***the Lumper Scam***

The Lumper Mafia rules the docks....especially in the food service industry

 

Bugger it! I've worked on docks before, unloading trucks for $8/hr. I didn't get $250 or $300 to unload a truck. $8/hr. and that's it. And I was expected to get the trucks unloaded right quick. None of this standing around with my thumb up my butt crap. Then I get a job driving last year (didn't last, sigh), delivery to a grocery warehouse, and get told by some pimply faced kid barely out of high school that he needs $375 to unload my truck. I agree (like I had a choice, no driver's permitted on the dock), then 10, (bleep)ing 10 God (bleep)ing hours for Tweedledumb(bleep) to get his sorry (bleep) to my truck. I was next on his schedule, hooray. Further, it took the lazy (bleep) an additional 3 hours to fork unload a truck I could have done in 90 minutes by HAND. (Bleep) lumpers!

 

Okay, here is my story....

I had a load with 2 stops. first stop charged me $80 for lumper, i could pay cash. I sent in a qualcomm message asking for lumper pay. it was put on my fuel card and i paid cash, got a receipt. next stop charged $260, and they'd only accept comcheck. Sent in same qualcomm msg for lumper payment, and it was loaded on my card. once i registered the check, the funds came off the card. (i have USB internet, and was logged into my account and saw it added, then deducted) a full 2-3 weeks later, when i had a paycheck where i grossed $900+ then notice i only took home just over $300....i then looked down at deductions. THEY ACTUALLY CHARGED ME $340 FOR "LUMPER FEE" !! I about went thru the sleeper. I asked why would this get deducted when i turned in receipts with tax ID numbers and the P.O. number sent to me over the QC when the company authorized it....not to mention why i got deducted weeks after the load was finished. It took a full 4-5 weeks to get my money back.

I'm still dumbfounded why they'd charge me twice for it. When i turned in the trip paperwork, and the receipts with the P.O. numbers and everything else.....it was a wash, we were all squared up.

And i agree with a previous poster. The company will pay me $100 to unload the truck, or $250 to have some illegal (maybe) to unload it. But there are times where I was offered to unload it, and i refused. Then i ended up sitting at the dock for 3 hrs for them to unload 5 pallets. My problem with unloading is this. You'd let the driver unload the trailer, ok thats fine. But you (the cosignee) are still responsible for checking the product in. If you want me to unload it, thats fine, i'll unload it. But when it comes to breaking it down (if needed) then thats your job. Kinda like when i go into a shipper with an MT trailer, and they want me to back it into a dock, drop it then go pick up my loaded trailer.....sorry, thats what you got yard dogs for. I dont get paid any extra to do someone elses job....so my MT trailer goes in the MT trailer row. (now if i am in a good mood, ill do it, but normally i dont)

 

back in 1984 I drove a company truck and it was slow 55 miles pr hour . I payed for the lumpers back then the same was true then too. If you tried to unload it yourself or hired your own lumper well it could keep you at the receivers until they wanted to let you go. unless you have a good way to change things I don't see any way for things to change. Just pay your dues and keep on trucking. fight the battles you can win and let the rest go.
God bless you young drivers and help you to roll with the punches.
Oh yes the very worst receiver ever in my trucking Carrier was HEB!!

 

Once was enough for me, I ended up at 2 different doors. Lumpers at both doors.

 

The idea is a good one, but after you have driven to deliver that HOT HOT load and get out of hours and energy,Then unload a lot of freight, heavy or not it is energy that is not there.The word bone tired describes it.
Personally I don't or should I say won't unload if I can get out of it. Most of the places that the lumper is most needed is when the receiver won't let any truckers on his dock! so I had to hire his lumper's!!! not my freight not my money to pay for the lumper's so I just let the company pay for the stuff and crawl up in the sleeper and try to rest. alto I like a lot of drivers have unloaded my share of freight. Not my favorite part of trucking but a necessity sometimes.

 

My freight unloads the same way it loads
By You on your time Not Mine!

 

That made me think of a delivery I did once to some rat hole in Milwaukee that consisted of like 7,000 cases. Most of them very tiny little boxes with barely decipherable numbering and in most instances only a handful of numerically similar items. Every item on it's own 48x40 GRADE A GMA pallet. I wound up with something like 250 pallets or some such nonsense. No lumper service available; I'd driven all night and most of the day before--arrived on time with a bit to spare--though to call it legal was.... er... more than a lie. Oh yeah... I had a raging sinus infection that had spread to my eyes and affected my equilibrium in some very interesting ways as well. But according to the refrigerated company I worked for, we had no choice since they did not allow lumpers on their property for any reason. I was there a little while.

I never went back and refused a couple of loads going in there later on.