What is better Dry Van or Reefer?

Dry van, reefer is more hassle for the same pay.

 

Well, I have news for you. If you think the scraggly, possibly illegal immigrant, lumper takes home that 300 you give him to unload, you need to think again. THINK. 300 to unload a wagon in maybe 4 hours. One could unload 3 of those in 12 hours and take home, tax free, 1200? For one day? Nope. It ain't happening. That's not how it works. Lumpers at any dock have to give most of what they get to that dock, which uses it to reduce its transportation costs. Think about how much that is per year for each dock. Thousands of trucks, each paying 300 a pop to get unloaded, each lumper having his pocket picked for 80% of that. It's enough for each dock to pay its management and probably electricity bill for a YEAR. If one could take home 300 a load there would be well dressed white folk huffing that freight for you, and I might actually be one of them lumping that freight. Am I the only one who sees this scam?

 

You spend about 20-30 hours a week in docks versus about 10 with dry van. You can get about $200 to $300 more per week for that. Depending upon how that falls that's $10-$30 more per hour straight time. That's on top of the same 60 you put in with dry van. So that would be double time hourly so you're getting the equivalent of $5-$15 per hour for that additional time.

So it comes down to do you view time in the dock as money for nothing, get your checks for free.

 

Next time you guys who run reefer go to a grocery warehouse, ask out loud to the manager, so that all around can hear "So how much of that lumper fee gets kicked back to the dock? How much do YOU guys get of it?" Watch the dirty looks come your way. Been there. Done it. Seen it.

 

First, I clearly stated that some lumper fees are seemingly high. Second, no #### the person unloading truck doesn't get full amount paid. Do you as a driver get the full amount paid by customer for every load you haul? It's a service based business, they have varying overhead costs like anyone else. I don't care who gets what, my company pays it and is ultimately reimbursed by customer. If you don't want to pay the lumper fee, do it yourself.

 

"First, I clearly stated that some lumper fees are seemingly high."

"Seemingly"? The lumper fees have always been way out of control. I remember in the mid 90s it was outrageous. 200 to unload a load, with breakdown. Now it's about 300. Your company may pay it, and they've had no problem doing that. But some drivers have no choice but to pay the lumper fee themselves or unload it...or drive off like I would do if limited to those two choices. I'm talking O/Os here. No doubt O/Os definitely get ripped by the lumper scam. They have to pay their own lumper fees, so they mostly do it themselves. But if they choose to unload it themselves, the docks punish them by making them wait to get unloaded and / or by making them use a sweat jack instead of an electric jack. This just because they don't play the docks' lumper game and allow their pockets to be picked. Play the lumper game, allow yourself to get scammed by the docks, or get punished. Those are the O/Os' choices.

 

Why are you not negotiating lumper fee with brokers?

 

You know brokers lie, right?

 

Drivers lie too. You know.

 

If you are looking to sit at a dock for 8 hours, both will provide you what you are looking for. If you want to drive and actually work for a living, take a look at the flat deck industry. You arrive at a customer with them nagging you to hurry up and get your straps off, they have 14 customers waiting for what is on your trailer and they are sending everyone over to help unload.