SEEKING TRUCK DRIVERS TO PARTICIPATE IN RESEARCH

Dear Layover.com members,

My name is Christina Pomianek. I am currently seeking a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology at the University of Missouri—Columbia. I am begining some research focused on social networks among truck drivers.

Through this research, I hope to learn how truck drivers form and maintain social relationships and networks while traveling and at home and what specific purposes these networks serve. In addition, I am interested in the differences among the social networks of males and females, as the risks and needs of males and females while on the road and in life in general may be quite different. Further, the ways in which males and females form friendships and the purposes these friendships serve may be distinct. A comparison of social networks of males and females may reveal some underlying aspect of why and how people form and maintain these bonds.

I have posted this message in hopes that you will participate in my research. Participation in this research is completely voluntary. Should you choose to participate, please complete the survey found at

www.surveyartisan.com/startsurvey.php?surveyid=aaf018f8ab452272ff1387224 845304a

This survey should only take about 15 minutes to complete and consists of questions related to cases where you helped or have been helped by fellow truck drivers. In addition, should you wish to participate further in this research through either a telephone or a face-to-face interview, please provide your e-mail address at the end of the survey.

Your participation in this research will help in the understanding of how and why people help each other, even when there are great costs associated with helping, and how people form and maintain friendships and alliances. Additionally, this research will help to make the concerns and experiences of truck drivers across America known to larger audiences.


Thank you for your time.

Regards,
Christina Pomianek
Ph.D. student
Department of Anthropology
University of Missouri—Columbia