Lumpers - are they needed

Discussion in 'Shippers & Receivers - Good or Bad' started by Aussie, Jul 18, 2006.

  1. hindsy

    hindsy Road Train Member

    1,489
    516
    Mar 23, 2010
    USA
    0
    ironpony- from a company standpoint it makes good sense. I'd love to get the chunk of change for it too, but who wants to out of work because you put your back out unloading. I'm sure I'll get enough activity when I hit the Flatbed division... lol
     
  2. Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.

  3. ironpony

    ironpony Road Train Member

    17,502
    12,015
    Sep 23, 2007
    Ask my GPS...
    0
    That's my point - who wants to chance getting hurt permanently when there's some schmuck willing to do the work at no cost to me?
     
  4. Powder Joints

    Powder Joints Subjective Prognosticator

    7,162
    6,731
    Sep 25, 2007
    Rosamond, SoCal
    0
    There are rules to everything. If you do not know how to lift, don't . If you don't how how to pull a heavy pallet, don't. It's true you can hurt your back or blow out your knee or elbow. You need to know how to warm up your muscle, in a cold warehouse this includes keeping them warm before and during strenuous exercise.

    You can learn how to handle weight at your local gym (which by the looks a the average driver would be the last person you would find here.) Like everything else you need to learn how to do what your attempting or you may hurt yourself.

    The biggest thing in unloading is think about what your doing before you do it, and never lift with your back, your back is not strong. Lift with your legs always. Legs and arms are for working, backs are not.

    Bottom line in 2001 (which was my last year in Refer # IWX) I made 73,000 as a driver and unload my own loads (Baby food & baby formula) I made an additional 9600.00 on 35 unload. There were loads that I was not able to do because the company already had arrangements with people who meet me at the receivers.
     
  5. slo-poke

    slo-poke Light Load Member

    76
    43
    May 27, 2010
    Polk City FL
    0
    When I pulled a Reefer I worked for a small company that was driver owned. I was able to lump my own loads I would ask what the fee was to have lumped then said no I will do it myself and made out a receipt to the company I worked for and made some good extra money. But I was lucky that the company would do this. Sometimes I would pass if it was a hard lump like the product was heavy and double stacked. Or I was just to tired. I also found that once in a while if I offered the lump unloading the trailer next to me a 20 he would get the top pallets to grown level for me. Just thought I would share this with some of you who do lump your own loads.
     
  6. vol1prophet

    vol1prophet Bobtail Member

    1
    0
    Jan 22, 2013
    0
    I work for a lumping service in CT and it is only 80 bucks for anything over 8 pallets and 25 bucks per dump pallet. Lumpers are needed for the drivers who dont want to pull off upwards to 60 pallets and pick up dump freight. Where I work some drivers do it themselves but they have a time limit of 2 hours to unload and break down. Lumping services are subcontracted out and have nothing to do with the companies receiving the goods. I have yet to see a driver want to unload a 53' truck with half of it dumped. Lets be real 90% of the drivers are big and would not make the 2 hour time limit. Also all products are different heights and blocks you also have to wrap and if called for enter a freezer with -20 degree temps. I see drivers with shorts and slippers. #### on lumpers all you want but you have no idea how physically demanding it is. It like going to the gym and working out for 6 hours straight, at the end of the day you are beat and all you can do is pass out. also the amount of pain you feel from back to the shoulders is never ending.
     
  7. Rug_Trucker

    Rug_Trucker Road Train Member

    3,335
    867
    Aug 7, 2009
    Near Nashville TN
    0
    I am a truck driver. Not a stock boy. Why do I need to break down pallets and get orders ready for distribution to their various stores? Get the crap off my truck so I can go haul another load. Break it down on the dock. Piggly Wiggly or whoever I deliver to needs to have salaried help to do this, it's a ripoff plain a simple.
     
    driverdriver and jbatmick Thank this.
  8. Caboose

    Caboose Bobtail Member

    3
    2
    Dec 2, 2012
    0
    ALEX - Anti-Lumpers EXperiment: A simple solution to Lumpers and all that's needed is a peaceful protest. Imagine if you will that you've filled up your shopping cart and you approach the cashier. They are expecting you to unload the cart and put stuff on the counter. You reach into your pocket and pull out a piece of paper that states: "I am a truck driver and I deliver to your stores and/or distribution centers. I'm expected to pay a lumper to unload my trailer, or unload it myself. My fee to unload a shopping cart is $20. If you choose not to pay this fee, I'll just leave this stuff here." Can you just imagine the look on their faces? After you've left their stuff in the cart and walked out, they find another piece of paper that states "Dear Store Manager, I'm part of a group of truck drivers that feel it's totally unprofessional for us to pay a lumper, or any fee to offload your product to this store or at a distribution center. You now have a choice of paying somebody to unload our trailers, or pay somebody to restock the items from cart. If you don't choose wisely, expect to find a lot of unattended and full shopping carts in your store."

    If enough of these ALEX's are done, I would expect things should change. It might take a while for management to wake up to this form of protesting, but you can only hit the snooze button so many times. They'll have to hire or pay the staff to unload all those shopping carts or have staff on the loading/receiving docks.
     
  9. Rug_Trucker

    Rug_Trucker Road Train Member

    3,335
    867
    Aug 7, 2009
    Near Nashville TN
    0
    First time I ran into a lumper situation I raised Hell with the receiver. I sent a message to Swift telling them I was not allowed to unload my trailer. On my dispatch it said "Unilever will not pay for lumpers." One of the managers freaked and asked who told me that I couldn't unload. I pointed him out and they both were apologizing. I got authorized to write a comcheck to the lumper. Of course that got held against my pay until I submitted the receipt with the lumper's allegeded social security number on it. If a lumper is required? I shouldn't do anything except sign the bill, or better yet? Let the receiver pay the bill!

    Anyone have a lumper walk off and help his buddies? How about receivers not signing for detention pay?

    If I had been an O/O? I would have demanded immediate unloading without them breaking it down. Or I would have called it refused delivery and pulled off the dock.
     
  10. ‘Olhand

    ‘Olhand Cantankerous Crusty

    6,295
    14,371
    Jan 18, 2011
    0
    Too tired to get into it all now but--lumpers were created by trucking companies--was a time that every warehouse unloaded there own--then the union in Chicago went on strike-- then the teamsters crossed their picket line--and thus the sad saga began--then when warehouses got tired of getting sued by bigger companies because their drivers got hurt--well do the math
     
    RAGE 18 and Rug_Trucker Thank this.
  11. RAGE 18

    RAGE 18 Road Train Member

    1,529
    941
    Jan 31, 2011
    GOLD£N☆STAT£
    0
    :biggrin_25518:Lumpers make my job easier and my company pays for them. If ur a o/o u know the cost has to get factored in. Lumpers are not all immigrants and this and that thats a bunch of crap. They also dont charge 250 a pop they go from 80 bucks to 250. They use electric pallet jacks and make us use crappy manual pallet jacks no thanks I will keep my back. Lumpers are my friends. I sleep while they work.
     
    Northeasterner Thanks this.
  • Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.