Profile For John T.

There aint a single wrench, ratchet, hammer, torch or prybar that can fix that level of stupid.

I "go to" answer when I am asked for money "Sorry but I only use company credit cards" works every time without fail. It shuts them up and they walk away.

I guess non drivers don't realize companies will not buy me my expensive toys. Or my food. What they don't know will not hurt them.

Yeah, I'm not sure lot lizards qualify as expensive toys. Or food. A creative accountant might get you a tax deduction IF you were in Nevada. It's a long shot.

I'll bite. I'm one of them corn-fed, country strong, Iowa boys. Raised in a small town about an hour west of Des Moines, now I live in the city. Definitely looking forward to seeing more parts of the country!

I have yet to sit behind the wheel of a big rig but having ridden shotgun with my dad many times I can honestly say I think it's impossible to compare the two. In a truck you're fairly comfortable. It's an 80,000-pound Cadillac. Air conditioning, radio, comfy seats on air ride. Your head is on a swivel to keep from killing anyone around you, but overall you get to enjoy the ride. On the other hand riding a motorcycle can be and often is a physically draining experience. Sure, you can ride a road sofa and take all the comforts of home with you but that's no fun at all! My deathtrap is what I affectionately refer to as an attack chopper. Stripped down to bare essentials, short wheelbase, stiff suspension that might as well be a rigid, low stance, pipes high and tight, raised foot pegs, narrow bars. If it doesn't make the bike go or stop I got rid of it. It's rude, crude, deadly quick. It's also my main mode of transportation, rain or shine. It's comfortable for about the first 60 or 70 miles, which is when I start looking for fuel because at 80 miles I'm running on whatever fuel is left in the bowls. Every bump kicks me in the kidneys so I welcome the chance to get off for a few minutes but I love every minute of it. It's a feeling like nothing else. Truck drivers are consumed with trying not to kill someone, on my bike I'm trying really hard not to die. Nobody paying even a remote amount of attention misses the giant truck. On a bike? Trust me, that "loud pipes save lives" crap is just a catchy slogan to justify straight pipes. I've been cut off, literally run off the road by idiots changing lanes while I'm next to them, tailgated, you name it.

Correct, which is why I said it depends on the test. I'm new to the trucking business so I can't speak for what the standard is in this industry, though I do know my dad's company - very small, six or eight drivers - uses basic instant-read tests. I'd venture a guess the larger companies invest a great deal in their drug testing but for small local operations it's probably not always the case.

I've seen a great variance of testing standards in the work I've done, everything from very basic testing methods, all the way up the the most advanced (and expensive) methods available. It's amazing what the labs can tell us, really. But I'm a science nut so stuff like this interests me.

Jump? Not voluntarily. No way. That plane better be in flames, headed for a mountain. I'm not scared of heights but the idea of approaching the ground at terminal velicocity with nothing to stop me but an over-sized handkerchief does not appeal to me.

Adderall is not exactly an amphetamine. It's a dextro-amphetamine and although only one molecule difference - it is in fact different. A driver who is on dextro-amphetamine can still pass the DOT physical as long as the drug is prescribed as it is a Class II controlled substance.

I'm just curious: why did you go off of ADHD medication? ...If you don't mind my asking ...

-mountain girl

It's not so much passing the physical so much as it's for him (or anyone) to pass the drug screen. Most of the commonly used UAs - especially the cheap instant-read tests - do not differentiate between various drugs in a given category. Both heroin and Vicodin will show up as an opiate, just as Adderall, Vyvanse, Sudafed, all will show up as an amphetamine.

Want a real kick in the pants? Just about any commonly prescribed drug can cause a false positive, even if it's not in a targeted class. Amoxacilin, for instance, is an antibiotic. It'll also give a false positive for cocaine. Wellbutrin, Prozac, Effexor, Trazadone, all can give false positives for amphetamines. And there's a lot more that can as well. Ibuprofen, believe it or not, can give false positive for barbituates, methadone, AND cannibinoids (marijuana). It doesn't even have the same molecular structure, but it's a very common result.

A helpful tip for anyone taking medications, when you do a drug screen it's best to disclose ANY medications you have taken in the prior 24 hours, even if it's just some Advil or an allergy med. If you take antidepressants, ADHD meds, tell them so they can make a note on the form for the lab. As long as it's an OTC or you have a script you should be good to go.

Man, I would actually buy the fuel to go up with ya! I've been on commercial flights but never been in a small plane before. I haven't seen Atlantic's airport but the one in Anita always looked scary as hell to land on. Something about landing in a field just seems like bad things waiting to happen :)

Yea, I've been over Anitas field plenty of times. Turf fields arent so bad to land on. Todds field just north of Ankeny on the other hand, is a very narrow, short, runway. You have to nail it or you eat corn.

Just so you know, 100LL(Fuel for piston planes) is runnin $7 a gallon. Jet A is a little cheaper at $6.50 and you thought diesel was expensive

Ha! I used to buy 100LL for my VR4 just to drive around town because it was cheaper than going to SCS Fab in Ankeny to buy Sunoco 110!

Man, I would actually buy the fuel to go up with ya! I've been on commercial flights but never been in a small plane before. I haven't seen Atlantic's airport but the one in Anita always looked scary as hell to land on. Something about landing in a field just seems like bad things waiting to happen :)

I love it in Iowa and I can't imagine living anywhere else. But I grew up here so I guess I'm biased. I stay the heck out of Missouri and Arkansas if I can help it, too many places remind me of Deliverance. Cue the banjo...