Michael H. Belzer
Encyclopedia
Michael H. Belzer, Ph.D.
, is an internationally recognized expert on the trucking industry, especially the institutional and economic impact of deregulation
. He is an associate professor, in the economics department at Wayne State University
. He is the author of Sweatshops on Wheels: Winners and Losers in Trucking Deregulation (Oxford University Press
, 2000). Along with Gregory M. Saltzman, he coauthored Truck Driver Occupational Safety and Health: 2003 Conference Report and Selective Literature Review, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
, 2007. He has written many peer-reviewed articles on trucking industry economics, labor, occupational safety and health
, infrastructure, and operational issues. Dr. Belzer has initiated a strategic economic development plan to transform Southeast Michigan
into a global freight transportation hub.
truck driver
and a member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which had a direct impact on his studies, writings and career.
His major opus was critically well received. Low pay, bad working conditions and unsafe conditions have been a direct result of deregulation. "[This book] argues that trucking embodies the dark side of the new economy." "Conditions are so poor and the pay system so unfair that long-haul companies compete with the fast-food industry for workers. Most long-haul carriers experience 100% annual driver turnover
. As the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote: "The cabs of 18-wheelers have become the sweatshop
s of the new millennium, with some truckers toiling up to 95 hours per week for what amounts to barely more than the minimum wage. [This book] is eye-opening in its appraisal of what the trucking industry has become."
Dr. Belzer is associate director of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
's Trucking Industry Program—one of more than twenty Sloan Industry Centers—focusing on trucking industry operations, regulation, industrial organization, and industrial relations. In that capacity, he directs its Trucking Industry Benchmarking Program. Additionally, he is chairman of the Transportation Research Board
Committee on Trucking Industry Research; a member of the Freight Systems Executive Board; and a member of the Committee on Freight Economics and Regulation as well as a member of the Truck and Bus Safety Committee.
In 1993, Dr. Belzer received his Ph.D.
from Cornell University
. His thesis, "Collective Bargaining in the Trucking Industry: The Effects of Institutional and Economic Restructuring," focused on the transformational dynamic of changed regulation and institutional structure on industrial relations in the trucking industry. His research interests include all facets of trucking industry organization and operations, labor-management relations, employment policy, and safety.
He is currently studying the relationship between truck driver earnings and safety, as well as issues related to their hours of work.
He is also involved in studies of regulation and industrial organization and industrial relations in China, and has served as a visiting professor at various Chinese universities.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
, is an internationally recognized expert on the trucking industry, especially the institutional and economic impact of deregulation
Deregulation
Deregulation is the removal or simplification of government rules and regulations that constrain the operation of market forces.Deregulation is the removal or simplification of government rules and regulations that constrain the operation of market forces.Deregulation is the removal or...
. He is an associate professor, in the economics department at Wayne State University
Wayne State University
Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...
. He is the author of Sweatshops on Wheels: Winners and Losers in Trucking Deregulation (Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
, 2000). Along with Gregory M. Saltzman, he coauthored Truck Driver Occupational Safety and Health: 2003 Conference Report and Selective Literature Review, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health is the United States’ federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related injury and illness. NIOSH is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention within the U.S...
, 2007. He has written many peer-reviewed articles on trucking industry economics, labor, occupational safety and health
Occupational safety and health
Occupational safety and health is a cross-disciplinary area concerned with protecting the safety, health and welfare of people engaged in work or employment. The goal of all occupational safety and health programs is to foster a safe work environment...
, infrastructure, and operational issues. Dr. Belzer has initiated a strategic economic development plan to transform Southeast Michigan
Southeast Michigan
Southeast Michigan, also called Southeastern Michigan, is a region in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan that is home to a majority of the state's businesses and industries as well as slightly over half of the state's population, most of whom are concentrated in Metro...
into a global freight transportation hub.
