This week, retail giant Walmart announced that they are hoping to add to their Private Fleet by growing a pilot program that allows store and warehouse workers to train for 12 weeks to become truckers.
In a January 18 announcement, Walmart said that they will expand the Associate-to-Driver Program launched last year in Dover, Delaware, and Sacramento, California. Walmart says that 56 workers successfully completed the program, which led to the decision to expand the effort to bring more Walmart workers into trucking.
The expanded Associate-to-Driver Program allows associates in stores, distribution centers, fulfillment centers and transportation offices within a 50-mile radius of a participating transportation office to apply for the driver training opportunity.
“After they complete the 12-week training course and earn their CDLs, they have a coveted Walmart driving job ready to step into. Walmart drivers can make up to $110,000 in their first year with the company,” Walmart said in a news release.
“The Associate-to-Driver program allows participants to learn driving from the best of the best – our current Walmart driving instructors. Our fleet is continually recognized for its commitment to safety. In fact, the American Trucking Association has awarded Walmart the Safest Fleet in the Over 250 Million Mile Division for six consecutive years. By training our new drivers in this program from day one, we can help guide them to approach all parts of the job focusing on the values of safety, courtesy and pride so that we will never disappoint our fleet, customers or families,” Walmart stated.
Walmart’s Private Fleet is one of the largest in the world with about 13,000 truck drivers.