Walmart here I come!

Your mentor is there to help you to feel comfortable with the processes. They know you can drive, otherwise you would not have been hired in the first place.

They are not managers. They are just experienced Walmart drivers.

 

Lots of guys are retiring after years, lots of years with the company.

 

Hi everyone. Went through the career job fair in Indianapolis yesterday and I have a contingent offer. Did the whole process in one day. Took 6 hours. Want to say thanks to all for the great information that this thread has given me. Now as I sit and ponder this whole thing I have questions coming to mind that I hope you all can help me with. Folks I currently work two jobs to make the same money that I would at Walmart. But one of the jobs is at FedEx Express running daily line haul between Indy and Chicago O'hare. work 4 10 hour days and home every day and off friday, saturday, sunday and back to work monday night at 2030. Real good gig and I have been with FedEx for over 24 years.

First question, they are stating first year drivers and averaging 76k...Is this true?
Second question, This would be my first ever over the road gone 5 days I have ever done, How do your handle being away from the wives?

 

$76K should actually be low, if you are any kind of worker. My husband did $80K his first year, and he had a steep learning curve from never having used e-logs or a Qualcomm. This year, he should be around $88K.

Now, understand that different areas end up with different pay. We are actually in a lower pay area.

Also, you will only be gone 4 nights, so it isn't so bad. As to how you handle it................. it is going to be different for everyone. I can only comment from the perspective of a wife. My husband was gone more with his X job, and was stressed to the gills all of the time. I am sure you are stressed, working 2 jobs. Your stress level will plummet when you work for WM. You will know you always have work and a good paycheck. You will know that you will never again have to work 2 jobs just to make a living. You will know what day you go out, and how many days you will be working. You will know that you will always have a minimum of 1.5 days off, and most of the time, it will be 2.5 days (the 1.5 is only when it is mandatory extended week, which does not happen a lot). You will be respected and treated like a valued human being. You will never be rushed or expected to do the impossible. If you are dispatched the impossible, you just let them know you cannot do it, and there is no argument, no whining, and no complaining................ they just fix it. Basically, the only thing you will stress over, is the 4wheelers, which you stress over now anyway.

For me, my husband became the man he used to be. He is happy and fun when home, and accomplishes all kinds of things that he was too stressed out to even think about before. He has done more on his classic car in 2 years, then he has in the other 25 years he has had it.

It really is that good. I know it is hard to believe, being on the outside. There is a reason that the turnover is so small, and most of the time it is when a driver retires.

I am sure that others will chime in from the drivers perspective.

Good luck, and enjoy the ride.

 

Ya use to be..... HA HA I love this site Mucho entertainment

 

ill chime in here on this one. 76000 is pretty low if you stay busy on a 5/2 should be 80 plus! i use to be a local driver home every night off on the weekends. i started otr before i done ltl so kinda have both points of view. if your gonna go otr its not going to get much better than walmart. the setup is pretty decent if your going otr. ill admit i had a cushy gig at my old employer and i do miss being home ever night. But in the long term i liked the fact you have some decent job security at walmart, if my old company lost the contract we were on i could have been out of a job anytime. it hadnt happened in the 13 years i was there but you never know. i had quite a few friends at fed ex freight and they were laid off after 10 years of service. So you never know in this business. id just think it through discuss it with the family and do whats best for your situation. All in all its a good job.

 

Thank you Wally Wife, I know you start at same time but when do you get off the clock and come home? We are really worried that we will only have a day and a half together.

 

Also, Is it 48 hours off? or 34 and you are back out?

 

Maybe I can help - I just started with the company in October - 2 of us started at my DC - I got a program which is a 5/2 5/3 which is 5 days on with 2 days off 1 week and 5 on and 3 off the next week. My end of work week is my start time plus 12 hrs - My start time is 10 am, so I'm scheduled to be off by 10 pm on my go home day - then I get the full 2 days off before coming back in at my 10 am start time - the guy who started with me is on the extra board - he has a set day and time out, works his 5 days, then goes home for his 2 days off. The only time this may be different is on mandatory work week extensions which doesn't happen often. So actually, I get more than 48 hrs off because I'm off today and tomorrow but don't have to be back in until 10 am Sunday. I hope this helps.

 

starting out you will probably get a wed thur or friday out. lets say its a wed out then you wil be home sunday night leave back out wed morning. same every week unless there are exstentions then you will get home mid day monday go back out wed morning. also keep in mind there are alot of different programs you can bid for once you get some time in. im on a 3/2 where i work 5/2 one week run out my 70 the next then off a full week. they have a 5/2, 6/3 a 5/2 5/3 a 5/5 a 7/7. several different schedules to get whatever fits for you. of course the 5/2 and the 6/2 pay the most.