Karl Marx's Alienation Of Labor

Alienation of labor is a concern when considering truck drivers and their job. Karl Marx noted alienation to be a “subjective feeling of powerlessness, of isolation, of estrangement, and located its origin not in our separation from god or nature but from genuine human activity, from activity that connected us to ourselves and to others” (Retrieved from Module 10, Alienation at Work). Truck divers are always isolated and have a feeling of being powerless; driving for long hours and not having employees to communicate with. There is a sense of alienation and emotional labor since drivers are expected to mange their feelings and needs. They are left alone for the most part and there is a sense of separation for both truck drivers and office employees.

For example, we work 10 to 12-hour work days (Module 10, Alienation at Work). This is true, truck drivers drive for long hours. They are more likely to be alienated since most of their day is occupied on the road delivering loads. Drivers have less power because they need to work, they need to get the job done since work is essential. Karl Marx notes that work is compulsory, not voluntary (Module 10, Marxist Concept of Alienation). For example, drivers are told what loads to deliver they do not chose to do it, rather they are told what to do. Thus, leading to the idea that we are controlled by someone else. Truck drivers are controlled by dispatch and Marx calls this the workers “essence” (Module 10, Marxist Concept of Alienation). What they produce does not belong to them, thus creating alienation from work and the production. Drivers are creating something not for themselves, but for someone else, in particular their employer. Alienation is about how work is organized, we can see that for truck drivers work can be alienating. Drivers tend to be separated and left alone; told what to do. Drivers are given dispatch over the phone or email so there is separation amongst all employees. For example, dispatch has more power over drivers. In particular, at 3D Transport dispatch does make more than truck drivers and this leads to a separation of who makes more. Zweig (2012, page 3) notes that for the working class such