Pedal to the Metal: The Work Life of Truckers (Labor And Social Change) [Hardcover]

Lawrence Ouellet (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 156639175X | ISBN-13: 978-1566391757 | Publication Date: June 28, 1994

From this experience, Lawrence J. Ouellet has the advantage of a rare perspective and a profound understanding of the two fundamental questions he asks in this book: Why do truck drivers work so hard even when it doesn't result in more money or other material gains? And, how do truckers make sense of their behavior to themselves and to the outside world? A vivid ethnography of trucking culture, "Pedal to the Metal" documents and analyzes truckers' lives and work ethic, exploring the range of identities truckers create for themselves the renegade cowboy, the company man, the voyeur, the lone king of the road. To explain truckers' motivations, Ouellet examines the meaning of work and the motivation for excelling despite long, unsupervised hours on the road. He finds that their occupational pride results in extraordinary efforts on the job and, subsequently, a positive sense of self. Driving skill allows truckers to improve their hauling times, which they proudly track to the minute, and to increase their productivity and income. Truckers' knowledge of the industry's structure and the idiosyncrasies of their own company allows them to improve their ability to get and carry out assignments, to maneuver around a traditional concept of rank and seniority, and to recreate to their advantage the pervasive cultural myths that the public expects should dictate a trucker's behavior. Whether capturing the pleasure and enchantment of trucking driving under moon-lit skies across a snow-covered mountain range or the miseries of boredom, bad weather, and exhausting schedules, Ouellet exhibits deep appreciation and passion for his subject. Lawrence J. Ouellet is Assistant Professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Before becoming a sociologist (he teaches at the University of Illinois at Chicago), Ouellet was a truck driver. ``When I was a youngster, trucking captured my imagination.'' As a full- and part-time truck driver over 13 years, he continued to find driving a source of great satisfaction. For this study of drivers' experiences and work ethic, he was a participant-observer, limiting his research to stints as a short-haul driver at small, nonunion California-based companies between August 1981 and October 1982. Two questions formed the basis for his inquiry: Why do truck drivers work hard, even when their efforts do not result in any material gain; and how do truckers make sense of their behavior to themselves and the outside world? He begins with a brief overview of the trucking industry and then details the responses of drivers to their work, with fascinating insights into their motivations--including the machismo drivers feel when they barrel down an interstate at 80 miles an hour. He explores the inevitable conflicts between drivers and owners over job performance, and describes how truck drivers see themselves--the king of the road, the cowboy, the voyeur--and how these fantasies affect their relations with customers, motorists and other truckers. Ouellet's skillful weaving of anecdote and research make his ethnography of trucking culture both readable and informative. Photos not seen by PW.

Copyright 1994 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Ouellet, a sociologist who drove trucks for 13 years, has produced a fascinating study of the lives and work ethic of truckers. He offers more than a study of truck drivers, as his entertaining work adds to research on blue-collar workers and their interests, motivations, and job satisfactions. By conducting his research after his acceptance as a co-worker and peer, Ouellet gains heretofore unavailable insight while uncovering many surprising facts and trends. He explores, for instance, the range of identities truckers create for themselves as the renegade cowboy, the company man, the voyeur, or the lone king of the road. This surprisingly interesting and informative book is recommended for public and academic collections.
Eric C. Shoaf, Brown Univ. Lib., Providence, R.I.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Temple University Press (June 28, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156639175X
• ISBN-13: 978-1566391757
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,232,696 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Informative insight into the truckers world, December 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Pedal to the Metal: The Work Life of Truckers (Labor and Social Change Series) (Paperback)

Very informative and discriptive, this book shows daily routines of a trucker. Points of views of different members of the trucking world (drivers, owners, etc.) are described in detail. Driver's priorities and hierarchy are explained and analyzed in a scientific yet easy to read and interesting way.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Qualified Research Through Experience.., April 22, 2003

By 

S. Jones (MOTUEKA, NELSON New Zealand) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pedal to the Metal: The Work Life of Truckers (Labor and Social Change Series) (Paperback)

Here we have a researcher who has enough first hand experience in the industry to be able to accurately assess it.

I found this book compelling reading and the three case studies that the author chose to best reflect the relationships between truckers, their jobs, their trucks, their social life and their self esteem are a revealing expose of an industry often in violation of the myriad of rules which attempt to bind it.

This book could be a compulsory read for any would-be or existing truck company owner or manager as it gives valuable insights into the psyche of both the truck driver and the truck owner.

Drivers and their families could also find this book valuable and informative. It has confirmed some suspicions I had about the job and what actually motivates drivers to work long hours, for little financial reward, forgoing breaks, even when they are permitted them.

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, insightful and funny, January 31, 2011

By 

MCCrash - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Pedal to the Metal: The Work Life of Truckers (Labor and Social Change Series) (Paperback)

The author obviously knows trucking from the driver's seat, which is what makes his analysis of truckers so insightful. The chapter on truckers and sex is unexpected and funny -- you wouldn't expect some nancy professor type to spring something like that on you. The writing is clear and breezy, not all weighted down with a lot of jargon and abstruse theorizing. All in all, the book is the best there is to tell you about the guys behind the wheel of the big rigs we see every time we drive. Buy it, read it. You won't regret it.