Walmart here I come!

just relax be patient. one thing ive learned from the guys on this thread. it can be a long process so just hang in there.

 

hey thanks matt!! that makes it much clearer to me. ya I need to quit, bad habit. honestly I figured you couldn't smoke in any of the trucks. glad about the floating that was my main concern about the driving test.

 

Oh BS, Walmart makes money off the back of the Asians and sells the crap here in the USA. Blame the US Politicians and businessman for being so patriotic for the last 30 years and shipping our USA jobs overseas. Walmart just capitalized on this. You want jobs back in the USA, then VOTE out the SOB's in Congress, Senate, etc... OR start your own company like I did and make your product here with American workers.

 

smyrna has been doing road test all week, several guys failed pre trip. one guy backed into a trailer during his test.....

 

its whatever you feel comfortable with. I only used the clutch for starting and stopping during my test.

 

Thanks grabber blue 12 are you out of the Smyrna dc? I guess if they're doing road testing I didn't make it idk wth.

 

recruiting told me when they called that they call for phone interviews 5 to 7 days after the posting goes offline.

 

Joeyd and jrick, and anyone else looking to get on... OK, I'll probably end up repeating what's already been said, but here goes. The process is long on a good day. Took me 3 months. If your record isn't spotless and if all your previous employers don't verify your employment in a timely manner, it will take longer. Patience is a virtue they say, though that doesn't make the wait any easier. The waiting drove me nuts! But it was worth it.

Matt gave a perfect synopsis of the questions you'll be asked, but one crucial question will most likely be "Why do you want to leave your current employer?" DON'T SAY ANYTHING NEGATIVE, AT ANY TIME, they don't like that. I said it wasn't that I wanted to leave my current employer, it was that I wanted to work for Walmart. They loved it and that might have been the most important question I was asked.

As for shifting, I touched the clutch twice, once to start, once to stop. They're not evaluating how you shift, they're evaluating how you handle the truck. Don't curb a tire (fail), don't run a red light, and of course, don't hit anything. You'll be asked to do the pre-trip (do the best one you've EVER done!), then back a trailer into a spot between two trailers, (don't hit anything, you don't have to put it in first shot, but you have to put it in without hitting anything), then the road test.

Longest road test I've ever been on, took me on a couple tight turns, railroad tracks (REMEMBER...DON'T SHIFT ON TRACKS even if you normally do, don't do it on your test), to a store and back into a dock, highway, traffic, back roads, and back to the dc. You're not done, however, until you have gone through the gate (following the procedures that were explained to you before you left, so pay close attention to everything you are told, no matter how insignificant), parked the truck and drop the trailer (yours could be different but should be fairly similar, as Walmart is big on consistency).

Should you pass all that, they'll tell you they are going to do your background check and employment verification, and you'll hear from them in 6 to 8 weeks (normally doesn't take that long though, should only take about 2 weeks). Then they'll call you back for the 'second interview', which is the job offer. If you accept (you'd be crazy not to but to each their own), you'll go for your drug test and DOT physical, and you'll sign the permission for a criminal background check. Once again they'll tell you they'll call you in a couple weeks (took one week for them to call me) for your orientation date.

For me, to give you some perspective on the time frame, I applied on April 6, interviewed May 22, had job offer June 10, and started orientation July 15. However, there are guys who applied the same time I did and started 2 months after me, having got caught up in some new computerized system they now use for hiring and verifying you are a legal citizen. So, there really is no 'standard' time from interview to orientation, but if everything is as it should be, it should take about 3 months. This was certainly a big eye-opener for me, as any previous employer hired me over the phone. But when you see what the job really entails, you'll see why.

This isn't like any other company you've ever worked for. Some folks have said that Walmart is lowering their standards because of the way they're doing phone interviews now and that they have lowered the requirement for how many years/miles experience one has, but assumptions like that are without merit. A company needs to adapt to changing economic climates in order to remain successful. With the introduction of CSA, this has taken A LOT of drivers out of contention and has reduced the driver pool, and it's only going to get worse. Walmart found itself NEEDING to make a few changes in order to speed up the search for qualified drivers, those who MEET OR EXCEED their already high standards.

As far as lowering the years and miles requirement, it's just a simple fact that because of the massive number of retirements and new drivers throughout the industry as a whole, the number of drivers with 5 years/500,000 miles has been greatly reduced. And of those who are out there, with perfect records and all the necessary qualifications, not everyone WANTS to work for Walmart, for whatever their reasons. Many have good home every day jobs that they just aren't willing to give up.

I say all this for perspective, because I don't want anyone, potential applicant or those of you waiting for the next step, to have ANY doubts as to the caliber of company Walmart is for a driver. Yes they have changed (you need only ask the 'old timers, but they're still there so...), and change is necessary for survival, and I, as well as anyone else working for Walmart can tell you, WALMART WILL survive, making whatever changes they need to along the way. Best of luck to you, and anyone else looking to get on. It's worth the wait!

 

i just applied today to toby, I live 10 min from marcy but wanted to atleast put my name in. my fathers worked at marcy for 17 years and they've been good for him. we will see if they give me a chance ive got a clean record with just over 3 years exp.