Walmart Private Fleet

Jerry wrote:

Turtle and G-Town,

Are you hauling GM or GR?

So far I am pretty happy driving for Walmart. I have been hauling mostly GR and find it hard to get 2000 mile a week. The activity pay makes up the difference I guess. My pay started off slow and seems to grow every pay period. I'm not 100% happy with it....yet. I do like the equipment and people, I'm sure the money will come in time. JS.

Good to hear from you Jerry.

I’m primarily Grocery...split 50/50 between Remix (dry) and refer. Rarely have I delivered GM (twice in 7 yrs).

The money will most definitely come as you gain skills and familiarity with the stores and routes.

I'm based out of a grocery DC, but my time is roughly split 50/50ish between that and GM.

In my limited experience I've found that grocery seems to keep me busier, with less wait time. With WM's online ordering and grocery curbside pickup, the food just keeps pouring in. That may change with the seasons.

Hang in there Jerry. You'll see.

Thanks guys! Its getting better every pay period.

Turtle,

Thanks for sharing your experiences at Walmart. I've always be interested in the company and its interesting to hear an inside scoop about their policies. I'm blow away by their phone policy!

Mike

How are you liking the gig a year in? Any likes/dislikes you can think of?

I'm an old pro at this WM game now, and have managed to string together a series of very successful and productive months, I think. It's all become very routine and they're aren't too many more ways I can increase my productivity. At least none that I can think of. The logistics of getting goods from DC to store is a very efficient process here, perfectly in tune with the way I like to run.

For me, the biggest thing I like is probably the generous paid time off we receive. We can earn up to five weeks (25 days) paid vacation time in our first year alone, with much more being available the longer you work here. On the 5/2-5/3 schedule I'm on, I'll only earn 23 days this year, due to not accumulating as many on duty hours as a 5/2 driver. I basically work two days a month less than a 5/2 driver. Over the course of a year that equates to a day or two of paid time off that I won't earn. But that's by choice. I love my schedule, and it allows me more time at home with the family, yet still pays very well. It's a perfect balance for me. In a nutshell, I work 4 and 1/2 days, then off for 2 and 1/2, work 4 and 1/2 more days, then off for 3 and 1/2. Rinse, repeat. Sprinkle in those 23 paid days off whenever I want, and it adds up to a pretty chill job for the money they pay me. Granted, work days are long. I very seldom have anything left on my 14 at the end of each day. But it isn't like it's hard work or anything.

The biggest thing I dislike is probably the monotony that sometimes occurs when I have several routes in a row that are either in the same area, or follow the same travel lanes. Let's just say I've become very familiar with I-90 between Boston and Buffalo. We have a gazillion stores between those two points, and I go to them all. It's refreshing when I get to go somewhere different, like the north country up towards Canada or Maine, or down into PA or points south.

However, even though I've lost the adventure of traveling cross-country, the loss is completely offset by the familiarity of being on my own turf, and being able to go home every few days.

All In all, the attraction some drivers have to Walmart is well earned. It's simply a fantastic place to work. The pay, environment, benefits, etc are all top shelf. I imagine I'll stay here until I retire. The only thing that may change that is if I ever desired a job where I could be home daily. Even then, I could switch to a new schedule at WM to allow that, but the 3hr round trip commute would be difficult. So for the foreseeable future, this is where I'll be. I'm really digging it!

Turtle, it's great to hear from you! I'm thrilled to hear you are digging the gig - that's great! Pop in every now and then. You've got a lot to contribute, and we miss your input.

Turtle, it's great to hear from you! I'm thrilled to hear you are digging the gig - that's great! Pop in every now and then. You've got a lot to contribute, and we miss your input.

YES! Your TT family misses you.

I have 6 Years of driving. Never not been able to back into A dock. But 6 months ago i failed the backing test there at Walmart and was sent Home. I had no idea that You could be sent home. We actually took a different backing test each day. But the final test was the same as the first and i timed out. I cant explain it to You but something about the procedure threw me off. I kept trying to do it one shot in retrospect and i think they make it to where you have to pull up. So im getting another crack at it in a couple weeks. I bet its the same test You took. I was so confident id pass it that on Day 2 the tester showed us how they wanted it done and i didnt really pay attention because i thought the day before was A fluke. I for sure will pay attention this time if i fail it initially. Ive done walmart dedicated with Prime after having only like 4 months driving and never went to A walmart with a dock that was as hard as that Test. Anyway if you remember it or have any tips im all ears. It was very humbling because ive had to back into some hard docks before. Not sure what my deal was.

I’ll be heading to Smyrna Delaware March 1st for orientation. Thanks for taking the time to write about your experiences, it’s helped me a lot. It sounds like a great place to work and I’m looking forward to it.