Wal-Mart maybe the Best professional driving jobs in this era !

I just stayed put at my current job. Hard to walk away from 15 years of seniority, good insurance (for now), and good retirement. I might have done it had it not been for the whole transfer thing.

Never heard of such a policy and if it was in place it would not happen at Apple because we have more work available than drivers to cover it. Back east where the DC'S are right on top of each other I could see it happen. We have guys transfer out from time to time but never by force. I know if a DC gets over on the driver ratio they will try to accomadate you at another DC but thats to help you not abuse you. I will check into it and bring back what I find out.
 
Never heard of such a policy and if it was in place it would not happen at Apple because we have more work available than drivers to cover it. Back east where the DC'S are right on top of each other I could see it happen. We have guys transfer out from time to time but never by force. I know if a DC gets over on the driver ratio they will try to accomadate you at another DC but thats to help you not abuse you. I will check into it and bring back what I find out.

Thanks Doug, During my interview I asked why they were hiring. He explained that a while back they had too many drivers and needed to cut back after a remix or realignment (?). If this were to happen again, I obviously would have been on the bottom of the totem pole and been out on the street job hunting. I'd rather not relocate again with young kids. I don't want to take that risk.

I might have misunderstood him, but that was my take on everything.
 
Thanks Doug, During my interview I asked why they were hiring. He explained that a while back they had too many drivers and needed to cut back after a remix or realignment (?). If this were to happen again, I obviously would have been on the bottom of the totem pole and been out on the street job hunting. I'd rather not relocate again with young kids. I don't want to take that risk.

I might have misunderstood him, but that was my take on everything.

Actually we had drivers from Buckeye working over here for a while because they were so slow. We are hiring this time around because we have a large pool of inbound freight that needs to be covered much of this will be freight we have not moved in the past. As you know we have several super centers under constuction or on the books in our service area this will increase our outbound capacity throw in attrition from retirements and illness and the numbers they are binging on look good and should keep us at the right ratio. In my opinion this would have been a very good time to come on,depending on where you placed on the list you could have potentialy had up to seventeen drivers under you which is a very nice cushion. New hire seniority is ranked by your last name in case your curious.

Retail will always have its highs and lows including seasonaly driven demand. Right now we are slow but thats how it always is after the holiday season. Having been in retail for seventeen years I can tell you some years it never gets slow and other years it goes in the toilet. Companies like Wal Mart and Kroger will move along and stay competitive which makes them a good bet if your looking for an employer that offers long term stability. Having two of my four kids still at home I know how you feel and making big changes is never easy and requires alot of thought. My wife and kids have adjusted to our new environment (season passes to Disneyland eased their pain a bit)and I would face a mutiny if I were to even hint about returning to the Pacific Northwest. Having the family happy makes everything else a piece of cake. Keep checking in and maybe you can join us in the future.




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On the last "go round" in Apple Valley, was called for initial interviewk, with "Jerry", then second interview (the 2 from Bentonville on the conference call/monitor thing was kind of weird). Took road test etc. and then called in for offer.(after background completed). Nothing personal, but the starting wage and the benefits did not impress me. Also, working every weekend, no assigned equipment for at least a year and the fact that when you are on your 10 off, even though you are back at Apple Valley (and I live 10 minutes away) they said "we prefer you take your 10 off here"...Why ? Am I on call ?? I have a very good friend that works there and has for many years (Say hi to "Jerry "O", Doug) and I trust his judgement when he says that things have changed and not necessarily for the better. I also didn't care for the Walmart disciplinary system ("steps") where they basically can write you up and can you for pretty much anything they feel like. In short, I'm glad it works for some people, but Wally World was a bit flabbergasted when I turned them down. The main reason for me was the expensive, rather poor health care which they seem to change at will. Plus, I've never been the kinda person to cheer in a warehouse (and yes they do, I heard it). So, I'll keep my Teamster gig for now, pays better and I still have the IBT benefits and pension. "Profit sharing" just doesn't work for me. If Walmart was so wonderful, then why is everything such a secret ? Why are WalMart drivers so afraid of their own company that they cannot even freely talk about their job ? Is it because their own company is still virulently so anti-union ? What do they have to hide ? And one last thing, on the initial interview they have this little game they play. If your interview time is 9:00 am, expect to sit out in their "break room" (with a whole bunch of Swift drivers) and wait forever..It's a little game they play to see if you have patience. Also be prepared to account for EVERY mile you have ever driven. Since I retired from UPS, I've only had one job for many years, so it was hard for them to trip me up..Good luck to all, hope it works for you.

