Driving for Walmart delivers her dreams right home.
“My favorite thing about driving for Walmart is the good work-life balance,” shares Sheena Sweetwood, a Walmart driver out of Distribution Center 7015 in Ochelata, Oklahoma. “I get to have a little bit of a social life and pursue my hobbies versus with other companies where you're out on the road for weeks at a time.”
Sheena says Walmart offers schedules that are lifestyle-friendly. Some drivers work six days on with three days off. Others drive five days on, two days off, then five days on, and three days off. There are a lot of choices. She tends to drive at night. “I haul a lot of meat, produce, frozen and dairy,” she explains.
“My start time is about 9:00 p.m., and I work until my clock runs out.” By law and for safety, drivers may drive for 11 hours during a 14-hour shift but then must take 10 hours off-duty.
Investing in herself
“Being a Walmart driver has allowed me to meet a lot of my financial goals. Actually, I’ve crushed those goals,” Sheena says with a smile.
In fact, she’s been able to buy a home and invest in her favorite hobbies — boating and fishing. “I don't think I would've been able to do that anywhere else.”
When she’s not on the road, you’ll find Sheena on the water. “Out on the lake, you're getting away from everything. It's like a reset for your mind,” Sheena says. “I love fishing. Sometimes you catch a bigmouth bass; sometimes you don't.” Either way, the boat is her happy place.
A unique view of her world
Sheena refers to the windshield on her semi-truck as her office window. And it changes all the time.
“No day is the same driving a truck. Every day, you're learning something new,” she says.
“I think the best thing I've ever seen out of that office window is seeing the sun rising over Pike's Peak. Seeing that in the morning before the world starts moving — you can't put a price on that. It was just awesome.”
Freedom and opportunity
“I knew I could make something of myself here. Especially being a female driver, because there’s no bias. Female drivers who want to come to Walmart should not hesitate,” says Sheena.
Driving gives Sheena the freedom to work as hard as she wants. “I've had so much opportunity here. I’m able to be independent and provide for myself,” she continues. “The harder you work, the more you earn. That's the bottom line.”
Plus, the culture can’t be beat. “After a rough day, when I get back to the distribution center, they welcome you with open arms,” she says. “It's really heartfelt. They treat you like family. That's a big deal.”
Walmart: the ultimate end goal
Like many drivers, Sheena always wanted to be among the best of the best in Walmart’s Private Fleet.
“From day one, when I got my commercial driver’s license, Walmart was where I wanted to be. This is my end goal. This is where I'm going to retire,” Sheena shares.
