It turns out, however, that in trucking, along with the tire tread, brake pad, and transmission, the trucker himself is another one of those parts structurally designed to be worn to failure. I think everyone involved agrees that this isn’t quite ideal, that in a perfect world, the problem of the human driver would be tidied up and eliminated by drone, automation, or some other insentient mute machine. But in the meantime, the long meantime, the customer and the lowest price prevail, the belt smokes, and the ingenious ways to render a man or woman disposable continue.
