More Than Miles: Meet the Women Driving Walmart’s Alaska Route

More than 5,000 miles from Washington to Anchorage. Snowstorms. Wildlife. Darkness. Ice and minus 40 to rain on top of frozen roads, and two women who keep choosing it.

This Women’s History Month, we are spotlighting Michelle Salikie and Leslie Scott, Walmart fleet drivers running one of the toughest routes in the company. Many drivers do not even realize an Alaska route exists. Michelle had been running it for years. When her longtime partner retired, Leslie was the only other female driver who signed up to take it on. She did not hesitate.

For Leslie, trucking has always represented independence. A childhood dream turned career move once her kids were grown. And Alaska? That was the leap that changed everything!

Driving this route is not just about handling extreme winter weather. It is about trust. Michelle says she sleeps better in the truck with Leslie driving than she does at home. That kind of confidence does not happen overnight.

Leslie packs a travel guitar and a mandolin in the truck and even taught herself to play spoons, to pass the time Michelle listens to audiobooks and the news while driving. Small rituals. Big miles. It is proof that even on one of the toughest routes Walmart operates.

The Alaska route throws everything at them. Ice. Melt. Rain. Darkness. But it also offers something rare in trucking. More balance. More time at home. A rhythm that works.

And when asked about big life decisions, Leslie’s advice is simple: “If it scares you, do it.”

That mindset carried her all the way to Alaska.

This is more than a trucking story. It is a Women’s History Month story about courage, partnership, and choosing the road because it leads somewhere better.

Walmart Radio Podcast

Hit play on the Walmart Radio Podcast above and hear the full story from the road. Trust me. You are going to want to ride along!