Is it reasonable to ask for 6 weeks off?

Dollar general account ... I would stick with what you got.

 

Look at McLane food service. They are located in Glenwood Illinois plus 70 other spots in America.

 

If your Schneider offer is to service Dollar Tree, maybe it's OK. In my areas Dollar Tree are usually in strip malls and they have dock doors for trucks. If it's for Dollar General, or almost any other dollar type store, stay away from it. Dollar Generals, and most other dollar type stores, whatever they are named, are often not truck friendly, they never have enough employees and are certain to end with you losing your job after you hit stuff trying to back a 70 ft truck in a 40 foot parking lot with cars scattered everywhere.

Dollar type stores may be the worst driving job in the industry, which is why every company with those accounts ALWAYS has tons of openings for newbies. This is a case where it is super-extra important to talk directly with a driver working on that account. A very short work history at WE and then getting terminated quickly for multiple backing accidents will make you ALMOST unemployable. Almost any store with dollar in their name share these bad traits. Dollar Tree MIGHT be an exception, or not. You need to find this out yourself, not by asking the recruiter. The recruiter is not going to say anything to scare away someone about to take the bait.

There is a Schneider sub-forum on this web site. You really need to know what you are walking into. It could be a trap or a great deal. Most dollar type accounts need very good backing drivers. If you are not very good, you need to be VERY careful and slow and see all 4 corners of the trailer at all times.

 

FWIW, I've asked for 3 weeks off after 8 months of work (as someone who already has 1 year experience on top). It doesn't hurt to ask, just be prepared for the answer. In my case it didn't hurt that, in the previous 8 months, I asked for exceptionally little home time, was constantly top ranked in mileage, and the market is slow this year.

 

In my neck of the woods....Dollar Tree & Family Dollar stores share the same building & parking lot. They are NOT part of a strip mall.

Same basic setup as Dollar General -- just a different face....with different names.

BE-WARE.....

-- L

 

In that case I would avoid Dollar Tree. Thanks @lual

 

Yikes so the consensus is that it would be a terrible decision to do the dollar general account.

that leaves me with 3 options stay at a place where I am not happy at all, and ready to leave.

Just got another check with no tarp pay, and now missing miles. I’m making less than minimum wage, before they’re not paying me for work I’ve completed. It’s around 7 bucks an hour

go to Amazon and Uber

find a flatbed company that will hire with 3 months, which may be easier said than done.

Is the dollar general, and yes it’s dollar general, bad because it’s highly risky? Or do people just not like to unload?

 

A big part of it is the unload - the pay isn't worth the effort. I hauled one DG store delivery load in my time at Schneider. After the first stop I called in and said "I will finish this load, but if assigned another I will put in my notice". 'Roll-tainers' that are hard to maneuver empty, worse when loaded, and darn near unmanageable when loaded poorly. Store staff that is overworked and underpaid. Having to sleep at stores in order to get all the stops done inside your 14. The list goes on and on. All things that could be taken in stride if the pay was there.

The bigger part is maneuvering the truck in the store's lot. You'll be backing in off the street while dealing with cars coming in/out of the lot as you're doing. Not a lot of space to work with once you're in there. It's easy to make a little mistake and then compound it into an accident because you don't have the space to fix it the easy way.

That said, I know one guy who has been doing it for a decade and another that did it for two years with no issues. For both it got them home a lot, and both were trainers so most times they had help with the unload (and a spotter).

For me, Amazon and Uber is the worst choice. Come on up to Green Bay - lots of places hiring:

Rewind Operator 2250 3rd Shift Plant 5 De Pere WI, Careers At Belmark inc
https://koch.avature.net/en_US/care...sin-United-States-Fiber-Team-Associate/163237
https://koch.avature.net/en_US/care...consin-United-States-Forklift-Operator/164453
https://www.pgcareers.com/us/en/job/R000110270/Plant-Technician-Manufacturing?gad_source=1
​

They're better pay and better working conditions than Amazon and you can still Uber to your heart's content.

A better choice would be to either stick it out or do the Dollar Account. Either will result in higher potential income down the road. I get that you're frustrated with Western, and as long as you understand what you're getting into with the Dollar Account, it's not the worst job in the world.

 

I don't think you will ever be happy.

 

There are an endless supply of new drivers posting here "who will hire me with 2 months experience & was fired for 3 incidents while backing."

Search on Dollar General. Read them & see if it is for you. New, poor backing skills, tight locations are a recipe for backing accidents. These DG dedicated accounts are constantly needing drivers, experienced drivers will not work on them.