Nomadland
When an articulated lorry becomes a home from home
Photo by Vito Fusco
Whether we like it or not, lorries are a mainstay of our economy. In Italy they transport 91 per cent of freight, in Spain 97% and in Germany 70%. In Europe as a whole road haulage is still preferred to air, sea or rail because of the greater flexibility it offers and, in some cases, the lower costs. However, in spite of the good prospects the sector offers, young people are no longer attracted to the profession. In Italy, for example, almost
half of drivers are aged over 50, while those younger than 40 make up just 18% of the total, although among these, the number of women is rising. The causes are probably the increasingly intense and tiring pace of the job, a profession that involves spending time away from home, sometimes for weeks on end.
(2021)
One of the aspects most associated with the job of a lorry driver is solitude. For drivers the cabs of their lorries can become a home from home, where meals are eaten hastily and where they sleep under their soft lighting. Days can be almost identical, while the drivers rack up an eye-watering number of kilometres. Like the 5462 km in eight days travelled by the protagonist of this story Giovanni Fusco.
