#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