NCJ Number
70210
Date Published
1979
Length
210 pages
Annotation
Attitudes and deviant behavior among long distance truck drivers were examined through personal experiences, questionnaires, and data collected with a citizens band (CB) radio.
Abstract
Although truckers lack theoretical requirements for a group, this dissertation shows that they exhibit an extraordinary degree of group consciousness and have a well-developed, viable subculture. The study collected data by participant observation (the researcher drove a truck approximately 10,000 miles in a 3-month period). Truckers, waitresses, and service personnel were informally interviewed at truck stops, CB radio was used to monitor truckers' conversation and determine the role that it plays in trucker violation of laws. Also a questionnaire was distributed to sample of 304 long haul truckers. Data analysis supports the hypothesis that truckers constitute a genuine subculture, and that illegal behavior is confined generally to circumventing speed and traffic laws. Furthermore, truckers cometimes use CB radios to aid law enforcement personnel and contribute to highway safety. Several recommendations consider ways in which criminal justice could benefit from focusing on truckers' activities and concerns. Tables, footnotes, and a bibliography of approximately 135 citations are included. The questionnaire, a partial list of exempt commodities, a truck driver's physical examination form, a glossary, a 10-code for CB's, and a Texas test program for CB radios are appended.