Many changes have occurred in the United States trucking industry over the last thirty years. This study examines the effects of these changes by looking at three related themes: life on the road and life at home, body image and bodily health, and the experiences of women and sexual minorities in the industry. This research is based on a discourse analysis of interviews conducted with truck drivers and trucking industry leaders. Most truck drivers say that they value the independent nature of their workplace. Yet the independence that is a part of the trucker mystique is challenged by increased surveillance and the availability of more invasive surveillance technologies to motor carriers and the United States government. At the same time drivers face long periods of time away from home and they experience disconnection from their families. Families must learn to adapt to the absence of their trucking loved ones which is a difficult task. However, sometimes these adaptations can result in positive changes for partners at home, such as increased independence and more authority in the home. The bodies of truck drivers are also examined. Many drivers believe that their image as workers has taken a turn for the worst and the bodily presentation plays an important role in image. Drivers seek to set themselves apart from drivers who they think perpetuate negative images of their industry through sloppy dress and a lack of professionalism. At the same time, there is increasing evidence that the working conditions of this industry lead to unhealthy bodies that are diseased and worn out. Finally, very little has been written about women or gays and lesbians in this workplace. Women represent only five percent of this industry and they face significant barriers to surviving in this occupation because many male workers seek to marginalize them through exclusionary practices like sexual harassment. Members of the LGBT community are represented in the industry and find both comfort and exclusion in trucking. This work also examines the sexual subcultures in trucking such as sex workers and truck chasers.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-25T20:20:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Marcelo Debonis.pdf: 3376984 bytes, checksum: 6a9a3686702b1b99d1b939aa344b4f00 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-06-10 / The objective of this dissertation is to reflect about the socio-environmental impacts in areas where big size infrastructure roadworks have been developed, specially those of highway mode, taking as example the district of Perus in the city of São Paulo where in the year of 2002, it was released for the traffic the west stretch of betway Mário Covas. There were selected for this study the environmental, social and political impacts generated in the region as a whole and specifically in the district. The research focused the comprehension of the complex relationships inherent in the set up and consolidation of the interests represented by several parts involved, i.e., the government, the premises of private enterprises and the ambition of the citizens living in this location. It was made a hystorical survey of the district occupancy and of the development of the roadworks. Taking as theoretical reference the context of mondialization, the ideology of global cities and the culture of road transport in Brazil, there were investigated the peculiarities of the implementation process of the beltway in the region, the role represented by governmet and by private enterprises during the process and the most significant metamorphoses verified in the scope of Perus district. More accurately, the intention was to investigate the consequences of the new reality represented by the construction of the beltway, the contradictions that were established throughout the process and the eventual repercussions for the district / objetivo desta dissertação é refletir sobre os impactos sócioambientais verificados em regiões onde tem se desenvolvido obras viárias infra-estruturais de grande porte, sobretudo as do modal rodoviário, tomando-se como exemplo o distrito de Perus na cidade de São Paulo, onde, no ano de 2002, foi entregue ao tráfego o trecho-oeste do Rodoanel Mário Covas. Selecionou-se para estudo os impactos de caráter ambiental, social e político gerados pela obra na região como um todo e no distrito mais especificamente. A pesquisa privilegiou a compreensão das complexas relações inerentes ao estabelecimento e consolidação dos interesses representados pelas várias esferas envolvidas, isto é, o poder público, as premissas da iniciativa privada e a ambições dos munícipes residentes na localidade. Estabeleceu-se o levantamento histórico de ocupação do distrito e do desenvolvimento da obra viária. Tendo como referências teóricas o contexto da mundialização, a ideologia das cidades globais e a cultura rodoviarista no Brasil, foram investigadas as peculiaridades do processo de implantação do anel viário na região, o papel representado pelo poder público e pelos interesses privados ao longo do processo e as metamorfoses mais significativas verificadas no âmbito do distrito de Perus. De forma mais precisa, se pretendeu investigar as consequências da nova realidade representada pela construção do Rodoanel, as contradições que se estabeleceram ao longo do processo e as possíveis repercussões para o distrito

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T14:53:11Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Marcelo Debonis.pdf: 3376984 bytes, checksum: 6a9a3686702b1b99d1b939aa344b4f00 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-06-10 / The objective of this dissertation is to reflect about the socio-environmental impacts in areas where big size infrastructure roadworks have been developed, specially those of highway mode, taking as example the district of Perus in the city of São Paulo where in the year of 2002, it was released for the traffic the west stretch of betway Mário Covas. There were selected for this study the environmental, social and political impacts generated in the region as a whole and specifically in the district. The research focused the comprehension of the complex relationships inherent in the set up and consolidation of the interests represented by several parts involved, i.e., the government, the premises of private enterprises and the ambition of the citizens living in this location. It was made a hystorical survey of the district occupancy and of the development of the roadworks. Taking as theoretical reference the context of mondialization, the ideology of global cities and the culture of road transport in Brazil, there were investigated the peculiarities of the implementation process of the beltway in the region, the role represented by governmet and by private enterprises during the process and the most significant metamorphoses verified in the scope of Perus district. More accurately, the intention was to investigate the consequences of the new reality represented by the construction of the beltway, the contradictions that were established throughout the process and the eventual repercussions for the district / objetivo desta dissertação é refletir sobre os impactos sócioambientais verificados em regiões onde tem se desenvolvido obras viárias infra-estruturais de grande porte, sobretudo as do modal rodoviário, tomando-se como exemplo o distrito de Perus na cidade de São Paulo, onde, no ano de 2002, foi entregue ao tráfego o trecho-oeste do Rodoanel Mário Covas. Selecionou-se para estudo os impactos de caráter ambiental, social e político gerados pela obra na região como um todo e no distrito mais especificamente. A pesquisa privilegiou a compreensão das complexas relações inerentes ao estabelecimento e consolidação dos interesses representados pelas várias esferas envolvidas, isto é, o poder público, as premissas da iniciativa privada e a ambições dos munícipes residentes na localidade. Estabeleceu-se o levantamento histórico de ocupação do distrito e do desenvolvimento da obra viária. Tendo como referências teóricas o contexto da mundialização, a ideologia das cidades globais e a cultura rodoviarista no Brasil, foram investigadas as peculiaridades do processo de implantação do anel viário na região, o papel representado pelo poder público e pelos interesses privados ao longo do processo e as metamorfoses mais significativas verificadas no âmbito do distrito de Perus. De forma mais precisa, se pretendeu investigar as consequências da nova realidade representada pela construção do Rodoanel, as contradições que se estabeleceram ao longo do processo e as possíveis repercussões para o distrito