Lumpers - are they needed

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

  1. MrEd

    MrEd Road Train Member

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    Oh, and I forgot that a reefer driver should ensure proper temperatures in his trailer throughout the trip. And of course i skipped mentioning the stuff that all drivers are supposed to do, like vehicle inspections, fueling, and trip planning, etc.
     
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  3. Allow Me.

    Allow Me. Trucker Forum STAFF Staff Member

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    The product is NOT delivered until it's on the consignee's dock. Just like the sofa you buy and have it delivered is NOT delivered until it's in your living room. You don't go out to the delivery truck in front of your house and unload it, do you ? Same with the mailman, he delivers it to your mailbox. As does UPS/Fed-Ex.
     
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  4. JohnBoy

    JohnBoy Road Train Member

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    I agree with you except the last part. The mail box is for US mail, UPS, FedEx and the rest of them are not allowed to use the mail box. They bring it to the front door and either ring the bell for a signature or, like in my wifes case, have a signature card on file and they leave it on the porch at the door. But getting back to the subject at hand, you are right, it's not the consignees product until it's sitting on their dock.
     
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  5. Rug_Trucker

    Rug_Trucker Road Train Member

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    So you like humping your load off?
     
  6. CondoCruiser

    CondoCruiser The Legend

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    That could be looked at two different ways. :)
     
  7. stranger

    stranger Road Train Member

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    I believe as a transportation engineer, we are hired to drive from point A to point B. The shipper is responsibile for loading the trailer, and in my opinion, the receiver is responsible for getting their product off the trailer. I am a truck driver, not a truck loader/unloader, unless I am a local P&D driver. I feel if I drive sometimes over two thousand miles to deliver a product a certain company ordered, the have the responsibility to unload their product. I did my job, now it's time for a nap. Wake me up when you are through unloading.
     
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  8. ironpony

    ironpony Road Train Member

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    Now how did the "profanity filter" manage to miss this one??
     
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  9. charleydan

    charleydan Bobtail Member

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    I can see your a young'n because you know not history. When I got into this business in the sixties lumping was done by drivers and helped by people hanging around begging to be able to lump your load. The few docks that had lumpers. You had to use them if you wanted unloaded today and they were expensive. In those days, many of times I unloaded my truck and did two or three more, before leaving. Getting a penny a pound to stack the floor load on a pallet. Good money back then. Triple or more, that, if it was swinging meat. Then most did not pay taxes and simple paper was sufficient to show a bill. With new law in 1980 one started to have SS numbers to prove the bill.


    Like always there is greedy people who look for a way to cut a dime out of it. I can tell you many of lumper services owned by a CEO of the company or they get a gracious kick back to work there. Of course he is always looking for ways to coercive and force drivers to use it as it is beneficial to him. Anyhow there was a strike in the seventies that brought a law down in 1980 against being coerced or forced to use lumpers. It is getting more prevalent of the docks to use fancy moves trying to get it back. Here are a few, some claim you have to have x amount of insurance. Most truckers have the required rate here. You must be qualified on this dock to use equipment, osha such and such. No problem, where is the pallet jack? Some have no pallet jacks and charge you to get product off truck and you break down. Hmmmm, I tell them I will carry them off one by one and reasonable time is four or so hours. They usually change there mind when they find our your dead serious in doing so. They give you a broken pallet jack. I just ask for a good one and when they tell me that is all they have. I remind them that they are breaking osha law and liable for it. Yes, there are some that will tell you that you can not unload, but for those. I inform them that my lawyer will be in contact and yes, he does send them a letter that if it happens again he will be pressing charges which can be years in jail, huge fine and closure of the facility for so many days. That is usually sufficient to change there mind. That is the law. The list will never end. I find the majority of drivers complain, but few buck the system to change it. I have fought it in the sixties and will fight today the few immoral rip-off docks. Glad to say, it is a small majority of jerky wharehouse ###### that leave the rest with a bad reputation. It has improved in that most companies are reimbursed today for the lumper charges. Back when, they reimbursed to x amount and the trucking company got stuck with the rest. Almost always you can find some one (top CEO) getting a kick back. They talk of truckers cleaning up their reputation, LOL.
     
  10. stranger

    stranger Road Train Member

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    Ahhhh. The old days of turning onto the street the grocery warehouse is on, lumpers lined up on both sides, waving you down. I always loved it when two or three would gang up and cut each others rate. You pick one, they hop in the truck with you. You check in, then go to sleep. After unloading the guy brings your papers out signed, you take your lumper back out, pay him, and off you go. I've seen 30-40, or more lumpers working the streets, sometimes lined up as much as two blocks before the warehouse.
     
  11. ‘Olhand

    ‘Olhand Cantankerous Crusty

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    Thanx for the compliment--cause i still feel like a youngin--BUT--as for not knowin history--me thinks u r mistaken--i remember all too well lumoin my own--the lumpers hangin the street--and tructh be known--the same 2 winos I picked up in front of the Diner on Tiffany St on the way into the point--every SUnday morning---BUT--even in those days the grocery whse especially-receivers PUlled the product off trailer--How far do you wanna go back?
    So again to the original story--when in the heavy Union Northern Cities these were all either teamster or Longshormen jobs--and hte expecting drivers to also pull product off truck and do all the breakdown with only one receiver for god knows How many doors-first reared its ugly head when the teamsters went and crossed the picket lines at Dominicks in the 70's
    Less than a year later they did the same thing@ KEy Foods in Brooklyn and Walbaums in the Bronx--that was the start of the change--even in the old days--when almost everything I hauled was on the floor--and I was young and strong and did alomost all my own unloadin--I NEVER had to stack product on a pallet and use a broken hand jack to get it off--receivers always brought me a stack of palleetts--and I loaded one--then they came in w/forklift and took it away.
    Also don't forget--I cant think of ANYWHERE that makes you hire--you can still do it yourself--just cant use their equipment--the whole deal is BS as we both know--but it still stems from the receivers(companies)trying to cut costs and jobs........
    Besides if you go back to the days of regulation(when this all started)the only codicile by the Interstate Commerce Commision was:a driver was not to be expected to get it anyfurther than the tail gate of their unit--if more than that was required it was legal and permissable to charge the rec for this service--of course eliminating the ICC along with the rest of so called dergulation ended this.....Although the freight companies still have a line item on their bills for Inside Delivery--they just rarely get to charge it
     
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