Walmart has decided to increase its pay for its truck drivers.
On Thursday, the country’s largest retailer stated that driver pay will go up. Additionally, the company will start a program that will provide opportunities for employees that work in its distribution and fulfillment centers. This will permit them to become certified Walmart truck drivers.
12,000 drivers’ pay will increase to between $95,000 to $110,000. The previous pay was about $87,500 for the first year of driving.
The new drivers will be called “Certified Driver Trainers.” The new private fleet development program will last for 12 weeks, and the instructors will be the company’s “established drivers.”
This program comes as the country has experienced a shortage of truck drivers since the start of the pandemic. Reports indicate that there is about an 80,000 shortage of drivers.
Walmart is also paying for associates, in Dallas, Texas, and Dover, Delaware, to obtain their commercial driver’s license. However, they must become a professional Walmart driver afterward.
Over the last year, Walmart has employed more than 4,500 drivers, and they are set to “keep hiring aggressively to meet customer demand.”
