For Ronnie Suggs, an Iraq War veteran, his new job as a truck driver for Walmart is more than just a career move: it has changed his entire life.
Just a few years ago, the 53-year-old from Bentonville, Arkansas, was homeless after falling into “really hard times.” But today he’s preparing for his first assignment as a Walmart driver — with the potential to earn a six-figure salary in his first year.
Suggs, who has two adult daughters, is one of dozens of recent graduates from Walmart’s driver program. The retailer – the world’s largest private employer – opened it to company-wide staff last year as America struggled with a chronic shortage in the transportation sector.
The arrangement made headlines for its lucrative first-year salary of up to $110,000 — about double the national average — and drew dozens of applications from employees like Suggs.
“It’s amazing,” said Suggs, who was in the National Guard from 1989 to 2011. ‘It’s great to know, to have found what I have in me. My inner strength to overcome what I have overcome – and the confidence it has given me.”
Ronnie Suggs, 53, is an Iraq war veteran who got into trouble in 2016 and became homeless. Now he is a newly graduated truck driver at Walmart and will earn up to $110,000 in his first year
Suggs, who has two adult daughters, is one of dozens of recent graduates from Walmart’s driver program. “I’m starting over and for me to come in and have this life-changing event and that life-changing competitive pay is literally going to change my whole life,” he said
Ashley Milacek joined Walmart in 2014 and has served in associate and management positions. Now, after completing her first delivery job on Thursday, she’s paving the way for other women looking to break into the male-dominated transportation industry
Before getting into the driver scheme, Suggs worked at a Walmart distribution center. He had initially joined Walmart in 2013, after his military service, but had to leave in 2016 after falling on hard times and being homeless for about six months. He returned to the company in 2019.
Moving into trucking – one of America’s most respected jobs – is also about continuing its service to the country.
“It’s going to be exciting and I’m going to meet a lot of people, I’m going to see a lot of places… To be able to do what I do and to serve the community, serve the country, you know, get our stuff where it needs to go ,’ he added.
Another recently inducted Walmart driver, Ashley Milacek, took advantage of Walmart’s associate-to-driver program while working at a store at night. She joined the company in 2014 and has served in both associate and management roles over the years.
Now, after completing her first delivery job on Thursday, she’s paving the way for other women looking to break into the male-dominated transportation industry.
“I just didn’t realize the impact of being a female driver until I got into it, and then I saw there really aren’t that many,” says Ashley, 35, of Sanger, Texas.
“And I think you know, taking that opportunity and actually putting it into action and doing it speaks volumes, and I really want to represent other women who want to do it.”
She added, “There are more women who are interested in it. They just didn’t feel really safe, I think, like I did in the beginning, but you know, the more the company engages with you and you learn, the more you actually feel safe with it.”
Drivers like Suggs and Milacek travel more than 300 miles a day — and about 120,000 miles a year — delivering to nearly 11,000 stores across America.
Ashley Milacek took advantage of Walmart’s associate-to-driver program while working at a store at night. She joined the company in 2014 and has served in both associate and management roles over the years.
Drivers like Suggs and Milacek travel more than 300 miles a day — and possibly more than 120,000 miles a year — delivering to nearly 11,000 stores across America
Ronnie Suggs celebrates his role as a Walmart truck driver, marking a new chapter in his life
Milacek said it was “amazing” to become a truck driver, one of the most respected jobs in America, adding: “Just sitting in the driver’s seat allowed me to feel the magnitude of the responsibility”
Those who participate in the associate-to-driver program complete 12 weeks of training to earn their commercial driver’s license – and the iconic white shirt worn by Walmart’s drivers.
“It’s just not something the average person thinks for themselves, you know, grabbing a 70-foot 80,000-pound vehicle away. It’s just not something you envision yourself,” Suggs added.
Walmart has a very competitive salary. And for me, you know, I’m actually starting over and for me to come in and have this life-changing event and that life-changing competitive pay is literally going to change my whole life.”
Milacek said, “It’s amazing… Today we woke up super early, and, you know, seeing the sunrise, the country, it was really beautiful.
“But not only that, I think it’s phenomenal because the first time I ever just, you know, just sat in the driver’s seat, I could feel the magnitude of the responsibility.”
Milacek, the first truck driver in her family, also said the breakthrough salary will make a huge difference. “It’s really important to me to make sure the rest of my family is, you know, comfortable and taking care of them as well,” she said.