Sweatshops on Wheels

In 1977 the US government began to loosen regulations on the tightly controlled trucking industry, expecting that increased competition would drive down companies' shipping costs. In this provocative new book Michael H. Belzer takes a close look at trucking deregulation, discussing its effects on the industry in particular and the unintended consequences of deregulation in general. He makes the case that government still has a role to play in ameliorating thehardship caused by competition while retaining its benefits.

Is low pay in the trucking industry making the nation's roads unsafe ? With the U.S. economy booming and the demand for drivers mounting, why haven't working conditions for truckers improved? This book argues that trucking embodies the dark side of the new economy.

Michael H. Belzer is Associate Director of the University of Michigan Trucking Industry Program and Adjunct Professor in the University of Michigan School of Business. He was a professional truck driver for ten years.