Backing Practice™ 09

Ladies and gentlemen, I present a neighborhood Dollar General. Many of these stores were built before the Age of the 53' Trailer, so they are not an easy delivery.

This one is in Flintstone, GA. (I kid you not.) just south of Chattanooga, TN. Note the shady neighborhood 2-lane street. Note the perpendicularness of the driveway. This is from the local newspaper:

The existing store is not large enough and its location does not lend to delivery by 18-wheeler trucks that cannot get into the parking lot on Chattanooga Valley Road in front of the store, and [the parking lot] must be closed to traffic while they unload.

In addition, said Howard, the store manager has to make a current practice of stopping traffic on Chattanooga Valley Road each time a delivery truck comes into the Dollar General store, as the space is too narrow to safely accommodate both the truck and residential traffic.

Suppose you get there from Chattanooga, and are driving down from the top of the photo, making the driveway be on your right. You stop your truck in the street, make a call to the manager. Now how do you get the back end into the driveway?

Anchorman sent this to me, so tomorrow he can provide his answer.

I'd like to get turned around to put the store on my left. That probably means backing into a side street like the one in the lower right corner. Although this means backing twice on streets, I think it's better than a blind side back. I'm not a fan of having civilians help me but in this case, I'd like them to block traffic.

These Dollar stores offer a fun challenge. Except for the driver unload nonsense and the extreme, daily risk to a clean accident record, they might be OK

Rob, it's not easy with just the photo her, but if you look at the real map, it's possible to drive around then come back from the bottom. No backing tricks necessary.

Maybe turn around in the Dinner Bell parking lot.

Oh, posted that before I saw the above post.

Maybe turn around in the Dinner Bell parking lot.

Personally I try to avoid driving in places that don't often get a big truck. It can be done, but it sure draws unwelcome attention in my book!

I Google dollar general in Flintstone GA and it shows a different scene. It actually shows a truck delivering. Looks like they have a new store now.

I Google dollar general in Flintstone GA and it shows a different scene. It actually shows a truck delivering. Looks like they have a new store now.

Most than one $G in Flintstone? Did you look on Ch'ooga Valley Rd?

Regardless, there are many small markets in this situation.

I Google dollar general in Flintstone GA and it shows a different scene. It actually shows a truck delivering. Looks like they have a new store now.

For search purposes the address is 3202 Chattanooga Valley Rd, Chattanooga Valley, GA 30725.

You are correct a new store was opened up down the road in July 2014. I used this old location for training purposes.

As Errol mentioned, I can give give you a list of other address similar to this location that haven't had the luxury of a new store being built.

I guess if it's after hours you might could pull into the lot in front of the store and then back to the side of the store assuming no cars are parked in your way. From the street you're going to need help to stop traffic and either blindside if store is on the right or go do a turn around and put the store on driver side. Either one requires stopping traffic.