Background
For eight years, he was a long-haul tank truckTank truck
A tank truck or road tanker is a motor vehicle designed to carry liquefied loads, dry bulk cargo or gases on roads. The largest such vehicles are similar to railroad tank cars which are also designed to carry liquefied loads...
truck driver
Truck driver
A truck driver , is a person who earns a living as the driver of a truck, usually a semi truck, box truck, or dump truck.Truck drivers provide an essential service to...
and a member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which had a direct impact on his studies, writings and career.
His major opus was critically well received. Low pay, bad working conditions and unsafe conditions have been a direct result of deregulation. "[This book] argues that trucking embodies the dark side of the new economy." "Conditions are so poor and the pay system so unfair that long-haul companies compete with the fast-food industry for workers. Most long-haul carriers experience 100% annual driver turnover
Turnover (employment)
In a human resources context, turnover or staff turnover or labour turnover is the rate at which an employer gains and loses employees. Simple ways to describe it are "how long employees tend to stay" or "the rate of traffic through the revolving door." Turnover is measured for individual companies...
. As the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote: "The cabs of 18-wheelers have become the sweatshop
Sweatshop
Sweatshop is a negatively connoted term for any working environment considered to be unacceptably difficult or dangerous. Sweatshop workers often work long hours for very low pay, regardless of laws mandating overtime pay or a minimum wage. Child labour laws may be violated. Sweatshops may have...
s of the new millennium, with some truckers toiling up to 95 hours per week for what amounts to barely more than the minimum wage. [This book] is eye-opening in its appraisal of what the trucking industry has become."
Dr. Belzer is associate director of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is a philanthropic non-profit organization in the United States. It was established in 1934 by Alfred P. Sloan, Jr., then-President and Chief Executive Officer of General Motors.-Overview:...
's Trucking Industry Program—one of more than twenty Sloan Industry Centers—focusing on trucking industry operations, regulation, industrial organization, and industrial relations. In that capacity, he directs its Trucking Industry Benchmarking Program. Additionally, he is chairman of the Transportation Research Board
Transportation Research Board
The Transportation Research Board is a division of the National Research Council, which serves as an independent adviser to the President, the Congress and federal agencies on scientific and technical questions of national importance...
Committee on Trucking Industry Research; a member of the Freight Systems Executive Board; and a member of the Committee on Freight Economics and Regulation as well as a member of the Truck and Bus Safety Committee.
In 1993, Dr. Belzer received his Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
from Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
. His thesis, "Collective Bargaining in the Trucking Industry: The Effects of Institutional and Economic Restructuring," focused on the transformational dynamic of changed regulation and institutional structure on industrial relations in the trucking industry. His research interests include all facets of trucking industry organization and operations, labor-management relations, employment policy, and safety.
He is currently studying the relationship between truck driver earnings and safety, as well as issues related to their hours of work.
He is also involved in studies of regulation and industrial organization and industrial relations in China, and has served as a visiting professor at various Chinese universities.
Published works
- Belzer, Michael H. Sweatshops on Wheels: Winners and Losers in Trucking Deregulation. Publisher: Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
, USA (August 24, 2000) Hardcover: 272 pages. ISBN 978-0195128864.
Research reports
- "Pay and Safety Report, September 2002"
- "The Jobs Tunnel: The Economic Impact of Adequate Border-Crossing Infrastructure" (Nov. 2003).
Selected scholarly publications
- "Pay Incentives and Truck Driver Safety: Case Study." With co-authors Daniel A. Rodriguez and Felipe Targa. Abstract published in Compendium of Papers CD-ROM of the 82nd Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, January 12–16, 2003, Washington, DC.
- "Effects of Truck Driver Wages and Working Conditions on Highway Safety: Case Study." With Daniel Rodríguez, Marta Rocha, and Asad J. Khattak. Abstract published in Compendium of Papers CD-ROM of the 82nd Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, January 12–16, 2003, Washington, DC.
- "Effects of Truck Driver Wages and Working Conditions on Highway Safety: Case Study." With Daniel Rodríguez, Marta Rocha, and Asad J. Khattak. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, no. 1833 (Freight Policy, Economics, and Logistics; Truck Transportation), pp. 95–102. 2003.