After thinking about it I wanted to offer up a few minor corrections to the information you shared I mean no offense but we need to share information that is clear and concise. There are drivers that might make a big decision based on what they see here so we need to get it right. I will try and hit it point by point and move right along.

Being close to one of our drivers I would think you would have a better understanding of how we do things here at the private fleet. Pay is based on several factors and looking at our mileage base pay is of course going to look lame compared to our union jobs. You have no idea what is possible when you combine the mileage and activity pay but it is well above what most drivers are making. You and I come from very high paying segments of the industry but I know our pay here at Wal Mart is very competitive but like anywhere else will vary greatly from driver to driver. Until you know how to work the system you really are missing the big picture on pay and should realize that those numbers are far from what you will be doing once your in and settled.

Schedule is of course seniority driven but most of the new hires were being offered 6/3 programs which offer weekends off on a rotating basis. Maybe not your cup of tea but to say no weekends off is false.

Some guys have been waiting up to five years for an assigned tractor but you should know that the tractor policy means having that tractor allows you to bid on set runs or other programs not available to lower seniority guys. Once again most of the new hires were going to be offered 6/3's which have three drivers sharing two tractors. You drive one tractor for six days then take three off then drive the second tractor for six days. Its not your "own" tractor but its far from driving gang banged extra board equipment.

Insurance is fine and many people would be glad to have it. Once again its not teamster insurance but we all know the problems union guys are facing when it comes to insurnce and nothing is forever. We have several plans to choose from and all offer high and low options. Open enrollment is done in November for the next year,nothing is changed at will by the company.

Where do you get the idea we can not talk freely,just search this forum and you will find plenty of proof your flat out in left field with that statement. Like I said in the other post its probably a good idea you decided not to join us you would not have been happy and I can tell just by how you talk that you would have had problems. Making the switch from union to Wal Mart is not for everyone but like in my case it is possible to do it and survive.
 
No offense..but..

Yes, I heard the speech about "If you combine everything, it all adds up to this"..But the basic fact for me is that Jerry(Trans. Mgr.) told me to expect 55-65K your first year..I pulled down 80K at my current job, and I work M-F, no weekends/holidays etc. Why should I live in a truck off Dale Evans Parkway, when I live off of Mojave Drive 10 minutes away ? And the medical does suck..I was reading the fine print..350.00 co pay for endoscopy screening ? And the price for family coverage was insane. The dental wasn't great either..I'm glad it works for you. But like I said, I'll stick with tankers. And the basic point was that virtually NO WHERE will you find ANY current WalMart driver posting ACTUAL numbers as to what they make. Seems like Wally World likes to perpetuate that myth. As I stated before, friends work there and have since Apple Valley opened. When Sam Walton checked out, things changed and not for the better. The bean counters are in charge now and like everywhere else, you guys will pay for the Walton's mansion in LaJolla and the new art museum in Bentonville..Sorry Doug, I just wasn't that impressed, but if you like it, that's great. And that break room behind Security with all those Swift/Schneider drivers..Good thing I brought a book..And were you with Stater Bros. by chance ? Because I think I may know you..Not trying to be nosy or anything.
 
Actually we had drivers from Buckeye working over here for a while because they were so slow. We are hiring this time around because we have a large pool of inbound freight that needs to be covered much of this will be freight we have not moved in the past. As you know we have several super centers under constuction or on the books in our service area this will increase our outbound capacity throw in attrition from retirements and illness and the numbers they are binging on look good and should keep us at the right ratio. In my opinion this would have been a very good time to come on,depending on where you placed on the list you could have potentialy had up to seventeen drivers under you which is a very nice cushion. New hire seniority is ranked by your last name in case your curious.

