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Risking Their Lives * USA - The Plight of Chinese Truck Drivers
The body of Lin Hoi Yeung, 45, a truck driver of Chinese descent, was discovered last month in Chino Hills alongside another body, both killed in an apparent homicide.
Chino Hills,CAL,USA -World Journal, by Qi Ge, translated by Pete Schurmann -Aug 24, 2007: --Yeung’s death has brought more attention to the plight of Chinese truck drivers... In Los Angeles, nearly 10,000 Chinese immigrants are employed as truck drivers, often attracted by the allure of a high paying job. But most stay in the profession only briefly and would rather move on to other jobs like restaurant work because of the hardships of truck driving... The dangers of being a truck driver are very real. One driver says that his good friend had been on an out-of-state delivery when he was overcome by exhaustion... Among the dangers and challenges that drivers face, most agree that loneliness is the most difficult to cope with, particularly on long distance trips that involve more than 10 hours of continuous driving. Some fall to hallucinations that lead to dangerous or fatal collisions... Chinese drivers who go out of state often find themselves the target of local police. Some of these drivers say that no matter the reason – even if it was just a sideway glance at the police, they would be pulled over for searches or interrogations... Truck drivers also suffer from a host of health related illnesses from back pain and stomach illnesses to insomnia. Even some of the young drivers say that their bodies cannot handle the demands of the work, but still they put themselves at risk in order to get the high wages. Some swear the next delivery will be their last, but when next time comes around, they’re right back to work. For many, it’s the only work they know... Many of these drivers spend a week or more on the road for one shipment. Away for such long periods, many drivers say they are unhappy in their relationships. One driver says that his girlfriend often suspects he is carrying on a relationship with another woman. At one point, he says, she hired a private detective to follow him... Most people are unaware of the challenges that go along with this line of work, many truck drivers say. Especially for newly arrived immigrants, they say there are better ways to earn a living...
Labels: truckers' stories
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