BEFORE you order Fries from McPukes...

[ANGST all odds]

They should have included THIS little bit on Supersize Me:

http://shizzville.com/how-nasty-are-mcdonalds-fries

[Sarah Belly Poo]

they did didnt they?

[Ace]

I brought a load of McDonalds fries back from Alberta once, and I've gotta admit, the McCain plant that produces them there are pretty strict with their procedures.  They wouldn't even let me in the factory to watch the trailer being loaded, and they also closed and sealed the trailer doors for me, both of which are fairly uncommon for a shipper to do...

[Sarah Belly Poo]

are you a driver Ace?

[Ace]

I was, SBP, a few years back...

[M Grenade]

there is some kind of secret recipe involved I am sure, french fries are no longer just sliced potato

[Sarah Belly Poo]

cool, must have seen some things then..what do you do now?

[M Grenade]

that's got to be a fun drive through the Rockies with a big rig in the middle of winter

[Ace]

Right now?  I'm on 'vacation'...  Which essentially consists of me assisting my 82 year old Grandmother with daily tasks.  That, and cleaning after up to four kids, ranging in age from newborn to 13.  You see, a couple of my relatives have children that interfere with their 'leisure' time, and although I disagree with Grandma having to act as a  babysitter all the time, she can't say no.  It becomes very frustrating at times...

[Ace]

quote:Originally posted by M Grenade

that's got to be a fun drive through the Rockies with a big rig in the middle of winter

It wasn't fun!  When you get paid by the mile, you don't make much travelling those passes in the winter!  That's one reason I won't do it anymore.  I drove locally after that, and was paid $23.00/hour + overtime + good benefits, which was a lot more than I made highway driving.  Highway was fun for a little while, though, as I did see quite a few different places...

[Sarah Belly Poo]

You sound nice Ace.

[Ace]

quote:Originally posted by Sarah Belly Poo

You sound nice Ace.

This site brings out my nicer side.

[M Grenade]

I always wondered about the long haul truck drivers, what kind of money they made. What would the starting wages be for a guy right out of truck driving school doing long haul?

[Ace]

35 to 40 cents per mile.

[Ace]

I'll be back in a few minutes...  I bought a new laptop today, and I've been getting the 'feel' of Vista, but there's still one thing left to do...  Install Firefox...

[M Grenade]

good luck with that

[Ace]

Seems to be running better already!

[M Grenade]

is that all expenses paid?

[Ace]

quote:Originally posted by M Grenade

is that all expenses paid?

Clarify...

[M Grenade]

sorry, Im jumping topics back and forth, all expenses paid meaning they give you the truck and pay for all the diesel etc?

[Ace]

Yes.  The 40 cents/mile is yours.  They usually give you a fuel card to fill up on Diesel with.  You sleep in the truck, so you don't pay for hotels, unless you want to.  They won't cover your food, of course...

[M Grenade]

wow, so actually when you add it up it isn't huge money

I guess the advantage is you can kind of go into a zombie state and drive for 16 hours in a day but a regular job getting paid overtime would be less gruelling and more money probably, right?

[Ace]

Your hours are regulated, so you're not really allowed to drive for 16 hours in a row, but some guys still run two log books and do it anyhow.  The thing with highway driving, it's not usually physically hard, so some guys like it.  A regular city job, like the one I had after the highway job, paid me better, but contrary to popular belief, city work requires quite a bit of physical effort, as the driver is usually expected to unload quite a bit of sh-!  It kept me in shape, actually...

[Ace]

A good city gig pays alright, if you find the right employer.  On top of my hourly wages, one outfit was paying me $4.00 into a retirement plan for every hour I worked...

[M Grenade]

traffic would drive a person crazy too, especially with parking and maneuvering