How a subculture went from hero to zero in less than 60 years
Background
The trucking industry has had a spotty history in our nation. Where it’s drivers were once considered the ideal image of hardworking family men, they now hold a low rung on society's ladder. What caused this slide? This paper explores the changes in this subculture’s reputation since the 1950s. By looking different social and economic factors, I hope to expose the causes for the decline in popularity of this vital industry.
1950’s: The American Hero
Before the Interstate Highway Act, truck driving was one of the lowest paid labor positions. After the 1950s expansion of the highway system, however truckers began to unionize and quickly became the “best-paid and most powerful segment of the US working class” (Day). These men epitomized the working class hero, and were, above all, family men (Trucking Industry in Popular Culture).
The sentiments of this era are perfectly reflected in the a 1958 film, The Truck Driver. It begins with a driver seeing his kids off before a long haul. There appears to be a standard of professionalism that was upheld: from the neatly pressed uniforms they wear to the friendly interactions at the truck stop (see advertisement to right). At one point in the film, the driver stops to help a broken-down car. This heroic scene is accompanied by a narration declaring “it’s just part of his job”. Commonly referred to as “Knights of the Highway”, these men clearly personified upstanding citizens (Teamsters).
1970’s: The Unruly Cowboy
It didn’t take long for this gallant image to fade. By the 1970s, there were a string of Hollywood films romanticizing and sexualizing the image of the truck driver as the rebellious outlaw (Trucking Industry in Popular Culture). With the rise in divorce rates feeding a growing counterculture that based its values on independence from authority, “free spirited” was their moniker of choice, the image of the truck driver easily shifted from family man to wanton, often shirtless, loner.
New government policy of industry-wide deregulation caused wages to drop. Drivers, forced to put in more hours in order to match previous wages, now had less time to devote to family (Day). The introduction of sleeper cabins allowed drivers to forego a home all together and many began to live in their trucks (Truck Sleeper). Detached from family and permanent address, this generation of nomads began to think of trucking less as a job and more as a lifestyle (Baby Bear).
Making less money per delivery drivers were motivated to deliver faster in order to make a livable wage. Truckers and law enforcement found themselves in constant combat. Thanks to the CB radio’s rise in popularity, drivers could now warn one another about the presence of police. This insider knowledge inevitably incentivized speeding. The 1978 film, Convoy, depicts this disdain for authority perfectly with the unforgettable line “Piss on your law!”.
Underpaid, undervalued and in direct opposition to the law, drivers undoubtedly developed feelings of animosity. This bitterness was exacerbated by the CB radio. The anonymity of the technology quickly lead to open hostility and harassment on the road (much the same as Twitter today). We can find examples of this provocation in most depictions of truckers of the time.
In a 1970s public service announcement, River of Wealth, River of Freedom, aimed to address aggressive driving among truckers, we see how the CB is abused. More often used for ridicule than safety, the video depicts heated CB banter between two drivers. The main character, a third driver witnessing this feud, expresses nostalgia for the glory days of driving: “Truckers got along with one another….[I] wish we could bring back the feeling. Sharing the road rather than fighting over it.”
1990’s: The Serial Killer
Over the next twenty years, trucking unions began to crumble. By the mid-90s, fewer than 25% of truck drivers were unionized. Without union support, most drivers began to work freelance; wages plummeted and working conditions suffered. Trucking once again resumed its 1940s position of low-paying labor (Day).
Coinciding with their lower social status, depiction of drivers truck drivers in film began to move from protagonist to antagonist. Even children’s movies of the time portray truckers as evil. Optimus Prime, the main villain in the animated TV series Transformers, is depicted as a semi-truck (Trucking Industry in Popular Culture).
Much blame is placed on the media for the deterioration of this culture’s image (Catherine). The coverage of a five-year sequence of murders by truck driver, Keith Hunter Jesperson, didn’t help matters. Emphasis on Jasperson's’ occupation during this highly publicized case, lead to further stigmatization of the trucking industry (Keith Hunter Jesperson).