Retail will always have its highs and lows including seasonaly driven demand. Right now we are slow but thats how it always is after the holiday season. Having been in retail for seventeen years I can tell you some years it never gets slow and other years it goes in the toilet. Companies like Wal Mart and Kroger will move along and stay competitive which makes them a good bet if your looking for an employer that offers long term stability. Having two of my four kids still at home I know how you feel and making big changes is never easy and requires alot of thought. My wife and kids have adjusted to our new environment (season passes to Disneyland eased their pain a bit)and I would face a mutiny if I were to even hint about returning to the Pacific Northwest. Having the family happy makes everything else a piece of cake. Keep checking in and maybe you can join us in the future.




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Doug, Thanks for your answer, I do appreciate it. I'll keep an eye out and who knows.... maybe I'll end up there. I hope you didn't take offense over my insurance comment. It's just my current insurance better suits the needs of my family.

I will say this.. I was really impressed with attitude everyone had. They seemed to enjoy being there and the morale amongst the drivers seemed good. I wouldn't mind being a part of that.
 
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Yes, I heard the speech about "If you combine everything, it all adds up to this"..But the basic fact for me is that Jerry(Trans. Mgr.) told me to expect 55-65K your first year..I pulled down 80K at my current job, and I work M-F, no weekends/holidays etc. Why should I live in a truck off Dale Evans Parkway, when I live off of Mojave Drive 10 minutes away ? And the medical does suck..I was reading the fine print..350.00 co pay for endoscopy screening ? And the price for family coverage was insane. The dental wasn't great either..I'm glad it works for you. But like I said, I'll stick with tankers. And the basic point was that virtually NO WHERE will you find ANY current WalMart driver posting ACTUAL numbers as to what they make. Seems like Wally World likes to perpetuate that myth. As I stated before, friends work there and have since Apple Valley opened. When Sam Walton checked out, things changed and not for the better. The bean counters are in charge now and like everywhere else, you guys will pay for the Walton's mansion in LaJolla and the new art museum in Bentonville..Sorry Doug, I just wasn't that impressed, but if you like it, that's great. And that break room behind Security with all those Swift/Schneider drivers..Good thing I brought a book..And were you with Stater Bros. by chance ? Because I think I may know you..Not trying to be nosy or anything.

I was with Kroger in Portland OR actually its Fred Meyer but unless you know the Pacific Northwest you would be more likely to know Kroger.

Must have missed the 55-65k part during my interview because I would have run and never looked back. My finances would be in the toilet at anything less than 80,0000 a year ( wink,wink). Having done my research before the interview I knew the pay would be a bit less but not by much than what I made at Kroger. The last two years were 88,500 and never less than 80,000 in the last ten years (wink,wink). If you factor in our safety bonus should I not screw up it might put me over what I made at Kroger.
 
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Doug, Thanks for your answer, I do appreciate it. I'll keep an eye out and who knows.... maybe I'll end up there. I hope you didn't take offense over my insurance comment. It's just my current insurance better suits the needs of my family.

I will say this.. I was really impressed with attitude everyone had. They seemed to enjoy being there and the morale amongst the drivers seemed good. I wouldn't mind being a part of that.

Number one job is making sure you do whats best for you and family. My wife was skeptical and a little disappointed at what we were offered as far as choices for insurance. We had Oregon teamsters blue cross for seventeen years along with above average dental and vision. When I started at Wal Mart we went with Blue Cross but moved over to Kaiser during the last open enrollment. Kaiser I know is like Wal Mart in alot of ways in that it has its fans as well as its fair share of haters. So far I am impressed with what a fine tuned operation they run and how every detail has been thought out and factored in. Twenty dollar office visits,free lab work and ten dollar prescriptions make managing routine family health care simple and trouble free. I have known several RN's that worked in thier facilities and they always had good things to say.

As far as catastrophic care well nothing is cheap and you make do as best you can with your insurance and whatever other resources you have at your reach. My way of looking at it was to look back over twenty years and think how many times I needed insurance for something big and really except for when we had our kids we never have used our insurance except for routine family healthcare.

Back when I was doing my FF/EMT stuff I worked part time as an emergency room technician in a very busy level one trauma center in Portland OR I saw many people with no insurance get top notch state of the art health care for everything from gun shot wounds to the sniffles and never pay a dime. My wife spent several years working in management at the same facility and I heard never ending stories of how the hospital would work with people to resolve their financial problems when it came time to pay very large hospital bills. You would be shocked at how much this one hospital would eat in uncollected bills in one year. Of course they do all they can to get money from people but in the end many get out with out paying a dime. Little side rant, every man woman and child in the US has access to the best health care in the world emergency or not courtesy of their local hospital ER. Those that say different are uninformed,ingnorant and in need of serious help,rant off.


