Walmart is looking to add more truck drivers in the upcoming year as an industry-wide shortage continues to loom. And it's increasing their pay, too.

In addition to the more than 1,400 truck drivers hired in 2018, Walmart stated that "hundreds more are slated to join the fleet." Plus, starting in February, drivers will earn one cent extra per mile as well as additional pay for every arrival – adding up to roughly 89 cents per mile, or an average of $87,500 per year.

The median salary for a truck driver on a national, irregular route is over $53,000, according to a study last year by the American Trucking Associations .

Walmart attributes the increase in hiring to delivering more goods – same-store sales hit 3 percent last year, leading to an increased demand for transportation and truck drivers.

To be hired, new drivers will need to have 30 months of experience over the past three years and a good safety record.

A Walmart truck.

“We’re leaning heavily on the expertise of our Walmart road team and our certified driver trainers to grow our skilled fleet of professional drivers,” Lori Furnell, Walmart’s director of driver talent acquisition, said in a statement.

This move by Walmart comes at a time when companies are struggling to hire truckers, amid a nationwide shortage that has pushed up freight costs and subsequently increased retail prices.

Bob Costello, the chief economist of the American Trucking Associations, projected the industry could be short 175,000 drivers by 2026.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Walmart hiring hundreds more truck drivers – and it's paying nearly $90,000