Dollar General

To better answer your question, a trailer holds usually 2 to 4 stores. You will unload 2 to 5 trailers a week. I've only done 5 once. 3 or 4 trailers a week is the norm. On average, I spent about 6 hours unloading a trailer (all stops factored in).

A back in from the street. you gotta get over far left (oncoming traffic) and when it's clear angle out, and back in. It's not like doing a 45 set up to get between 2 trailers. You just want to get in there. Cars are gonna hate you, I've had them honk and flip me off. But yo gotta get the job done. Seems like there's hardly any cars around when you set up to back, but as soon as you start, cars come out of no where LOL.

This one was tough. Had to pull in wide (still bumped curb) turn left then right to side. Back straight up, turn sharp right, to drive out of pkng lot. Then back the truck around corner.

Don't let any of that scare ya. Most of the stores are fairly easy. I would say 80% are, pull up front and back up around side, or uturn on the side. At least once a month, you'll see something tough. This one is a pull through. Gotta love those.

One more tough one LOL. This one would have been easy, but it was busy with a pkng lot full of cars. So back in from a busy street. Once you do that a few times, it's just a routine.

Coby,

Thanks for taking the time to post all of this info! I like the idea of getting a mix of driving and physical labor, but ... Do you think a guy in his 40's, in decent shape for his age, could handle this account long term? Do you know any middle-aged or older drivers that have been on this account long term?

Funny you ask about the age. Most people are older. I'm 39 and have no problems doing the work. I'm in good shape, but I see a lot of drivers who are not, that have been doing it a long time. The job keeps you fit, that's what I like about it. I wouldn't worry about the physical part. To do this job, you want to be good at backing up LOL!

Indiana Buck, (love that avatar you got there) these jobs are special jobs for special people. The work involved can be pretty grueling, but I've found that there are some people who just like to work hard. I'm not sure it has a whole lot to do with age. I used to have guys that were much younger than me working for me that were simply amazed at how much work I could do. Then I had others who were happy to work just as hard as I did. For some reason people seem to think that the older you get the lazier you get. Work ethic is something that doesn't necessarily decrease as the years increase. I find the same thing to be true in the flat-bed work that I do. There are some younger guys that I've seen that don't like the work involved and still plenty of us more "seasoned veterans" that just tackle the job day in and day out without even thinking about how comfortable we might be at home on the couch. When you enjoy what you are doing, and take a little pride in your work, even the most strenuous tasks can be enjoyable.

Coby, thanks for the posts with the photos! We often talk about these jobs with potential new drivers in here asking about them, and we are always telling them about the crazy backing situations they will get into, and how they will be hand off loading tens of thousands of pounds of boxes each week. But those photos really help people to understand what it is they are getting into.

This is a job that a person really needs to understand what it is they are signing up for and not just take the recruiters word about how much money they are going to be making. On these accounts you earn every dollar, and you will be frustrated and sore for the first few weeks, or at least until you get a grip on things and how to make this job work for you.

Funny you ask about the age. Most people are older. I'm 39 and have no problems doing the work. I'm in good shape, but I see a lot of drivers who are not, that have been doing it a long time. The job keeps you fit, that's what I like about it. I wouldn't worry about the physical part. To do this job, you want to be good at backing up LOL!

Cool .. thanks! Another concern I'd have would be the ability to get a shower at the end of each day spent unloading a trailer. Is this an issue?

A tip that helped me a lot, If there is a row of parking on each side of the side of the building, you can do a u turn. Granted there are no cars and you turn TOWARDS the building, avoiding tail swing into the wall. sometimes there might be something on the other side, you will want to avoid swinging into. Like a planted tree.

U TURN POSSIBLE ( You would pull in on the side the pic of the truck is on, turn right towards the building, and straighten out. Then back up, close to the building.)

NOT POSSIBLE

Cool .. thanks! Another concern I'd have would be the ability to get a shower at the end of each day spent unloading a trailer. Is this an issue?

Oh boy, LOL. It depends, I usually got a shower every 2 to 3 days. So about 3 a week. I would shower at the Distribution Center. You will have your next trailer waiting on you when you get back. I would drop my empty, get a shower, pick up new one and take off. Depending on when my 11/14 ran out, determined where I was going to stop. Sometimes a rest stop down the road or stay at DC. Best thing to do is, make it to the store and sleep there, so you can unload in the morning with a fresh 14 hr clock. If you get a loyalty card at a truck stop, you can rack up free showers and merchandise when you fuel. I found it not very time efficient to shower at truck stops, due to not enough parking and long waiting for a shower.

Thank you to you all who responded means a lot guys. That's what I'm into something that you can get a ok work out from doing. I'm not sure if you mention it but do you still drive for werner & do you train new drivers? Make it a safe day