#237 – Steve Viscelli: Trucking and the Decline of the American Dream

Steve Viscelli is a former truck driver and now an economic sociologist at University of Pennsylvania studying freight transportation, including autonomous trucks. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – Shopify : https://shopify.com/lex to get 14-day free trial – ROKA : https://roka.com/ and use code LEX to get 20% off your first order – Sunbasket : https://sunbasket.com/lex and use code LEX to get $35 off – Blinkist : https://blinkist.com/lex and use code LEX to get 25% off premium – BetterHelp : https://betterhelp.com/lex to get 10% off EPISODE LINKS: Steve’s Website: https://www.steveviscelli.com/ Big Rig (book): https://amzn.to/3EbaofP Will Robotic Trucks Be “Sweatshops on Wheels?” (article): https://bit.ly/3vGGgpO Johnny Cash – All I Do Is Drive (song): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEHoagHlqrE Steve’s Penn Gazette Interview: https://bit.ly/3nkRPyV More Information on Automated Trucking: http://www.driverlessreport.org/ PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: – Check out the sponsors above, it’s the best way to support this podcast – Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman – Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman – Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman – Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman OUTLINE: Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. (00:00) – Introduction (07:36) – Ethnography (19:49) – Challenges of driving a truck (38:28) – Trucking industry: State of affairs (1:11:33) – Future of autonomous trucks (1:37:49) – Solving the automated truck dilemma (2:09:44) – Role of society in automated trucking (2:36:53) – Tesla and revolutionizing the trucking industry (2:56:33) – Hope and final thoughts