Walmart added 1,400 truck drivers in 2018 and said it plans to add hundreds more this year.
Assessments, mentorship and a faster hiring process are among new onboarding events that are helping fill critical jobs created by Walmart’s business growth during an industry-wide driver shortage, according the company.
“These hiring events are both improving the skill level of our candidates and enriching their onboarding experience,” Lori Furnell, Walmart’s director of driver talent acquisition, said in the release. “We’re leaning heavily on the expertise of our Walmart road team and our certified driver trainers to grow our skilled fleet of professional drivers.”
Beginning this month, Walmart is raising driver wages, accounting for a one-cent-per-mile increase and doling out additional pay for every arrival, per the release.
Walmart drivers will now earn on average $87,500 a year and with an all-in rate close to 89 cents per mile.
Furnell said Walmart is transforming its hiring process to give applicants the opportunity to learn the “Walmart way.”
The release said two centralized locations — Casa Grande, Ariz., and Lauren, S.C. — serve as week-long onboarding facilities for new hires to observe veteran drivers and then practice those skills.
Targeted one-on-one mentoring from veteran drivers has been introduced, and the revamped orientation initiatives have already cut in half the time between a candidate’s initial interview and a mandatory driving assessment, per the release.
To be hired by Walmart, drivers must meet Walmart’s minimum standards for its private fleet drivers, which include 30 months of experience in the past three years and a clean safety record, according to the release.