Walmart workers who became truck drivers on up to $110,000-a-year say big-salary job has changed their lives -

Walmart launched its ‘associate-to-driver’ program last year for store workers to become truckers on salaries of $110,000 – way above the industry average
Graduates include an Iraq War vet who overcame homelessness and a female former store worker who’s defying stereotypes in the male-dominated industry
The retailer launched the scheme last year amid a nationwide shortage of drivers

For Ronnie Suggs, an Iraq War veteran, his new job as a trucker for Walmart is more than just a career move – it’s changed his entire life.

Just a few years ago, the 53-year-old from Bentonville, Arkansas, was homeless after falling on ‘really rough times’. But today, he’s preparing for his first assignment as a Walmart driver – with the potential to earn a six-figure salary in his first year.

Suggs, who has two adult daughters, is one of dozens of recent graduates of Walmart’s driver program. The retailer – the world’s largest private employer – opened it up to staff across the company last year as America battled a chronic shortage in the haulage industry.

The scheme made headlines for its lucrative first-year salary of up to $110,000 – roughly double the national average – and drew scores of applications from employees like Suggs.

‘It’s amazing,’ said Suggs, who was in the National Guard from 1989 to 2011. ‘It’s amazing to know, to have found what I have, inside me. My inner strength to overcome what I’ve overcome – and the confidence it’s given me.’

Ronnie Suggs, 53, is an Iraq war veteran who fell on hard times in 2016 and became homeless. Now, he’s a newly-graduated trucker at Walmart and will earn up to $110,000 in his first year

Suggs, who has two adult daughters, is one of dozens of recent graduates of Walmart’s driver program. ‘I’m starting over and for me to come in and have this life-changing event and that life-changing competitive wage, just literally is going to change my entire life,’ he said

Ashley Milacek joined Walmart in 2014 and has held positions as both an associate and in management. Now, after completing her first delivery assignment on Thursday, she is blazing a trail for other women who want to break into the male-dominated haulage industry

Before getting onto the driver scheme, Suggs worked in a Walmart distribution center. He had initially joined Walmart in 2013, following his military service, but was forced to leave in 2016 after falling on hard times and becoming homeless for around six months. He rejoined the company in 2019.

The move into trucking – one of America’s most respected jobs – is also about continuing his service to the country.

‘It’s gonna be exciting and I’m gonna meet a lot of people, I’m gonna see a lot of places… To be able to do what I’m doing and be able to serve the community, serve the country, you know, to take our stuff where it needs to go,’ he added.

Another newly-inaugurated Walmart driver, Ashley Milacek, took advantage of Walmart’s associate-to-driver program while working overnights in a store. She joined the company in 2014 and has held positions as both an associate and in management through the years.

Now, after completing her first delivery assignment on Thursday, she is blazing a trail for other women who want to break into the male-dominated haulage industry.

‘I just didn’t realize the impact that being a female driver was until I was in it, and then I saw that there really isn’t that many,’ said Ashley, 35, from Sanger, Texas.

‘And I think that you know, making that jump into the opportunity and actually putting it into action and doing it speaks volumes, and I really want to represent other females who want to do it.’

She added: ‘There are more females out there who are interested in it. They just, I guess didn’t really feel safe, like I did at first but you know, the more the company engages into you and teaches you, the more you actually feel safe about it.’

Drivers like Suggs and Milacek will cover upwards of 300 miles per day – and around 120,00 miles per year – delivering to nearly 11,000 stores around America.

Ashley Milacek took advantage of Walmart’s associate-to-driver program while working overnights in a store. She joined the company in 2014 and has held positions as both an associate and in management through the years.

Drivers like Suggs and Milacek will cover upwards of 300 miles per day – and potentially more than 120,00 miles per year – delivering to nearly 11,000 stores around America

Ronnie Suggs celebrates his role as a Walmart truck driver, marking a new chapter in his life

Milacek said becoming a trucker, one of the most respected jobs in America, was ‘amazing’ and added: ‘Just sitting into the driver’s seat, I was able to feel how big the responsibility is’

Those on the associate-to-driver program take 12 weeks of training to earn their commercial driver’s license – and the iconic white shirt worn by Walmart’s drivers.

‘It’s just not something the average person thinks for themselves doing, you know, grabbing a 70-foot 80,000 pound vehicle down the road. It’s just not something you imagine yourself doing,’ Suggs added.

‘Walmart has a very competitive pay. And for me, you know, basically I’m starting over and for me to come in and have this life-changing event and that life-changing competitive wage, just literally is going to change my entire life.’

Milacek said: ‘It’s amazing… Today, we woke up super early, and, you know, seeing the sunrise, the country, it was really beautiful.

‘But not only that, I think it’s phenomenal, because the first time I ever got into just, you know, just sitting into the driver’s seat, I was able to feel how big the responsibility is.’

Milacek, the first trucker in her family, also said the industry-beating salary will make a huge difference. ‘I’m really big on making sure that the rest of my family is, you know, comfortable, taking care of them as well,’ she said.

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