Infection Risk Along U.S. Highways? The Case of a ‘Truckchaser’ Cruising for Truckers

ABSTRACT

This article explores potential infection risks linked with trucker cruising along U.S. highways. Specifically, the article delineates the settings and social organization of trucker cruising, examines the structure of sex partnerships of truckers and cruisers, and delves into the unique database of one truckchaser who recorded 4,162 sex interactions with 2,499 different truckers during a 13-year period. Concurrent sexual partnerships of bisexual and particularly straight-identified truckers hold increased potential for amplifying infection risk as they enable pathogens to operate as bridges along disparate geographies, demographies, and epidemiologies.

KEYWORDS:

• Truckers
• truckchasers
• cruising
• sexual networks
• infection risk

Acknowledgements

Data for this article originated from projects funded by Arizona State University and the U.S. National Institutes of Health (R01-HD042972).

Names of individuals, events, locations, Web sites, and fora have been changed (via the use of pseudonyms) or eliminated to protect their privacy.