LOS ANGELES – Walmart says it’s ramping up starting pay for its 12,000 miles vans delivery drivers to Sam’s Clubs stores and locations amid a U.S. driver shortage risk perpetuating supply chain constraints and stock shortages.
Qualified drivers – often in their late 40s and 50s – are still in short supply, according to government and industry officials. Federal limits on daily working hours, the COVID-19 pandemic and other roadblocks have put many truckers out of work.
Walmart is also closely following rival Amazon.com in encouraging employees in other roles to retrain for on-demand shipping jobs needed to ease supply chain bottlenecks and support online operations. their line.
Walmart drivers are already among the best paid in the nation. Now, the world’s largest retailer is raising a record by resetting truck drivers’ starting salaries from $95,000 to $110,000 a year, from $87,500 previously.
That’s far ahead of the 2020 median salary of $47,130 for large US rig operators, whose “real” income has deflated inflation and efficiency remains around 70% of what it is. 1970s, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. According to the office, about 1.9 million large rig operators regularly travel the nation’s roads.
Walmart’s move could bolster its competitive edge at a time when safe, experienced 18-wheelers are in short supply and as Amazon builds its own network of trucking contractors.
“We are proud to announce a pay increase to ensure Walmart remains one of the best companies in the world to look forward to,” said Karisa Sprague, senior vice president of human resources for supply chain at Walmart.
Consumer demand for everything from food to furniture has skyrocketed during the pandemic. Overloaded resources – from truck availability and port capacity to warehouses and distribution space – impede the flow of goods and drive higher costs.
At Walmart alone, supply chain costs were $400 million higher than expected for the fourth quarter ending January 28, which includes the key holiday shopping season, the company said.
Recent data suggests that pandemic demand may be cooling off.
Commerce Department data released last week showed that physical purchases caused by the pandemic may have peaked as consumers continue to spend on travel and entertainment.
Walmart continues to invest heavily in Walmart.com, and is closely following Amazon in creating pathways for employees to transition into transportation jobs to support e-commerce logistics.
Walmart’s 12-week in-house trucking training program lets employees monetize their trade license and become an official driver of the Walmart Private Fleet. Walmart collects about $4,000 to $5,000 in those training costs.
The company, which pays contracting bonuses that can exceed $10,000, hired a record 4,500 truckers last year, bringing its trucking workforce to about 12,000. It has graduated 17 new drivers from classrooms in Texas and Delaware, and plans to expand the program this year with a goal of training 400 to 800 delivery drivers to more than 5,300 Walmart and Sam’s Club stores. of America.
