Walmart’s private fleet is adding truck driving jobs to its Washington Court House, Ohio, transportation office as it brings the operations of that facility in-house.

After an internal review, Walmart decided to switch the facility to its private fleet from the third-party carrier that currently operates a dedicated fleet of drivers there.

The expansion will require the company to hire 125 new drivers by May, all of whom will qualify for Walmart’s recently announced driver pay increase. With the increase, 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.

“This is a business decision. After an evaluation, Walmart determined it was more cost-effective and efficient to operate this facility with its own fleet of drivers instead of a third-party carrier,” said Bryan Most, VP of Walmart Transportation. “Walmart continues to explore how we can operate more efficiently and serve our customers’ changing needs. Our Walmart U.S. Supply Chain plays a big role, particularly in quality, service, speed, reliable operations, cost and work environment.”

Walmart has made similar decisions to use its own fleet in Gas City, Indiana, and Lewiston, Maine. The company plans to accept internal Walmart transfers and recruit externally, including the third-party drivers who currently work out of the Ohio facility.

To qualify to drive for Walmart, a driver must have 30 months of commercial driving experience in the last three years and a clean safety record for the past three years. For more details go to www.drive4walmart.com.