Point is there are always options and being a well informed consumer when it comes to healthcare is just as important as what your insurance has to offer. When I look at what we have with Kaiser and take what I know about the inner workings of the health care system I am more than satisfied with what we have.
 
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When i started in 04 my average days pay was like 375.00, when i quit it was down to about 230.00, and that my friends is why they are doing all this hiring as of late, alot of folks have retired( because they got tired of the the crap) or they just quit. The company is self insured and can do a whole lot better on insurance but they choose to keep that amongst themselves in bentonville. The only thing blue cross does is administer the plan. Somebody said that they were making 68 cpm averaged out and that is much higher than most, fedex and southeastern freight are topped out at 60 cpm and getting 530 to 600 a day compared to walmarts 430 miles a day. My average weekely miles went from 3400 a week down to about 2400, so at .44 cpm and 3 stores a day, not too good. The company has figured out that if you sit at vendors all day and when you go from dc to store load on a 2 lane road all day, your average miles per day drops drastically, thus saving the company money so the execs can live better.
 
People sometimes get the impression and like to think that because they see outside carriers pulling our loads that private fleet drivers are being phased out and replaced by common carriers. Not saying thats what your getting at but posts like this come up from time to time and in keeping with my goal of providing potential applicants with the most current and correct information I would like to address the issue.

For anybody following along and that may be considering applying let me tell you that nothing could be further from the truth and if you go to the career website you will see we are currently doing a multi DC recruitment. These new positions are the result of retirements,transfers and in many areas increased freight volume from new store openings.

Depending on where you there could be a couple of reasons why you sometimes see a 50/50 mix of outside carriers and private fleet drivers.

The most common is that their is a DC in close proximity that has an outside carrier under contract to deliver to our stores. Some of these contacts call for 100% utilization of outside carriers and some have the private fleet taking a percentage of the loads. Our GRO DC has an outside carrier that handles warehouse operations and 25% percent of the trucking,we currently handle 75% of the store loads which is up from 50% last year. The trend is to continue taking on a larger percentage of trucking operations at DC's currently handeled by outside contractors.

There is also the likely possibility that a nearby DC is very busy and having trouble covering store loads with private fleet drivers. In our region we have been slammed since the first of the year,there was a small two week dip after easter but frieght is moving heavy both outbound and inbound. Drivers are being asked to extend their work weeks and maximize their hours available.
 
When i started in 04 my average days pay was like 375.00, when i quit it was down to about 230.00, and that my friends is why they are doing all this hiring as of late, alot of folks have retired( because they got tired of the the crap) or they just quit. The company is self insured and can do a whole lot better on insurance but they choose to keep that amongst themselves in bentonville. The only thing blue cross does is administer the plan. Somebody said that they were making 68 cpm averaged out and that is much higher than most, fedex and southeastern freight are topped out at 60 cpm and getting 530 to 600 a day compared to walmarts 430 miles a day. My average weekely miles went from 3400 a week down to about 2400, so at .44 cpm and 3 stores a day, not too good. The company has figured out that if you sit at vendors all day and when you go from dc to store load on a 2 lane road all day, your average miles per day drops drastically, thus saving the company money so the execs can live better.

You cant be serious when you compare the private fleet to freight haulers and non union ones at that. Really you think spending 11 hours a day in a gang banged beat up worn out day cab is comperable to what we are asked to do here at the private fleet to earn our pay. Making and breaking sets and all the hassles that come with pulling combinations is a rough way to make a living then throw in the complete lack of respect and you have a job that is suited for drivers not ready for the private fleet. No disrepect to the freight haulers but after having done the doubles and triples thing for 17 years at a UNION grocery company I can guarantee you there is no way in a million years I would go back to that.

Not sure what happened with you at walmart but I am very tempted to throw drown the BS card on your claim that your ADP took almost a 50% drop. We all know ADP can go up and down but I have never heard of such a huge swing. However knowing that your integrity and level of honesty is high I will buy it but man something s not making sense.

