Walmart Inc. said Thursday that it is expanding the truck driver training program it started last year to include more company employees.
Walmart's Associate-to-Driver pilot program gave supply chain employees in some parts of the country a chance to earn their commercial driver's licenses in 12 weeks and step into a job driving for the company's private truck fleet.
Walmart said it will extend the opportunity to workers in its stores, distribution and fulfillment centers, and transportation offices within a 50-mile radius of a participating transportation office.
Walmart drivers can make up to $110,000 in their first year plus benefits, the company said. And the earnings can go up for Walmart drivers who have been with the company even longer.
The Associate-to-Driver pilot aims to build up a pipeline of drivers in the midst of a longtime truck driver shortage. According to the American Trucking Association, the trucking industry will see a driver shortfall of 160,000 by 2030.