(Note: This episode originally ran in 2020.)

For a long time, being a long haul trucker was a path to a middle class life. But in the last few decades, the trucking business has transformed. It's gotten faster. And cheaper. And...way harder on its workers.

Today on the show — a story about the open road, the chance to be your own boss, and a truckload of debt.

This show was originally produced by Liza Yeager and Autumn Barnes and edited by Bryan Urstadt. The rerun was produced by Willa Rubin and Dylan Sloan, fact-checked by Sierra Juarez and engineered by Katherine Silva.

Music: "Mr. Graves," "Inner Desert Blues" and Van Go."

Help support Planet Money and get bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.

Always free at these links: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, NPR One or anywhere you get podcasts

Find more Planet Money: Twitter / Facebook / Instagram / TikTok our weekly Newsletter.