You know as well as I do that ADP can be very different from one DC to another depending on miles and activity. Plainview drivers run miles but have less activity while Apple Valley drivers run less miles but have tons of activity. Either way unless your on a set run or lower paying program you should be well above 230.00 per day. At full scale 400 miles and three stores a day adds up to more than 230.00 and it is roughly double what a driver might be making at JB or Swift. Freight haulers might come close but you know very well that many private fleet drivers are well over 90K and dont have any of the BS to put up with that comes along with other companies.
 
They make $.40 sumpin cents a mile and get paid for a lot of little things. They work weekends and holidays. My friend made $68k there last year and drives a long way to work. Nobody leaves our company to work there.
About .48 cpm and paid to sleep and drop&hook .save 10% at shopping wally. I dont know what the big secret is either.
 
About .48 cpm and paid to sleep and drop&hook .save 10% at shopping wally. I dont know what the big secret is either.

Not that its such a big secret its just that there is no real set mileage or hourly rate that you can use to accurately figure a days pay,at least not that would make sense to someone outside the private fleet. Look at it as it would probably do more to confuse people than give them numbers to work by. With the exception of SOME union jobs and a few specialized areas of the trucking industry you could be close to double what the average driver is making out there. Example I spoke to a newer guy the other day who had been with KLLM for 15 years working OTR before he got on with us he is working four to five days a week over here and is making twice as much money. For him the money is a no brainer for some of us that have always made good money it the excellent treatment and working conditions that make it such a gravy job.

There are several things that are added on top of mileage and as was mentioned break and D+H pay. The exception where you might be able to get a solid figure might be guys on set runs but they can get extra activity like a bachaul so even then it would be hard to figure pay just by miles and hours. Yes there is a mileage rate and a couple of different hourly rates but there are other factors to figure in. I will tell you that an average days pay based on mileage works out to be well above .48 cpm,many of our drivers myself included came from well paying jobs and we would not work for chump change.
 
Do you guys have automatic trucks? Do you mostly run during the day? Is it true that you get wrote up fairly easy? I applied at the Spring Valley DC so I just have a few questions, thanks
 
Do you guys have automatic trucks? Do you mostly run during the day? Is it true that you get wrote up fairly easy? I applied at the Spring Valley DC so I just have a few questions, thanks

No auto shifts that I know of but were a big fleet. Most of our drivers do run days,there are night drivers but I would bet they are less than five percent of the fleet. As far as how easy it is to get written up it's like this. If you make it thru the hiring process its a pretty safe bet that you have spent your driving career doing everything right,people that do everything right dont get in trouble,know what I mean?

No one is going to be looking over your shoulder and no one is going to pick on you. Actually its a very laid back and easy going work environment unlike most other companies walmart goes out of thier way to make thier drivers lives better. One word of warning,if your dishonest or unsafe your time with the private fleet will be short.

I could spend an hour listing some of the crazy things I heard about working here,trust me most of it is garbage. If you or anyone else has heard something that you think is BS or have any questions please dont hesitate to ask.
 
Thanks for the info Doug! Would it be ok to ask how much health insurance for a family cost per week? A driver just starting could make $65,000 a year? I appreciate any info!
 
Thanks for the info Doug! Would it be ok to ask how much health insurance for a family cost per week? A driver just starting could make $65,000 a year? I appreciate any info!

We have a several options available including HSA's,when I started I went with blue cross but have since switched to kaiser because its a better fit here in CA. I also opted for dental and some extras like critical care and supplemental accident coverage. I pay 65.00 every two weeks for four of us. The insurance is not as good as my insurance I had thru the teamsters but its far better than most other employers out there.

Pay wise you should be closer to 80k but its really going to depend on where you are and how hard you want to work. We have drivers doing 4/4's that make 45k and they are far from what I would call hard runners.
 
Thanks Doug, thats the only thing I'm kinda worried about is the health insurance, I currently have the Teamsters plan which is pretty good and dont have to pay anything except the dues of course but if i can make that up with wages i can deal with that. Do you guys get paid weekly or bi-weekly?Do you know how much you get while going through orientation and riding with a mentor for the first week?I appreciate all the information!
 
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