Hot Dog Express - Page 4

Wanna be a Hotdogger?

Thousands apply, but few are chosen…to drive the Wienermobile.

It's a bus-sized celebrity, but you don't need a commercial driver's license to operate it. Applicants ought to be outgoing and clever, and it doesn't hurt if you're good with puns. As one candidate wrote in his successful Hotdogger application, "I would relish the opportunity."

To qualify, Hotdoggers must be recent college graduates with a GPA of 3.0 or above and hold a bachelor's degree, preferably in relevant fields—communications, journalism, marketing, or public relations.

Despite casting a narrow net, Oscar Mayer receives thousands of applicants each time it opens a position. With a driver's license and an appetite for adventure, and hot dogs, it can be a delicious gig.

Drivers do a lot of training at Hot Dog High in Madison, Wisconsin, because driving the vehicle isn't as easy as it looks. And let's face it, careening down the highway in something shaped like a massive hot dog is not your typical Sunday drive.

The Wienermobile doesn't fit under any clearance below its 11-foot height, nor can it squeeze through a drive-thru. So drivers have to beware of their maneuvers on the road—or they won't cut the mustard.

Keeping with the times, there's even a backup camera, although drivers are carefully trained to guide and help each other when backing into places. The Wienermobile has gull-wing style doors (sort of a 'Lamboweenie'), condiment-colored seating of mustard yellow and ketchup red, and a 'bun box' instead of a glove box.

Passengers can ride 'shot-bun' and are asked to fasten their 'meat belts.' Of course there's no shortage of dog 'n' bun puns when it comes to maneuvering the Wienermobile across the country.

Zach Chatham and his co-driver, 'Ketchup Katie' Ferguson, were Hotdoggers who traveled the nation in 2021 building the Oscar Mayer brand and making peoples' days. "You have to be incredibly flexible to work this job," Ferguson told Business Insider. "We go to a city for a week to two weeks, do birthday party drive-bys, farmers market visits, and go to museums. We've driven on racetracks. And we do events and media interviews. The only constant is how much joy it brings people."

Interestingly enough, the Wienermobile, which began bringing its brand of joy during the Great Depression, is still doing so today. In the 2020s, drivers have still been able to turn people's days around, even during Covid. They see the vehicle on the road; they honk their horn; they get excited.

Hotdoggers are now the rock stars of the highway. A strong fan base follows their every move, much like admirers trailing a band on tour or attracting groupies. Current-day Hotdoggers often share photos and videos on social media and answer questions about the brand and the vehicle.

Once you've driven the country in a Wienermobile and have pockets of friends and memories in all corners of the U.S., the world doesn't feel quite like such a vast place. For any Wienermobile driver, it's the adventure of a lifetime.

• Carol Sveilich writes about the Bay Area of the 1960s era and her own Eichler home and neighborhood in the new book 'Reflections of a Glass House: A Memoir of Mid-century Modern Mayhem.'

Photography: Brian Mack, Christina Bernards, Cru Jones, Blaine-Birch Bay Park & Rec, the Culinary Geek, Rider 314; and courtesy Oscar Mayer / Kraft Heinz Company, Wisconsin Historical Society, General Body Company