- "The Case for Strenthened Motor Carrier Hours of Service Regulations" (with Gregory M. Saltzman). Transportation Journal, Volume 41, No. 4 Summer 2002, pp. 51–71.
- "Trucking: Collective Bargaining Takes a Rocky Road." in Collective Bargaining: Current Developments and Future Challenges, edited by Paul F. Clark, John T. Delaney, and Ann C. Frost. Champaign, IL: Industrial Relations Research Association 2002, pp. 311–342
- "Technological Innovation and the Trucking Industry: Information Revolution and the Effect on the Work Process." Journal of Labor Research, Volume 23, No. 3; Summer 2002, pp. 375–396.
- "Truck Driver Security Issues: The New World of Secure Surface Transportation." Perspectives on Work: The Magazine of the IRRA, Vol. 6, No. 1; June 2002, pp. 13–15.
- "Worker Representation in the Truckload Sector: What Do Truckers Want?" in the Proceedings of the 53rd Annual Meeting of the Industrial Relations Research Association, January 5–7, 2001, New Orleans, Louisiana.
- "Deregulation and Decentralization: The Impact on Employment Relations." Twenty First Century Labor Studies International Academic Conference," Chinese Culture University. Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China. October 12–13, 2000, pp. 1-45.
- "Government Oversight and Union Democracy: Lessons from the Teamsters Experience" (with Richard Hurd). Journal of Labor ResearchJournal of Labor ResearchThe Journal of Labor Research is a peer-reviewed academic journal which publishes articles regarding labor relations in the United States. Its articles cover the nature of work, labor-management relations, welfare-to-work, flexible employment, labor policy, regulation of labor unions, dispute...
, Volume XX, Number 3, Summer 1999. - "http://books.google.com/books?id=Jb9TnhR2l-wC&pg=PA179&lpg=PA179&dq=Belzer+Labor+Market+Regulation:+Balancing+the+Benefits+and+Costs+of+Competition&source=bl&ots=KCoIVaPk6v&sig=yOe1BpsUYj8KdQoq3P-LCoUpbQk&hl=en&ei=jrT2S_qkLIuUMvGHxcMF&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CBgQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=Belzer%20Labor%20Market%20Regulation%3A%20Balancing%20the%20Benefits%20and%20Costs%20of%20Competition&f=falseLabor Market Regulation: Balancing the Benefits and Costs of Competition]" (with Dale Belman). In Government Regulation of the Employment Relationship, Bruce Kaufman, ed. Madison, Wisconsin: Industrial Relations Research Association. 1997.
- "Collective Bargaining in the Trucking Industry: Do the Teamsters Still Count?" Industrial and Labor Relations Review 48:4 (July 1995).
- "Labor Law Reform: Taking a Lesson from the Trucking Industry." Proceedings of the Forty-Seventh Annual Meeting of the Industrial Relations Research Association. Washington, DC. January 6–8, 1995. Madison, Wisconsin: Industrial Relations Research Association. 1995.
- "http://books.google.com/books?id=-9aHZEHwiFkC&pg=PA259&lpg=PA259&dq=The+Motor+Carrier+Industry:+Truckers+and+Teamsters+Under+Siege&source=bl&ots=SMQU57Bxrw&sig=p-lDrY3yX4t6PTpLaFByuF9z9LE&hl=en&ei=RbP2S73oI4LONfLSzLEF&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=The%20Motor%20Carrier%20Industry%3A%20Truckers%20and%20Teamsters%20Under%20Siege&f=falseThe Motor Carrier Industry: Truckers and Teamsters Under Siege.]" In Contemporary Collective Bargaining in the Private Sector, edited by Paula B. Voos. Madison, Wisconsin: Industrial Relations Research Association. 1994.
- "Paying the Toll: Economic Deregulation of the Trucking Industry." Washington, D.C.: Economic Policy InstituteEconomic Policy InstituteThe Economic Policy Institute is a 501 non-profit, liberal, nonpartisan think tank that seeks to broaden the public debate about strategies to achieve a prosperous and fair economy...
. 1994.