Alexis Neville found her niche as a Walmart driver.
You might say trucking runs in Alexis Neville’s blood. Her father was a truck driver for many years. Alexis, a Walmart driver based out of Transportation Office 6836 in Palestine, Texas, got to know the industry through him.
“I grew up in a truck. I've known what a mile marker was since I was 4,” says Alexis, laughing.
Even so, Alexis didn’t know right away that she was going to be a driver. Instead, she got her start as a cashier at a Walmart in Grand Prairie, Texas, around 2007. She later moved to a position as support manager in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Then, an encounter at work inspired Alexis to shift gears.
Changing Lanes
One night at work, after helping her team unload several trucks, Alexis had a thought: What if I were to drive these instead?
So, she got her commercial driver's license (CDL) and a little experience under her belt. When she returned to Walmart about two years later, she was behind the wheel. She’s been driving with our private fleet for four years.
“It’s the best job in the world,” Alexis says. “You have a lot of fun driving for Walmart. And it's not just a job. It's like a family.”
Alexis says driving made sense for her. She had considered nursing, but she found she really loved to drive. “A lot of women have asked me how I like driving. And my response to them is always, ‘Do you like to travel? Do you like to go places, see different things, meet new people?’ And the answer is always, ‘Yeah, I love to travel.’ I say, ‘Well, why don't you get paid to do it?’”
“It's almost like the world is your home,” Alexis adds. “You're not just stuck in one city or one town. You can start your day in Texas and end it in Florida. And I love that.”
Opening Doors
In addition to driving, Alexis works at onboarding events and helps new drivers get acclimated.
“I was barely here a year before they asked me about being a mentor and helping out new drivers,” Alexis explains. “It's my personality. I get along with pretty much everybody. And it doesn't take much to help someone. Just listen to what it is that they're needing, and offer that assistance, find the resources that will help them accomplish their goals.”
Alexis believes getting a CDL opens a lot of doors. “If you find that over-the-road trucking isn't for you, you can still take that CDL and be a school bus driver, a local area transit bus driver, train driver, Greyhound driver,” she says.
“It's not like, say for instance, you go to school and get a degree in left-handed puppetry. That's all you can do—left-handed puppetry. But you go and get your CDL, you have so many options,” Alexis says.
