driving for walmart

Hey Chewey the trusted source in Brookhaven is the safety manager. They will get the same meeting as the rest of us but they will have to provide cell phone numbers for any phone the drivers will have in their possession when on Wal~mart equipment. Those drivers will be subject to random cell phone record checks to see how long they are on the phone within a given day. Again I feel that the drivers will do the right thing and the company will see it may not be necessary to require us to provide our numbers to them.

 

This would be true but the company is still losing accident cases because the lawyers are convincing juries that WalMart is not enforcing a cell phone restriction policy "aggressively" enough. Even with our outstanding safety record, lawyers are still tearing them one every case where a cell phone was used by a driver in the last week! I will be the first to say this is crazy but this is the court system for you. It is just the new paradigm. Walmart's answer is to proactively fire or rank drivers to prove to juries that they are not waiting for accidents before they punish drivers and that their policy is stricter than other carriers.

You are right...no matter what walmart does...a shyster lawyer will still make them look like monkeys in the courtroom...we have all seen this Walmart just thinks they can outsmart them...poor fools You may be replacing someone discharged for violating that very policy.

Your second and final paragraphs are right on You seem to have a better grip on the realities of trucking and will do well here...welcome and good luck. Just remember...it is a job...these people are your friends till you are a blip on their trouble radar, then you are history no matter how well or how long you have done you job.

P.S> they are about to throw a lot of info at you..may be confusing but if you can find a driver...they will be glad to help you..

 

Thanks Chewey. I met about a dozen drivers this week while in orientation and took down their number in case I need some assistance. They did throw a lot of information at me. This coming week with a mentor will help some of that information be absorbed better.

 

Doggone drozzer, are all you walmart drivers that easy to talk yourselves into something? You and the others have done a 180...chewey at least has a sense of humor... At what point does the paine in your sittin down place make a snapping noise and you realize what your company is doing. I am glad to be an owner operator today

 

no one has done a 180 a policy is a policy a.d as of right now its a very liberal one other then the 2 test dc's. I dont need to be on the phone all day while I am driving I love the my pandora and sirius. we are still being allowed plenty of time to use the phone .

I will be the first to admit that I have almost made mistakes from being distracted by a phone call. answer one at the wrong time and break your routine and it bad.

I have already changed my habits for my own good. This job is not worth losing over being distracted.

and if your happy being an owner operator good for you i wouldnt touch that for nothing. I am making great money with great benefits and no headaches.

Is it a perfect job of course not and I dont expect to find one but its pretty #### close. The pros here by far out way and cons.....

 

Is this a 180?

 

no its not a 180 its a policy that was not in affect yet and still not in affect at all anywhere. and the policy that is due to be rolled out has been changed from its original format. I never once said i had a problem with any cell phone policy the bottom line is there was not one in place and still not one in place as of today.....

 

We go live Oct 1st.

As I stated in the other thread. You can still talk on the phone when driving. However, it is limited to 10 minute intervals with a total of 1 hr of your 11. Also, no talking during rush hour traffic. You can talk all you want when not driving (which you have plenty of, and is when I will talk). The only time your records will be checked is if you get pulled for a random alcohol test............... which happens very infrequently (I have had one in the last 8 years). It is a 30 day record, and if found in violation, you will get a step. You will not get terminated.

As grabber said, you will get terminated if you have an at fault accident when on the phone. However, this is nothing new as it is the current policy.

This is not a big deal people. It is common sense. Most larger carriers, and many smaller ones have more restrictive policies than this. Our fleet is very safe, which is probably why we are given a bit more leeway.

 

Wow! What an arbitrary criterion. Being "the best" doesn't relate to how many jobs you've had. At least not in the real world. I hope they're not like that.

 

Frankly, they don't really care how many jobs you have had. On my interview day, there were 3 people interviewed, with me being last. All three of us were in the hiring group, and I know for a fact that the guy who interviewed before me had multiple employers in the last 10 years.

It is really going to depend on the application pool. If they need 5 drivers, and they get 15 interviews, all of whom are perfect, and have had only 1 employer in 10 years............... you may not get the interview. However, my understand is that the DC you are applying to needs quite a few drivers. They have been having issues getting enough qualified drivers to apply. Thus, if you qualify in all ways, but have had quite a few employers, they won't care.

Basically, the qualifications listed are the minimum criteria. At most DC's, this will be enough to get you the first interview. At DC's like mine, maybe or maybe not. It all depends on the quality of the drivers applying.

You should know soon enough. If you get the first interview, then it is all on you. There are many guys who try multiple times before they get in, and there is nothing wrong with that.

Good luck to you. Let us know if you get the call. The job is worth is. I'm 3 months from my 1 yr anniversary, and I still have to pinch myself sometimes. I knew I was going to work here for years before I did, and this was my goal. Yes, it was worth it.