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Truck driving is not an easy, cushy job. It is more demanding and dangerous than most other jobs, except for perhaps underground mining or working in a steel mill foundry. Also, WM is competing against Amazon and other big transportation companies for truck drivers - if the pool of qualified candidates is limited, it forces all of them to pay big or not have enough drivers to move their goods to market.
Not to mention that an at fault accident can end your job AND you have people on the road who are TRYING to get into an accident with you for insurance fraud... You have DoT regulations to adhere to so far as log books and all that.. You have DoT regulations so far as health.. If you're diabetic, on insulin.. You're out. Drug testing is strict.
Most truck drives nowadays are.. Dare I say.. Professionals. The days of the 70's and pep pills and the like are pretty much in the past.
There's.. Actually a.. "niche market" of married folks who tandem drive. It's not highly common, but it's not unheard of, either.
Walmart has always paid their drivers well and treated them well. Drivers are in short supply and Walmart is trying to pay enough to get their share of the drivers.
The job does require skills and I suspect that their drivers must drug test, which eliminates a huge percentage of the population from qualifying for the job. The skills can be learned and it is quick and fairly cheap to get a commercial driver's license. So the whiners who complain that they can't get a decent paying job should be able to get qualified for this one. $110,000 a year is decent money, no matter where you live.
Walmart has always paid their drivers well and treated them well. Drivers are in short supply and Walmart is trying to pay enough to get their share of the drivers.
The job does require skills and I suspect that their drivers must drug test, which eliminates a huge percentage of the population from qualifying for the job. The skills can be learned and it is quick and fairly cheap to get a commercial driver's license. So the whiners who complain that they can't get a decent paying job should be able to get qualified for this one. $110,000 a year is decent money, no matter where you live.
Not to mention.. Can you imagine driving one of those trucks through an area like the DC Beltway in rush hour or NYC or LA traffic?
That probably has to take a couple of years off someone's life right there from stress. Or running into a snowstorm in the mountains. Massive thunderstorm cell in the midwest...
And, of course, the constant thought that if you screw up, you could kill someone. Finding places to sleep at night. Some states are pretty pissy about where truckers can park for the night. Though walmart is generally pretty lenient about allowing their parking lots to be used.
It just shows that people are getting paid for what they are worth to the company, even at Walmart. The few cashiers left are average $13/hour starting, and most have been replaced by self-check systems. Without truckers to deliver products to the stores, they would go out of business. They are actually closing one in nearby Bellevue, WA but due to poor sales performance. Perhaps a city with median income $130,000 is not the best place for them.
My household earns more than that, and we do a lot of grocery shopping at Walmart via curbside pickup. We are busy with 2 careers and a toddler, and Walmart's superior app and curbside delivery is very convenient for us.
I highly doubt that these truckers are only driving 40 hours a week. In addition to driving, time away from home, loading/offloading, etc. It's a rough job, and certainly is not for everyone.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MechAndy
Is that income based on a 40 hour week?
CDL rules...(basic, a few exemptions exist, but not on a regular basis (Unless you are hauling livestock))
MAXIMUM!
11 hrs / day
60 hrs in 6 days
70 hrs in 7 days
Walmart is pretty good pay for a driver. (And quite strict in performance expectations).
Nice thing about Walmart drivers... they don't have to strap down loads, wait for dispatch, unload their cargo, they get vacations / substitutes (sick leave), and they have a very supportive infrastructure (Plus free educational assistance for when you are no longer able to perform / endure well as a driver)
Owner - operators can make more, but are taking on a LOT more risk (financial, liability, missed loads, mechanical issues with truck, no worker comp (and high likelihood of work related injury)).
Walmart is quite a good job for a driver to just be able to show up and drive! (well maintained and modern equipment)
I used to make very good pay by taking loads in quite adverse weather / road conditions and on a difficult schedule. Walmart drivers are not subject to such abuse, roads get closed much earlier now and dispatch is not going to insist that you bypass the road barriers, or find another route (on your own time). Or PAY for your late loads (spoiled Reefer cargo).
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