Sailors of the Concrete Sea: A Portrait of Truck Drivers' Work and Lives, Volume 1

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Michigan State University Press, 2005 - Biography & Autobiography - 207 pages

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.

From inside the book

Contents

The Chartbook
11
Driving Distances and Earnings
29
Hours of Work Hours of Rest
57
Copyright

6 other sections not shown

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About the author (2005)

Dale L. Belman is Associate Professor of Industrial Relations at Michigan State University. He recently published How New is the "New Employment Contract." Kristen A. Monaco is Assistant Professor of Economics at California State University at Long Beach. Taggert J. Brooks is Assistant Professor of Economics at University of Wisconsin, La Crosse.

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