tectonic shifts, with changing
expectations for women and men. In an occupation defined by long hours, drivers
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