The Walmart Skinny v2020

Wicked Wizard · Oct 11, 2020

I always wanted to work for Walmart but I refuse to slip seat a sleeper. Definitely not sanitary. I don't even like to slip seat my daycab. Thankfully my account with J.B. Hunt allows me to ride solo almost all the time.

truckdriver31 · Oct 11, 2020

Wicked Wizard said: ↑

I always wanted to work for Walmart but I refuse to slip seat a sleeper. Definitely not sanitary. I don't even like to slip seat my daycab. Thankfully my account with J.B. Hunt allows me to ride solo almost all the time.
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most guys spend lots of time cleaning up the truck for the next guy.

flightwatch · Oct 11, 2020

Flat Earth Trucker said: ↑

Thank you for taking the time to post this well-written post-employment review.

Almost everything Walmart does regarding their trucking fleet seems only to have the goal of making working conditions for drivers as unbearable as possible for them, but not quite enough to cause an en masse driver departure.

I've never seen the advantage in slip seating otr trucks. Why does Walmart do that?
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They do have en masse driver departures. But like most trucking companies, you just don't really see it as they fill the positions quickly. Anymore, Walmart has become just another driving job. I know at my DC, we have at least 5 people a month coming on. That doesn't seem like many. But when you only have 170 drivers at a DC, 5 a month is a lot. And the latest batches of new drivers are not what I would call the 'highest quality' drivers out there.

Regarding slip seating: My opinion varies slightly from the Walmart excuse of why they do it. They slip seat their trucks because they've been able to get away with it. Most of the long term drivers have assigned trucks, so they don't care. And most newer drivers are still too caught up in the "Walmart dream" to let it bother them. But as Walmart continues to go downhill and more drivers realize that there are jobs out there that are just as good or better, they won't be able to keep the facade up. They'll either have to assign tractors or (more likely) they will dissolve the private fleet. I will say that it was always a joy to get into the truck at the beginning of my week and see a new 'stain' on the mattress...

flightwatch · Oct 11, 2020

truckdriver31 said: ↑

most guys spend lots of time cleaning up the truck for the next guy.
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Yep. And here's the checklist.

mxpx148 · Oct 11, 2020

flightwatch said: ↑

Today was my last day, so I figured that I would write my 2-year review of Walmart. Let me preface this post with what I stated in my original Walmart skinny post: Walmart Transportation is unlike any other trucking company out there...mostly. And I will get to that in a bit. Also, these are my experiences and opinions. Things can vary greatly from DC to DC.

Pay: Yes you can make decent money. I don't think that's really disputed. $84k in the first year? I don't know about that. I didn't make that in the First year...or the 2nd. And every driver I talked with said pretty much the same. $70k-$75k is more likely what you can expect to make your 1st year. Now, certainly, there are 1st-year drivers are making the $84k a year...and then some. But those drivers are the exception rather than the rule. They are the ones that extend every chance they get (work 6 days and take 1 day off) and work their logs to maximize their workweek. The nice thing about Walmart is that you get paid for EVERYTHING. Sleeping, waiting, dropping and hooking, etc. Insurance is ok. Not great. Not terrible. If you want to insure your entire family, be ready to pay a significant amount of money out of each paycheck. The 401K and stock options are amazing. Vacation is hit or miss. Yes, you get a decent amount of time off annually, but you accrue it throughout the year. And it can be extremely hard to get time off as they only allow 10 drivers off at a time...and the old guys like to take A LOT of time off.

Trucks: The trucks are a mix of Peterbilt 579's, Kenworth T600's, Cascadias, and some LT's. The PACCAR trucks are getting cycled out though unless you are at the Sanger, TX DC. Then you might get a new Peterbilt. The rest of the fleet is primarily Cascadias. They have the full safety suite in them: Blindspot assist for the truck and trailer, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, and lane-keep assist (although Walmart has decided to turn off the lane-keep assist for some reason). Other than the safety suite, the trucks are pretty basic. They do have refrigerators, and they have inverters. But the inverters have a timer that shuts them off after 2 hours. You then have to wait for 8 hours before the inverter can be turned back on. All the engines are rated at 400hp. And all the trucks are governed at 65mph. There are Lytx cameras in every truck. They supposedly only face outwards, but there is a camera that faces inside. They say that camera is turned off, but there's some debate about whether that is true. Regardless, the cab is mic'd, and everything you say or do can be heard.

