"Lumper Only" facility?

Here is what I still don't get about contracted lumper services. They inflate the price and it gets passed all the way back up the line and built into the cost of the product. Lumpers got their start when you had guys hanging around that would unload your trailer. Then it got organized, then unionized, etc.

Now when you look at how Walmart does it, they have independent company so to keep these people off Walmarts workers comp and unemployment. This keeps costs down AND they don't allow the costs to be inflated.

Frankly, feels like too many people in corporate are not pushing the issue and allowing "because we have always done it this way" to just go unchallenged.

On allowing to lump your own stuff, surprised more companies are not putting insurance and pre-screened requirements in place. These warehouses get sued monthly for injuries from drivers.

 

Main reason i do not mess with vans or reefers. The whole idea that you have to pay some one to unload your trailer and o/o's and companys let it happens amazes me. My freind tells me some of the prices he pays to lumpers and its insane. $250. to $300 for a trailer load, crazy.

 

And to think I used to pay $75 to get floor loads of watermelons off.

 

I haul reefer, dedicated account, same product, same vendors all the time. Most don't quibble if we want to unload, except for Cargill in Swedesboro NJ and Sysco in Warners NY. Neither will allow us to unload, regardless of whether we have our own jack or not. Unless my dispatcher is really in a bind, I refuse to go either place. Yeah, the company pays for the lumpers...I just get irritated at their attitudes. I get paid to unload, and for them to refuse me is me losing money. I don't appreciate losing money.

Something tells me I'll be hauling bulk or flat/step this time next year :-/

 

Please do tell me. What are the requirements to be legally entitled to reach into your pocket? I'm always looking for a financial edge, are there forms to fill out? Where do I find them....etc, etc..

 

Stupid Value did the insurance requirement thing. They made the requirement so high that nobody could comply really. OOIDA sued them, Stupid Value lost. I have no facts to back this up, but I believe due to that lawsuit nobody really wants to try again. I mean in this day and age with all the sue happy lawyers. What type of insurance requirements will anybody actually agree on?

 

I've never really had too many problems with this. I just hate lumpiing and they won't tel you a price before the work is doner. That I don';t stand for. Most of the places will offer some form of a jack that is all beat up for your to use. Aldi allows you to use electric power jacks. Now that is awesome!! I usually rearrange my whole load on aldis dock. Good people in my book.

 

Was at a Dollar General dist. The other day and they had a sign lumper only facility and only gave price after unloaded. Strange price too, $136. Maybe they figure it doesn't look fishy with an oddball number.

 

At the grocery warehouse in Stevens point, WI, Roundys I believe is the name. I had 15 pallets, they wanted $412 to unload 15 pallets!!!

Company pays for it but I was like dang, wtf? There if you want to lump your own load you had to have like 2 million of some type of insurance and a bunch of other insurance requirements.

Correct me if the amount is wrong, but they wouldn't let me lump it since they said our company didn't have enough insurance or something.