$$$ Truckers,  Lumpers  &  Food Supply Safety  $$$
 

Sunday, December 19, 2004 Posted: 12:05 PM CST

After listening to the departing Secretary of Health & Human Services Tommy Thompson the other day who said, " [he] couldn't understand why terrorists hadn't attacked the nation's food supply because it is so easy to do so.",  I decided to write this article.

It is the view of The Trucker's Report™  that Tommy Thompson is correct.  He stated that a lot of our food is imported from the middle east as a reason for such an assessment.  We have a different view we would like to run across you. 

There has always been and will continue to be a grave problem in the trucking industry in regards to the handling of food products.  Of course,  the main culprit of this problem is greed,  big money,  and employee tax laws.  When a trucker gets a load of food product it usually goes to a grocery warehouse and the driver is forced to unload,  sort  &  segregate the food products in able to fit in the warehouses racks.

It does not matter if the driver has driven 600 miles to get there and would like to rest,  he/she will unload or be damned.  This is the policy of MOST every grocery warehouse.  There IS one other alternative to this which they call "lumpers".  Lumpers are people who most usually are not on anybody's payroll and are "outside" the reach of the government when it comes to paying taxes, etc. 

Here Lies The Problem...

1  IF the driver gets a lumper,  often times the lumpers are paid double or triple what the trucker get paid to unload.  i.e. lumper pay:  $120   driver pay:  $40 

Why,  you ask?  It is due to the fact that lumpers are NOT on the payroll of either the trucking company or the grocery warehouse so neither company has to pay employee taxes,  worker's comp or social security taxes on that lumper.  Basically they are getting paid "under the table".  Saves them big $$$.

2  Truckers that are tired and disgruntled with NO RIGHTS who decide not to hire a lumper are unloading your food. 

3  Lumpers, who are accountable to no one,  can come in right off the street and get a few hour job handling your food.  These lumpers have, usually, had NO background checks or any sort of employment screening whatsoever.  Feel safe now?

What Does This Have To Do With Food Supply Safety?

Good question!  Do you trust an unaccountable "man off the street" touching your food? If I showed up at your house today and started rummaging through your pantry would you trust me?  Sounds stupid but their is NO difference with what is going on that you do NOT know about right now! 

There are MANY decent truck drivers out there BUT have you seen some of them that are NOT?  Would you trust them handling your kids' food?  Should make you sit up and wonder at the very least.  I've literally seen some drivers that I would not want to handle my garbage let alone watching them sort my food! 

My opinion is that it's just a matter of time before a MAJOR food scare does happen due to these LAX rules in grocery warehouses.  The system is in dire need of an overhaul and better happen FAST or it will be too late for some.

What Can Be Done To Alleviate This "Disaster Waiting To Happen"? 

STOP letting truckers OR lumpers in grocery warehouses,  period!

Congress could pass a law that would EXEMPT truckers who are forced to unload at a grocery warehouse from ALL taxes, etc related to that particular unloading thereby giving him/her their just wages. 

Congress could pass a law EXEMPTING the food-handling warehouses from having to pay employee taxes when unloading food stuffs.  This would tighten up security as it would give the grocery warehouse and incentive to hire an "accountable" employee to perform this task. 

Congress could pass a law forcing grocery warehouses to unload the product themselves without the use of either the truckers OR the lumpers.  This would inevitably raise food prices without the exemptions in place for the food-handlers though.  This is why grocery warehouses will NOT do this UNLESS forced by the government.

Closing Thoughts...

Why is it that warehouses dealing in Chinese merchandise will not let a trucker into the building even to use the restroom citing "security concerns after 9-11" BUT forced to touch your food in the same instance?  Hmm,  food for thought...