Meet Walmart’s newest ambassadors on and off the highway.
When Walmart drivers are told they made it to the Road Team, it’s an honor practically beyond words. “Words cannot explain the feeling I had when I was told I made the Road Team,” shares Mark Collins, a driver based out of Transportation Office (T.O.) 6848 in Opelousas, Louisiana.
For many, becoming a Road Team member is a goal from the very start of their Walmart driving career. Manny Lopez, who’s based in T.O. 6831, Buckeye, Arizona, says, “I saw the way they acted with all these new hires. I always told myself, you know what, one of these days I want to make it to that level.”
So, what’s all the fuss? The Road Team is an elite group of a few dozen drivers, picked from the thousands that work behind the wheels of big rigs for Walmart. They are drivers with decades of experience who have a proven commitment to safety, skill and mentorship.
They attend community, corporate and industry events. They also train and mentor other Walmart drivers, teaching safety courses and preparing them for driving competitions. Pitching in when disaster relief efforts are needed is another part of the role.
The Road Team recently announced its new members, and we got the scoop!
Mark Collins
T.O. 6848, Opelousas, Louisiana
Years driving: 28
Years with Walmart: 9
Safe miles: 500,000 with Walmart, 2.5 million in career
Mark says becoming a member of the Road Team has been a longtime goal. Soon after he joined Walmart, he met a Road Team member who wore a belt buckle from a truck driving championship. “I asked him about it, and he started telling me about how he was part of the Road Team and what it was,” Mark says. “And I told him, ‘You know what, I'm gonna get one of those belt buckles because I want to become a Road Team member like you.’”
Teaching is one of Mark’s passions — he was a high school teacher for several years and has been a certified driver trainer for about four and a half years — and he’s looking forward to using his new role to help other drivers become safer behind the wheel.
Warren “Doug” Cook
T.O. 6837, Hermiston, Oregon
Years driving: 32 years
Years with Walmart: 8
Safe driving miles: 700,000 with Walmart, more than 2 million in career
Doug says being a member of the Road Team means he’ll get more opportunities to help educate up-and-coming Walmart drivers as well as members of the public.
The Road Team wasn’t initially part of his plans, but as he got more involved in mentoring and training, the team started coming up more. “I'm really excited about it. But I'm a little bit nervous, too, because I think I'm gonna learn a lot real fast. Well, I'm ready. We're always learning more and more.”
Kim Wilson
T.O. 6892, Spring Valley, Illinois
Years driving: 29
Years with Walmart: 4
Safe driving miles: 404,818 safe driving miles with Walmart, 2.9 million in career
Kim says she first heard about the Road Team after joining Walmart, when her HR manager told her that her outgoing personality and dedication to safe transportation would be a good fit.
“I was taught how to drive a truck by my dad, so I've always had that person that I could lean on, someone that I could call if I got into a situation or something about trucking that I didn't understand,” Kim says. “I've always wanted to be that for someone else. People go to truck driver schools, and then once they're let go, they often don't have another resource.”
Kim, who is a mentor as well as certified driver trainer, says she’s particularly interested in encouraging young women who are entering the profession.
“Twenty-nine years ago, when I started driving a truck, females didn't have this opportunity,” Kim says. “So to now be placed on this platform, to show other women that the sky's the limit for us now in this industry — we're only limited by our ambition.”
Samuel Davis
T.O. 6823, Sutherland, Virginia, Samuel
Years driving: 32
Years with Walmart: 19
Safe driving miles: 1.5 million with Walmart, 3 million in career
Samuel says being on the Road Team will give him a chance to give back as well as set an example for others to follow. He’s already shown his skills as a coordinator at his office, working with the dispatch team and doing some safety manager and shop team tasks. He also volunteers at events with local schools and the Wheelchair Games.
“I'm excited about being on a public stage for Walmart. I've done it locally, but as far as being a part of a national format, I'm really excited about that part,” Samuel says. “I'm gratified to have an opportunity to share in this experience with Walmart. It is a great opportunity. I look forward to giving back and doing more things.”
Manny Lopez
T.O. 6831, Buckeye, Arizona
Years driving: 33
Years with Walmart: 7
Safe driving miles: 450,000 for Walmart
Manny says he was inspired to apply for the Road Team after seeing them work with new drivers and at events.
“It's an honor to be on the Road Team. Now that I'm on it, I represent all the drivers in the driver’s seat. When I meet other drivers, I get to say, this is what Walmart is all about: being a top-notch driver, being an ambassador on the highway.”
One thing he’d like to do in his new role is bring awareness to driver health issues.
“When new guys come in, I talk to them about their health and safety, because we spend so much time driving, we don't get a whole lot of exercise,” he says. “A simple walk around the building will help.”
Dewayne Magee
T.O. 6811, Brookhaven, Mississippi
Years driving: 28
Years with Walmart: 18
Safe driving miles: 1.7 million with Walmart, 3 million in career
Dewayne says becoming a member of the Road Team is something he’s been working toward for a while, but now that his kids are in college, the time was right for him to apply. He was already participating in a variety of activities and programs, including drivers’ education at high schools, cookouts for veterans, as well as mentoring other drivers and working as a certified driver-trainer.
He’s looking forward to providing support in other areas as a member of the Road Team.
“Being a member of the Road Team means that I'm able to better myself in order to help, whether it's in my Distribution Center (D.C.) or in other areas — and that's where you get more enjoyment a lot of times. It's not what you can do for yourself. It's actually what you can do to help somebody else,” Dewayne says. “Plus they're gonna be giving me training that I may not have seen, and that's something that I'll be able to bring back to my own D.C. So I may be able to do something more for the drivers at my own home terminal.”
Janis Frazier
T.O. 6866, Hopkinsville, Kentucky
Years driving: 20
Years with Walmart: 8
Safe driving miles: 500,000 with Walmart, 2 million in career
Janis says she’s looking forward to using her role on the Road Team to help those in need. When a tornado devastated her hometown of Mayfield, Kentucky, in December of 2021, Walmart offered Janis the opportunity to help in the relief effort. She worked side by side with some Road Team members for more than two weeks.
“I really saw how hard they work and the devotion that they have. I knew that was something that I could be involved in,” Janis says. “That's what it's all about to me — helping someone that is maybe not as fortunate as I am. And I feel like the Road Team, we get to represent Walmart. That’s what my passion is all about.”
Congrats to our newest ambassadors for representing Walmart and making us proud!
