Truck yeah. Walmart hopes to find more truck drivers by offering the potential of six-digit starting salaries.
Late last week the retail giant posted on its corporate blog that, as it reportedly has in other parts of its business, it wants to turn “ambition into opportunity.”
“Ask drivers in our Private Fleet, and you’ll probably hear something similar: Walmart is one of the best places to drive and Walmart benefits are among the best in the industry,” the company post said.
“Today, we’re proud to announce pay raises to ensure Walmart remains one of the best companies in the world to drive for. These latest investments mean Walmart drivers can now make up to $110,000 in their first year with the company.”
“And that’s just a start – drivers who have been with Walmart longer can earn even more, based on factors like tenure and location.”
The blog post was written by Fernando Cortes, senior vice president over transportation, and Karisa Sprague, senior vice president for supply-chain personnel.
They noted that the current average salary for a long-haul trucker is about $56,000 a year. Cortes and Sprague also noted that it wants to find drivers in-house.
For the first time, Walmart has added a program to obtain a commercial driver’s license to its educational offerings in “Walmart Academies.”
“Supply-chain” associates can hit the road in just 12 weeks through the program.
“With a massive training infrastructure already built around LBU [Live Better U] and Academies … the Walmart learning ecosystem stood ready to help launch a driver pipeline program,” Cortes and Sprague wrote. “It just needed teachers.”
So Walmart turned some of its safest, most experienced truck drivers into instructors, who taught both written and on-the-road knowledge, as well as mentors.
“The investments in pay and training build on multiple recent driver bonuses and improved schedules that enable drivers to spend more time at home. There’s never been a better time to join our fleet. Once drivers are on board, this is a job many leave only for retirement,” added Cortes and Sprague.
That’s because Walmart seemed ready to have this program ready for the long haul.
“Our transportation team will continue to grow with our business, and we’ll continue to invest in them along the way,” the post noted.
The American Trucking Associations, an industry lobbying group, estimates that the nation faces a shortfall of 80,000 more drivers – which, barring any surge in employment, could double by 2030.
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