Sailors of the Concrete Sea
Subtitle: A Portrait of Truck Drivers' Work and Lives
Edition: Pap/Cdr edition
Publisher: Michigan State University Press
Published: December 31, 2004
Language: eng
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 207
ISBN-13: 9780870136863
Subjects: Road transport & haulage trades; Social groups & communities; United States; General; Biography & Autobiography; Biography / Autobiography; Truck driving; Biography/Autobiography; USA; Industries - Transportation; Automotive - Trucks; Social surveys; Truck drivers
Description: Sailors of the Concrete Sea summarizes data collected from 573 interviews with truck drivers conducted by the Sloan Foundation Trucking Industry Program in 1997 and 1998. This data, unique in its depth and scope, provides a finely textured picture of the work and work life of over-the-road truck drivers in the United States. Presented with supporting data, the book provides information on widely ranging topics, including drivers hours of work and rest, use of truck-borne technology, form and generosity of pay and benefits, employer retention, sources of training and job experience, use of log books and violations of hours of service regulations, and views of their jobs. The driver survey is a unique source of data on drivers, both in the range of subjects covered in the survey and in the reliability of the information. The survey questionnaire instrument included more than 250 questions. While some of these questions were designed to facilitate comparison between the Driver Survey and national labor market surveys such as the Current Population Survey, most were designed to explore the characteristics of truck drivers work. As such, they provide a rich portrait of drivers work and lives.