Walmart 1998 Annual Report Download - page 11

11
nity centers, all of which help cre-
ate jobs in the local community.
“Wal-Mart will accelerate its
aggressive strategy to identify uses
for once-occupied properties as it
plans a significant number of
store relocations in the future,”
said Jim Vawter, Director of Finan-
cial Management for Wal-Mart
Realty.
Regardless of whether it is
building or relocating, the realty
company’s most important goal,
like that of all other Wal-Mart divi-
sions and each Wal-Mart associate,
is to provide a solid return on
investment. The project must gen-
erate acceptable returns for our
company, or it won’t get off the
ground.
Carrying the load
Anywhere you travel along the
highways and byways of America,
it’s no surprise to see a tractor-trail-
er rig painted with the familiar blue
Wal-Mart logo. With 3,300 trucks,
Wal-Mart’s company-owned truck
fleet is among the nation’s largest –
with dispatch locations from Oregon
to New Hampshire to Florida to “all
over,” said Larry Duff, Vice
President of Transportation.
“We’re a pretty good-sized trans-
portation company in our own
right,” Duff said. “But we’re obvi-
ously in the retail business, a point
we continue to make clear.”
The Wal-Mart fleet logged 455
million miles last year as 3,800
drivers made more than 900,000
deliveries.
Just as impressive as these
statistics is the division’s safety
record. Last year, Wal-Mart drivers
averaged 1.2 million miles without
an accident, an enviable achieve-
ment for any transportation com-
pany. That means Wal-Mart dri-
vers’ safety record is far superior
when compared with the national
average.
Wal-Mart drivers are the epitome
of our company’s belief in giving
back to our communities. Our
drivers often help strangers along-
side the road by changing tires,
driving stranded motorists to service
stations or offering the use of cellular
telephones to call for help. In the
Wal-Mart tradition of voluntarism
and community service, our drivers
help out because they want to, not
because they have to.
We recognize drivers’ good
deeds with the “Good Sam” award.
The award, a ballcap with a halo
around it, has a double meaning:
It honors our founder, Mr. Sam,
and our “Good Samaritans” of the
roadways as well.
Wal-Mart hires only experienced
drivers, with at least 300,000
accident-free miles and no major
traffic violations. In trucking
industry terms, Wal-Mart offers a
premium driving job, which allows
drivers to be home frequently and
does not require them to load and
unload trucks.
The truck fleet is the visible link
between stores and a critical distri-
bution network. Combined, these
are the associates who ensure that
every item in our stores arrives in
good shape and on time, which
provides Wal-Mart with a compet-
itive advantage in delivering mer-
chandise to our customers.
Pictured at left, 18-wheelers stand ready at the Wal-Mart Distribution Center in Ottawa, KS. Above, Wal-Mart
Realty’s marketing led to the reuse of a closed SAM’S Club building (inset) as this Florida Mercedes dealership.
Wal-Mart to the moon and back
Wal-Mart trucks traveled 455 million miles (in the U.S.) in 1997.
At a distance of 238,857 miles from the earth to the moon,
Wal-Mart drivers could have gone from the earth to the moon --
and back! -- 952 and a half times.