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Comment by Isinlor | Hacker News Reader

You should read up on ludities or Amish people. Ludities didn't like textile machinery. Amish like approximately 19-centry technology, no electricity etc.

In Europe we have severe shortages of track drivers. UK currently has random food shortages and fuel shortages, because EU drivers left the UK.

The fact is that people do not want to sleep on parking lots, have no shower access, irregular and long working hours etc. etc. Being a professional driver sucks as a way to spend your life.

There is a lot more enjoyable things to do.

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> Ludities didn't like textile machinery.

This is a bit of an oversimplification of their position. They cared less about the machinery and more about the labor involved in using it: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-the-luddites-rea...

Indeed. Sounds very similar to the OP.

> E.g. -- it's allowed to use robotic system for performing specific function(from the regulated whitelist of functions), only if no human applied for it in X months with salary =< X min. salaries."

> They confined their attacks to manufacturers who used machines in what they called “a fraudulent and deceitful manner” to get around standard labor practices. “They just wanted machines that made high-quality goods,” says Binfield, “and they wanted these machines to be run by workers who had gone through an apprenticeship and got paid decent wages. Those were their only concerns.

I read somewhere that truck drivers are an aging population. I think Covid has resulted in some finding themselves at home and just thinking life is too short for that kind of lifestyle.

They're an aging population, yes. The reason so many have vanished is they retired. Why? They were afraid of an economic slowdown brought on by the Covid lockdown would end up with them getting laid off and losing their retirement benefits. So they took the money and ran. Now some of the retirees are being lured back to work as independent contractors. That way they've locked in their retirement benefits and still get to earn wages.

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