“We’ve been trained not to see an enormous industry that’s right there in front of us.”

That’s Anne Balay, a licensed commercial truck driver and author of the book Semi Queer. Today, she joins Monday host Patty Peltekos on the show to talk all things trucking: licensing and labor conditions; health and safety; the challenges of being an LGBT+, Black, Muslim, or woman driver; sexual assault on the road; the joys of sitting in the cab; and more.

Anne Balay is a writer, trucker, and labor organizer. She is the author of Steel Closets: Voices of Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Steelworkers (UNC Press, 2014) and Semi Queer: Inside the World of Gay, Trans, and Black Truck Drivers (UNC Press, 2018).

Cover photo by Zetong Li on Unsplash

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