The human toll of the long haul trucking industry

Guests: Steve Viscelli and Ellen Voie

The trucking industry has changed a lot over the decades. It was once a steady, decent paying jobs but it has become a grueling gig in which truckers spend weeks on the road away from home, living out of their trucks and often working the equivalent of two full-time jobs, for little more than minimum wage. We’ll hear about the impact of industry deregulation, the daily life of truckers now, and the toll the job takes on truckers’ bodies and relationships. Radio Times Producer Elizabeth Fiedler sat down with STEVE VISCELLI, to talk about the dozens of interviews he conducted for his new book “The Big Rig: Trucking and the Decline of the American Dream”. Viscelli’s also a sociologist, a Fox Family pavilion scholar, and a Senior Fellow at the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the University of Pennsylvania. Then, we’ll be joined live by ELLEN VOIE, President and CEO of the “Women In Trucking Association,” to talk about why the non-profit organization encourages more women to join the industry, and the obstacles they face.