Comments By Turtle

Davy wrote:

Im very frequently at the Loveland CO DC.

I was poking around the web today and saw that Loveland in particular is really looking for more private fleet drivers. So much so that they're offering a $10k signing bonus.

In a similar move, the Pottsville, PA DC near me also recently offered a large bonus in a bid to shed itself of third-party dedicated carriers. It worked. Pottsville is now 100% Private Fleet.

Since this site has helped me from my start I'd give you a referral Turtle.

Well I appreciate that. Just know that was never my intention when sharing what I know.

Turtle, do you know what the Walmart policy is about sleep apnea and cpap machine usage?

Unfortunately, no. I've never dealt with sleep apnea directly. I'd imagine it's the same as with any company though. We have APUs and inverters to accommodate any special needs like that.

Also, before filling out the application, can someone talk to a recruiter? Or does Walmart even have recruiters like most companies?

I know of no way to contact a recruiter directly. Once an application is submitted, the recruiter will be contacting you. It's just a matter of when.

When I applied, the recruiter called me the following morning. But then the DC I applied to was experiencing a real driver shortage at the time. Other DCs are at or near driver capacity, so your results may vary.

Btw guys, congrats on making it far enough to even be able to consider this move. You're already head of the curve.

As I understand it you have to have 30 months of commercial driving experience before you can apply? Is that firm, or do they take other things into consideration as well?

Honestly, I'm not really sure. Most of me thinks they would be firm on that. But in a time where they really want to increase the fleet, I don't know if they would relax the requirement. They could possibly look at the entire body of your experience, including otr, training, clean license, etc. That said, I've yet to meet a Walmart driver that didn't have at least 30 months.

assuming it is 30 months of experience, what is counted towards that?

From the moment you passed your CDL exam and began training OTR.

So would I first be able to apply in November, December, or January?

You would be eligible in December, based on acquiring your CDL in june.

Final question (for now) is I hear we can use another Walmart driver as a reference when applying - can I use you for that purpose?

Normally, I don't seek out referral bonuses, lest I be seen as trying to lure new drivers to my company. However, you are an existing experienced driver simply looking to move on to better things. So I'd be happy to give you my info via email. Address is in my profile. I mean if they want to give the money to somebody, it may as well be me, right?

No, you can't enjoy the benefits of being an LLC and a company driver at the same time. It would be illegal for the company to treat you as a private contractor (LLC), avoiding employer payroll taxes if you are in fact doing company work in the company's equipment at the company's direction.

That was too easy. Here’s one that should be harder.

“… in the moonlight”.

Too easy. Walking After Midnight- Patsy Cline

"Forward", he cried from the rear, and the front rank died.'

In regard to user reviews, one thing I found is that some reviews are intentionally incorrect to misguide the reader. Like a review might say:

Don't park here! The place is disgusting, and the cops will ticket you!

In reality, this dude may just be trying to ensure himself a place to park by scaring you away.

Reviews are tough. Because some people are...well...what they are.

"Harmless fun" - no. It seems that many folks on here are willing to give the guy a pass because they agree with the dude's political stance. Writing FJB on someone's trailer is just childish.

Literally nobody gave the guy a pass. We all said it was wrong.

So where do you get that from?

Perhaps you could include a search filter, where a user's preference for hotels with truck parking would automatically be known via the filter settings.

Quick question on this:

"Hey Jimmy, find hotels near Bald Knob, Arkansas"

Simple as that. A live map loads onto the page with markers for each location and a list below the map with details about each location.

Will the user have to specify hotels "with truck parking", or will Jimmy automatically search for that keyword?

I'm essentially trying to perform this procedure on a literal skating rink. Could that be why I'm having such extreme difficulties doing this?

In short, yes.

During my cdl training I had the great fortune of lots of practice. I spent literally hours upon hours going through the various maneuvers, and I could park on a dime, (even a Canadian one).

On the day of my exam, there was a fresh two inches of snow and some freezing rain on the pad. It completely changed the way my trailer reacted, throwing my alley dock way off from what I had been used to.

Errol said:

If you are following "steps" as straightforward as 1, 2, 3, you will miss some important ques from the trailer.

100% true. The maneuvers I practiced were very 1,2,3, giving no thought to what the trailer was doing. That why it took no more than a changing variable to mess me up.

The practice pad is one place. Out on the road you will encounter many different variables that will dictate a change in your maneuvering. Pay attention to what your trailer is doing and take your cues from that.

Don't let it get into your head. Just remember that you are driving the trailer, not the other way around.