Slip seating: It sucks. There's no other way to say it. Either you deal with it or not. Slip seating a sleeper truck is not fun, but it's how Walmart keeps the private fleet profitable.

Here's where my personal opinion kicks in:

The micromanagement is unbearable. I have never worked for a trucking company that micromanages their drivers as badly as Walmart does. They do it under the purview of safety, but it's beyond safety. The problem with Walmart is that they are too big. The bosses have bosses who have bosses who have bosses. And somewhere way up there, there are a few people who have never seen a semi-truck other than as an annoyance coming up with ways to keep the drivers "safe". The drivers that have impeccable safety records and are supposedly the best of the best are treated like 1st-week drivers at a training company. Go 73mph down a mountain even though the speed limit is 75mph? Get written up for breaking Walmart's speed limit. Hit your brakes too hard because that car cut you off? Get written up because you should have anticipated that car cutting you off. Hit a deer? Get prepared to sit in the safety office for 30 minutes filling out accident reports and arguing with them about how you couldn't avoid the deer and therefore shouldn't have to pay for the damages. In other words, people that can barely drive their cars the 5 miles to work every day are more than happy to write up drivers with millions of miles for perceived violations based on an eight-second camera clip.

Now that that is out of the way...

I mostly enjoyed my time at Walmart. I was hoping that it was going to be my final trucking job. But alas, I couldn't stomach what it is becoming. I am afraid that, before too much longer, Walmart is going to be no better than your average training company. Albeit with better pay and home time. There are some very good things about Walmart. It is a very rewarding place to work if you are the type of person that is happy with being micromanaged. If you aren't, you won't be happy.
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Started Jan of 2019 and couldn’t agree with you more! Looking for my next move(more than likely going back O/O), but taking my time...luckily the checks are decent and clear every other Thursday lol.

jcrack08 · Oct 11, 2020

flightwatch said: ↑

Yep. And here's the checklist.
View attachment 348550
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I just couldn't do it. Would have to start me off at $130k. Then the other micromanagement too? Lord have mercy..

laaylor · Oct 11, 2020

I’ve run dedicated Walmart for several years now...been asked to switch over to Walmart fleet at every DC I’ve been at.... NOPE: there’s no way I could handle the micromanagement: I will be content with my $15,000 less a year..... I respect and care about all the Fleet drivers I have worked with, but personally, I just couldn’t do it......

JOHNQPUBLIC · Oct 12, 2020

laaylor said: ↑

I’ve run dedicated Walmart for several years now...been asked to switch over to Walmart fleet at every DC I’ve been at.... NOPE: there’s no way I could handle the micromanagement: I will be content with my $15,000 less a year..... I respect and care about all the Fleet drivers I have worked with, but personally, I just couldn’t do it......
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Money is important but it isn't everything.

pulaski1963 · Oct 13, 2020

REO6205 said: ↑

Want to do something that drives WalMart absolutely insane? Go through the complete hiring process and then decide you don't want the job after all.
When Red Bluff opened their dc I applied, went through all the background checks, paperwork, interviews, peer reviews, and everything else they did in those days. I thought long and hard about it and decided not to take the job.
I didn't have to do it but I filled out almost as much paperwork explaining why I was declining their offer than the original application. They got downright pushy about the whole thing and I wound up telling them not to contact me anymore.
It reminded me of a cult.
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Good job!

3031 · Oct 16, 2020

I applied to WalMart and didn't get hired. I was bummed at the time, but it worked out for the best. I got a much better local job: home daily, all drop/hook, will make $75-80k my first year. WalMart isn't the best job out there anymore, not by far.

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