Profile For Juan R.

Do you return to the DC every night? Or do you have to stay at truck stops?

Upstate...

I think you are making a really good decision to try this out. The Johnstown NY DC is a Grocery DC managed almost entirely by Swift on the transportation side. You will be running both dry and reefer store and Sam's loads, typically 2-3 stops (last stop is typically drop and hook) on a loaded dry van and up to 5 consolidated store stops on a reefer. Reefer deliveries are 100% live unload. About 50% of the time you will have a vendor backhaul to return with to the DC. I agree entirely with Nancy's assessment, nice people, tightly run operation, but be prepared to run Long Island and at times the surrounding suburbs of New York City. Totally different driving experience, store lots tend to be congested, older, and at times more difficult to dock. You will also cover Binghamton and Elmira. Running in the country is beautiful although hilly and circuitous. Unlike OTR, with Walmart you will rarely be waiting for a load. Be prepared to run hard, typical 12 - 13 hour days.

I think the recruiter got some of it right; 6 days per week, 1 day off per week (34 hour reset) is typically what they expect. It also pays $20 flat dispatch rate each time you take out a load. Advantageous when you are dispatched on a second load during your shift. They may also pay a safety CPM bonus for zero camera events.

The primary thing that differs between this and OTR; although Walmart freight is no-touch, the driver always supervises the live unloading process, especially important for consolidated reefer load where you have freight requiring different temperatures to keep it from spoiling (3-temperature zones). The driver is responsible for what is taken off the trailer by a store and what is returned (only in the case of a reefer load). Most of the time on a consolidated reefer load of 3-5 stops, pallets for different stores are intermixed and might may require temporary removal to clear access to another pallet located in the adjacent temperature zone. Each zone is isolated and sealed with a movable bulkhead on a track system, hoisted up, and out of the way with a friction-lock pulley system. There are two sets of bulkhead doors, 2 equally movable halves for each door. The paperwork includes an overhead trailer map displaying the position of each store's pallet in a specific zone. I use 5 different color markers to highlight an individual store's pallet. Matching the color to an individual store. This helps to keep track of and manage the unloading process.

Your overall goal is to return to the DC each day and start with a stopped clock. There is a small TS less than a mile from the DC that many Walmart drivers will use for their 10 hour break and only move once their load is ready. The only time you might be caught out-of-hours is for a longer, 4-5 stop reefer run or if you took out a second load. As a Walmart driver you are entitled to take your 10 at the majority of the stores and some of the Sam's Clubs. The trip-plan contained in paperwork will specify if it's a no-break store, of if allowed, where it's okay to park. Some of the stores in the more urban surroundings will have a noise ordinance specified on the trip plan.

I recently wrote a diary of a Day in the Life of a Walmart Dedicated Driver . This was recorded following a particularly satisfying day this past Labor Day weekend.

I enjoy running the Walmart account for a myriad of reasons. Although it's not for everyone, once you learn the account your income potential is way above average and usually void of many stress points typically associated with OTR.

Hope this helps. Good luck and be safe.