A meticulous and evidence-based look at a topic that differs quite a bit from what the title promises. There is a meaty take on the history of big agriculture lobbies (think grains, livestock, poultry, dairy, and produce) in the US and how they came to control so much of the transport of their goods, from the Great Depression through the end of the 20th century. Truckers indeed were a part of this story, and those who couldn't win the official business were left on the outside to make their own way with piecework. That's an important story. However, the author focused much more on the political and institutional landscape, resulting in a history populated by big players in the USDA and the private sector. Few pages were left for the everyday trucker, which was a disappointment to me. ( )

The Culture of Long-Haul Trucking

"Trucking Country" is a social, economic, and cultural history of Long-haul trucking. Shane Hamilton's monograph is a welcome addition to the legacy of New Deal liberalism and the neoliberal shift during the 70s that saw the Reagan era redefine what it meant to be a long-haul trucker.

Hamilton's thesis is that as the emergence of "agribusiness" forced small-town farmers out of their plots, they increasing turned to trucking. From industry's point of view, trucking was the unregulated alternative to breaking the monopolies of the meat-packers, the beef trusts, the milk cartels, and allowed the new middle-class demands for "always low prices" to be institutionalized. Truckers on the other hand, the libertarian anti-statists who resisted the big-boss unions, formed a truly unique identity as a modern-day "American Cowboy" and the cult of personality was born surrounding the myth of the "king of the open road."

As a PhD dissertation turned book, Hamilton is long on the details and minutia of New Deal macroeconomics, postwar middle-class consumerism, and Reaganomics. A little too much economics in my opinion. The best parts of the book were the exploration of the cultural identity built up from the romanticism of the long-haul trucker. The exploration of that identity through cultural representations in both Country music and film were also thoroughly engaging.

Hamilton himself comes from rural roots, growing up in Wisconsin. The book is understandably focused on the midwest, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois. Having lived that lifestyle, Hamilton truly understands the psyche of the many men (and women) who transformed themselves from sharecroppers into long-haul truckers.

Overall, I appreciated very much so the detailed research and wonderful descriptions of rural America. As both an academic text and a casual read, I definitely recommend "Trucking Country" for anyone who wants to learn more about the social history of agrarian USA. ( )