Unfortunately, Jesperson wasn’t the only truck driver to commit a murder during this period. Over the next decade, nine more drivers would go on to be convicted, totaling in the deaths of over 30 individuals (Pham). Though a very small percentage of both the trucker population and the US statistics on murder, these acts were enough to tarnish the reputation of the entire industry.
The FBI made matters worse with their public statement:"...if there is such a thing as an ideal profession for a serial killer, it may well be as a long-haul truck driver" (Kahaner). This damning proclamation was made after a decade long investigation of 500 unsolved murders happening near highways or truck stops for which they had no leads. The trucking industry was rightfully livid; other than conspicuous locations, there was no evidence that drivers had committed these crimes. Nevertheless, the trade’s repudiation was now fully tainted.
Today: The Oafish Redneck
Since the 90s the number of films depicting trucker drivers as murders has declined, but the stain on the industry remains. When asked directly how drivers feel they are viewed by the public, one truck driver responded: “[We’re seen as] ...dumb, backward-ass, country hillbillies from the South with 4 teeth and can’t talk.” (Baby Bear). This attitude is made clear in this example on the right of a character option from the video game Big Mutha Truckers 2.
Most people want nothing to do with us...they want you to come in the back door, go out the back door, don’t ever use the front door. - Baby Bear
This distancing of truckers from the rest of society is made obvious by the prevalence of micro-aggressive signs such as “no truck parking” seen in many neighborhoods near truck depots (Baby Bear). This is a clear indication to keep out, because “we don’t want you here”. The irony is that most people with this attitude don’t realize the integral and critical role these drivers play in today's market-driven society.
We are that last bastion of servant who is never seen but somehow the soup always shows up on the table. - Baby Bear
The fall from heroic family man to distrusted blue collar worker on the fringed of society is both interesting and disconcerting. As it is today, most long-distance drivers are only home a few weeks per year. With so little time for drivers to spent with their family, it’s no wonder that the divorce rate within the trade is up to 22% (McCoy).
According to Meagan Day, “trucking has become a low-wage job characterized by long hours, high turnover and little collective bargaining power — leading some to compare modern freight trucks to sweatshops on wheels.” The crash in repudiation makes complete sense; the job itself has become undesirable. But until our demand for goods slows, our 1.6 million truck drivers, representing 1% of our population , will continue to push into the night acting as real life Santa Clauses (Catherine). We can only watch as the future of the industry unfolds.
References
The 1950's Truck Driver. Prod. Paul R. Hanna. Encyclopedia Britannica, 1958. Youtube. Smart Trip, 7 Oct. 2016. Web. 25 Oct. 2016.
Baby Bear. Personal interview. 4 Feb. 2007.
Catherine. "The Public Image of the Truck Driver." Smart Trucking. N.p., 06 Oct. 2016. Web. 01 Nov. 2016.
Day, Meagan. "Once Sexy, Now Obsolete? The Decline of American Trucker Culture." Timeline. N.p., 28 Apr. 2016. Web. 20 Oct. 2016.
Kahaner, Larry. "Truckers Make Ideal Serial Killers: FBI." FBI Report Says Truck Drivers Make Ideal Serial Killers. N.p., 23 May 2016. Web. 28 Oct. 2016.
"Keith Hunter Jesperson." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 7 Nov. 2014. Web. 28 Oct. 2016.
McCoy, S.P. & Aamodt, M.G. J Police Crim Psych (2010) 25: 1. doi:10.1007/s11896-009-9057-8
Pham, Aanya. "10 Serial-Killing Long-Haul Truckers - Listverse." Listverse. N.p., 31 Oct. 2015. Web. 15 Oct. 2016.
River of Wealth, River of Freedom. Dir. Jim Kartes. General Motors and American Trucking Association Foundation, 1978. Youtube. Compu85, 12 Oct. 2015. Web. 25 Oct. 2016.
"Teamster History Visual Timeline." Teamsters. Teamsters Union, n.d. Web. 01 Nov. 2016.
"Trucking Industry in Popular Culture (United States)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 15 Jan. 2010. Web. 04 Nov. 2016.
“Truck Sleeper.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 7 Jul. 2009. Web. 4 Nov. 2016.
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