Walmart Inc. is offering new truck drivers up to $110,000 in their first year with the company, the retail chain announced on April 7.
The announcement comes amid a nationwide trucking shortage that has been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and job losses as drivers look for alternative employment offering better pay, benefits, and working conditions.
“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,” Walmart added.
The retailer also announced the launch of a 12-week training program: Walmart Private Fleet Development Program.
The program is taught by the company’s “established drivers” who are called “Certified Driver Trainers.”
“They turned their attention to training a new generation of associates in our values of safety, courtesy and pride,” Walmart said. “After completing specialized training in the Walmart Academies, they began working with trainees—teaching written material and, of course, overseeing the actual driving.”
“We want to make sure we continue to attract drivers, but also retain” existing drivers, Karisa Sprague, a senior vice president in Walmart’s human resources department, told The Wall Street Journal.
Walmart’s announcement comes as the COVID-19 pandemic has further worsened trucker shortages as demand to move freight, of which roughly 70 percent is delivered by trucks in the United States, soars.
On April 4, American Trucking Associations (ATA), which has become a registered apprenticeship sponsor, appeared at the White House to speak about the new public-private initiatives designed to help recruit new truck drivers and bolster the U.S. supply chain amid a shortage of drivers.