Being your own lumper?

First off you will not be allowed to use the motorized jacks the lumpers use. You will be forced to use the hand crank ones. 2nd you will have to break the pallets down. By this I mean there might only be 16 pallets on the truck but when you are finished breaking them down there might be as much as 40 depending on how it is loaded. Some places also limit your time holding a door. People do it all the time. You can even do it at some Walmart DCs. Just be aware if you have never done it before you might have a nightmare before you are done.

Edited to add. You don't leave the dock side. A person employed by the warehouse will count the load and then they will put it up.

 

And be sure to log it ON DUTY NOT DRIVING.

 

That's a hard one to answer lol. Most companies will pay you to lump your own freight but they usually pay a set amount. They'll pay a lumper $300 but pay you $50 so check what they are offering. You can write out a receipt and charge them but remember they probably send trucks into the receiver all the time so your receipt may draw attention.
Most places have a contract with the lumper service. You won't be able to use the motorized pallet jack but shouldn't be an issue using the hand jack. Now that becomes a problem when the freight is pinwheeled in there and you can't get it under the pallet. Waiting on one of their guys to bring a forklift in could take awhile and the lumper service isn't going to help.

 

Generally correct. However I have seen drivers self lumping using those hand jacks. 2 or 3 thousand pound pallets can be very difficult to get over some dock plates. Heck even some motorized jacks have a problem here. You do 16 to 20 pallets at that weight all the way from inside a trailer to a holding area it is a load. I have sit and watched drivers self lump. it is not easy. Your also right about the pay.

To be honest the reason I don't advise self lumping is it is too easy to pull a muscle or damage a back disk. I have seen drivers do this. My view on lumping is in the end the shipper is paying for it. Why not just get your comcheck code and go play a video game or watch a movie.

 

It depends on the breakdown. Some loads can be broken down easy. Some loads can't. There really is no hard and fast universal times, sorry there just is not any.

 

Take it from us older guys.
We were once young and full of piss and vinegar, too.
Lumping those 40k lb loads and making 24 pallets into 50 pallets after pulling them off with a hand jack will soon turn you into a beaten up, hurt, older guy.
Once you're hurt... it stays hurt.

Another thing is, some of these places tend to punish you for lumping your own loads.
Not giving you room.. not sending a checker.. not moving product out of your way..
I've seen it happen.

 

we have all had that bright idea once many moons ago. oh really you mean i could get the comcheck for $300 instead of joe blow lumper service. (company) thats right little susie cookie pants. (driver after 2 hours) what you mean its this high and turn this way. what you mean 1 case of toothpaste on just 1 pallet. what you mean i cant use those pallets. 8 hours later and you are sleepy and beat. me i paid the lumper on the companies dime and got 400 miles in my 8 hours since i unloading this am.

 

You will have to generate a receipt to get payed. The carrier will want the name and employer ID or SSN of the person receiving the money (you) so they can properly account for the expense to accounting and you can likely expect too receive a 1099 at the end of the year. Do what you want but if you pull up lame at some point, don't come crying to us about lost wages