Practices of Reproducing Workplace Solidarity among Long-haul Truckers

Abstract

This study investigates how long-haul truck drivers, who work predominantly in solitude between warehouses and communicate mainly with dispatchers and warehouse staff, cultivate a sense of occupational solidarity despite the absence of a traditional work collective. Identifying as long-haul truckers rather than logistic workers, they engage in collective actions like unionizing and striking. This research explores the everyday practices that enable truckers to navigate their unique mobility challenges and maintain a sense of solidarity. Utilizing empirical data from 10 field expeditions, involving hitchhiking to facilitate observations and semi-structured interviews in truck cabins and at rest areas, the study gathered insights from 77 interviews — 44 conducted enroute and the remainder at drivers’ homes. Observations at truck stops and in cabs, recorded in a research diary, serve as the cornerstone of this analysis. The findings outline the spatial and temporal organization of drivers’ work, their communication methods, and interaction practices. Given their solitary and independent work conditions, truckers’ solidarity emerges not from collective labor or shared spaces but through a self-organized network of mutual assistance, punctuated by moments of interaction in traffic jams and at roadside stops and gas stations, where their isolated journeys momentarily converge.