Walmart Increases Pay for Private Fleet Drivers

Walmart has announced pay increases for truck drivers in its private fleet that includes an increase to per mile pay and activity pay.

Beginning in February, drivers will receive a 1-cent per mile and a 50-cent increase in activity pay for arrive and arrive/drop occurrences. With the increase, Walmart’s drivers would be paid up to $1 for every time they arrive at a destination and drop a trailer.

In the Northeast region, Walmart is also offering a 5% premium on mileage and eight different activities. Walmart says its drivers can earn an average of $87,500 in their first year of employment with an all-in rate of nearly 89 cents per mile. Furthermore, in the Northeast region, Walmart is offering a 5 percent premium on mileage and eight different activities.

The new pay initiative is part of the company’s push to improve recruiting and retention in its professional fleet and Walmart says it is seeing an increase in referrals from its current drivers. The company  has also revamped its hiring and onboarding program to shorten the application and onboarding time by over 50%.

“Truck drivers are a critical part of our team here at Walmart and have been since Sam Walton started the private truck fleet in the 1970s,” said Greg Smith, executive vice president of Walmart U.S. Supply Chain. “Our professional drivers are part of what makes Walmart so special. This wage increase reflects the importance of our private fleet and our commitment to recruiting and retaining the best drivers in the industry.”