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==Regulation and Mexico==
==Regulation and Mexico==
Professional trucking is a lightly [[regulation|regulated]] industry. Most trucking companies police themselves, with the caveat that the federal government requires a certain standard of behavior to be met by each employed trucker. For example, truckers coming into the United States from Mexico must be U.S. citizens, or else have [[green card]]s that allow them to work within the United States of America. Furthermore, they must be fluent in English, which is necessary to understand essential road signs such as traffic lights and speed limits. American truck companies and drivers have opposed increased competition from Mexican trucks and truckers, and have forced cancellation of an experimental program. This has caused diplomatic tension between the U.S. and Mexico.
Professional trucking is a lightly [[regulation|regulated]] industry. Most trucking companies police themselves, with the caveat that the federal government requires a certain standard of behavior to be met by each employed trucker. For example, truckers coming into the United States from Mexico must be U.S. citizens, or else have [[green card]]s that allow them to work within the United States of America. Furthermore, they must be fluent in English, which is necessary to understand essential road signs such as traffic lights and speed limits. American truck companies and drivers have opposed increased competition from Mexican trucks and truckers, and have forced cancellation of an experimental program. This has caused diplomatic tension between the U.S. and Mexico.
==Long distance drivers==
The nations 1.9 million drivers of heavy truck and tractor-trailers operate trucks or vans with a capacity of at least 26,000 pounds Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW). They transport goods ranging from autos to cattle to shipping containers. Sometimes two drivers totate on very long runs—one drives while the other sleeps in a berth behind the cab. Husband-wife teams are common. These "sleeper" runs can last for days, or even weeks. Trucks on sleeper runs typically stop only for fuel, food, loading, and unloading. They rely on truck stops along the major highways for fuel, meals and a quick shower.
Drivers also load and unload their cargo, especially when specialty cargo is involved and only the trucker understands the necessary procedures or is certified to handle specific cargoes. Auto-transport drivers, for example, position cars on the trailers at the manufacturing plant and remove them at the dealerships. When picking up or delivering furniture, drivers of long-distance moving vans hire local workers to help them load or unload.
Average (median) hourly earnings of heavy truck and tractor-trailer drivers were $16.85 in 2006. The middle 50 percent earned between $13.33 and $21.04 an hour. Hourly earnings of the nation's 1.1 million light or delivery services truck drivers were much lower, at $12.17 in 2006.
==Images==
==Images==
* Pettus, Michael L. "The Resource-Based View as a Developmental Growth Process: Evidence from the Deregulated Trucking Industry," ''The Academy of Management Journal'', Vol. 44, No. 4 (Aug., 2001), pp. 878-896 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/3069420 in JSTOR]
* Pettus, Michael L. "The Resource-Based View as a Developmental Growth Process: Evidence from the Deregulated Trucking Industry," ''The Academy of Management Journal'', Vol. 44, No. 4 (Aug., 2001), pp. 878-896 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/3069420 in JSTOR]
* Zingales, Luigi. "Survival of the Fittest or the Fattest? Exit and Financing in the Trucking Industry," ''The Journal of Finance,'' Vol. 53, No. 3 (Jun., 1998), pp. 905-938 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/117382 in JSTOR]
* Zingales, Luigi. "Survival of the Fittest or the Fattest? Exit and Financing in the Trucking Industry," ''The Journal of Finance,'' Vol. 53, No. 3 (Jun., 1998), pp. 905-938 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/117382 in JSTOR]
* Bureau of Labor Statistics. ''Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09: Truck Drivers and Driver/Sales Workers'' (2008) [http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos246.htm online] useful summary of job requirements, pay, and future prospects
==See also==
==See also==