Dimensions of Influence in Trucking: Beyond Work Community

Abstract

Trucking industry and truck drivers' work are undergoing a change as automation is increasingly used to improve the efficiency of transport operations. Despite predictions of trucking work to disappear due to automation studies show human intervention is still needed in trucking. Generally, studies on future of work and changes digitalization brings to work practice focus is often in in-organization issues, leaving the larger context and external actors unstudied. We take the higher-level viewpoint, asking what kind of actors and factors have an effect in the change in the trucking work practice, and what kind of involvement the actors have in the change. We analyzed 40 interviews, utilizing User Involvement Centered Design model as our lens, and created an illustrative case for the trucking industry to make visible how a collection of decisions, designs, and digital solutions affect the work practice of truck drivers.