Walmart is driving up pay for its truck drivers.
In a blog post Thursday, the nation’s largest retailer announced a driver pay increase and said it launched a training program to give employees who work in its distribution or fulfillment centers a chance to become certified Walmart truck drivers.
The pay raise for its 12,000 truck drivers makes the starting range for new drivers between $95,000 and $110,000, according to Walmart spokeswoman Anne Hatfield. The retailer said that $87,500 had been the average that new truck drivers could make in their first year.
The new private fleet development program is a 12-week program taught by the company’s “established drivers” who will be called “Certified Driver Trainers.”
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The moves announced Thursday come as the pandemic has made trucker shortages more severe as demand to move freight reaches historic highs. The American Trucking Associations, a large industry trade group, estimates that the nation is short about 80,000 drivers.
Walmart said the average salary for a long-haul driver is $56,491 and that its starting wage “can nearly double that.”
Through the new training program, Walmart is paying for supply chain associates in the Dallas, Texas, and Dover, Delaware areas to earn their commercial driver’s license or CDL – which can cost between $4,000 to $5,000 – and become professional Walmart drivers.
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Walmart truck driver jobs: Where to apply
Walmart said it’s coming off a record year for hiring truck drivers with over 4,500 hired and that it plans “keep hiring aggressively to meet customer demand.”
To apply for one of the Walmart truck driver jobs, go to Drive4walmart.com.
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Contributing: Associated Press
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