A new report details how Walmart has made major changes to driver hiring tactics in order to combat the perceived “truck driver shortage”.
While many other trucking companies claim that they are struggling to find enough qualified drivers to keep their trucks full, Walmart has ramped up hiring to approximately 1400 new truck drivers for their private fleet this year, according to a recent Yahoo! Finance report. This marks a significant increase from the 922 new drivers hired in 2017.
The report states that a major reason for the increase is a significant change to Walmart’s hiring process.
Walmart has recently adopted a more expansive driver hiring process that allows potential drivers to take a few days to learn more about the company and what will be required of them as company drivers.
This change in hiring process has caused the pass rate to surge to nearly 90%.
How Walmart’s Driver Hiring Process Has Evolved
Instead of a one-day exam, Walmart now holds a three-day hiring event.
On day one, Walmart will observe an applicant performing a pre-trip, a backing exercise, and road tests. Even if an applicant is not successful, he or she gets to move on to day two.
On day two, Walmart will host a full-day training session, teaching drivers the “Walmart way” of performing the tasks.
Finally, on day three, the driver will be able to retake the exams and a hiring decision will be made based on the results.
This extended process has led to a massive increase in new hires.
Walmart says that their new hiring process has allowed them to maintain their highest standards of driver safety while giving more new drivers the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of working for the company.
“Safety is our priority. We are not going to adjust our minimum standards due to a tight labor market,” remarked Walmart Vice President of Transportation and Supply Chain Tracy Rosser.
The average Walmart truck driver earns around $86,000 in their first year.