The real truth about lumper fees.


  1. dasilva

    dasilva Bobtail Member

    Jan 19, 2007
    I work as a yard jockey for burris refrigirated logistics in milford De and i have to say that this is one of the biggest scam in the trucking industry. The guys who unload these trucks are my coworkers and they do not work for an outside company.However burris charges the drivers or o/os about $150 to unload the trucks using electic pallet jacks in 30 munites. We get about 100 trucks a night x6 times a week=$90000. That pays the laborers etc. Basically this pays for everything in the recieving department. What an easy way to make money.
    KB3MMX Thanks this.
  2. Tip

    Tip Tipster

    Mar 18, 2006
    When you pay a lumper 150, 200, 250, even 300 bones to unload, know that person doesn't take it all home with him. Hell no. Lumpers will take AT MOST 25&#37; out the front gate. This is why you'll see people who look like they just stepped out of a garbage dump working as lumpers although they're getting outrageous money to unload wagons for only a few hours' work. And, of course, most of these are from south of the US-Mexican border. Dare I say most are illegals?

    When you fork over your next 200 bucks to a lumper, he will unload your freight, and after he finishes up with you, you will head on down the road. Know that very soon after you pull out from that dock and have disappeared into the distance, said lumper will be meeting with the white boys in the office getting his pockets picked. Yeap--he has to pay the dock a kickback, a jack that isn't taxed by the government. And on a 200-dollar unload fee, he MIGHT take home 50 of it.

    I guess I don't have to tell you to NEVER NEVER pay for a lumper out of your own pocket.....unless you enjoy subsidizing the rich white boys (well, they're richer than YOU) who are working in the offices wearing starched shirts and ties.

    If a person COULD take home 200 greenbacks for a mere 3-4 hours manual labor, there'd be no brain surgeons, lawyers, or scientists in the economy. This is because those guys would have left all that behind for the REAL money--lumpin' freight at 800-1200 bucks per DAY tax free. When was the last time you saw a "pretty boy" from the US unloading freight? Those pretty faces aren't there because that 800-1200 a day isn't there.

    If you are an O/O, know that if you don't hire a lumper and pay his outrageous price, the dock will not get its cut of the pie on that load. Is it any surprise you O/Os are forced to wait at those docks for hours on end when you DIY on unloads? Call it your punishment for not playing the lumper game, gentlemen.
    KB3MMX Thanks this.
  3. Libertarian500

    Libertarian500 Light Load Member

    Jun 24, 2007
    Utah, for now
    It's not just "Rich White Boys" who do this, you know. In fact, most of the time when it's an illegal who's unloading your truck, most of the money is going to the person who will actually cash the check (generally a legal Mexican, I've noticed).

    Of course, it's not politically correct to say that Mexicans are stealing from mexicans, but it's perfectly fine to say "Rich White Boys" are to blame for stuff.
  4. 9ball

    9ball Bobtail Member

    Jul 18, 2007
    st louis,MO

    you sound like a racist.
    why is it always "rich white boys"?
    i've seen plenty of other races working in those offices-- blacks, latinos, ect...
    im white-- where are all of us "white boys" supposed to go sign up for our cushy office jobs where we just take everyones money and hold them down? please someone lety me know so i can get out of my truck for good!--lol
  5. Road Dog

    Road Dog Medium Load Member

    Aug 1, 2006
    One of the biggest ripoffs ion the truckin industry.I handled it pretty good a couple of times. In Boise ID. the gaurd told me my load was a driver unload, I told her OK, but to figure it would take me about 2 days to unload it.She made a phone call and told me to back into dock no.?. They unloaded me in about an hour, with no lumper charge. In a grocery warehouse they took the loaded pallets off of my truck then told me I had to put the boxes on their pallets. This was about 4:30 PM, and they were getting ready to close. I tiold them Ok but it will take about 4 hrs. I was then told I would have to do it the next morning. I told them that wont work cause I had another load to pick up before midnight. They all looked at each other and no one wanted to stay there while I moved the boxes. So they signed my bills and said to forget about it they would do it in the morning. Course I have been stung on the lumper situation many times,and thank God I never had to pay out of my pocket.
  6. dancnoone

    dancnoone "Village Idiot"

    May 6, 2007
    My favorite "trick". Was to show up at the warehouse with the reefer fuel gauge bouncing on the big E.

    It never saved me any money, but it sure got me in the docks faster :)

    I always hated the SOB's that checked your fuel levels at check in.... you always knew you were about to take one up the ......
    KB3MMX and I am medicineman Thank this.
  7. Pur48Ted

    Pur48Ted Road Train Member

    Jun 14, 2006
    Grand Rapids, MI
    Thankfully, I now work for a Carrier that FORBIDS the drivers to LOAD/UNLOAD, count, break-down, supervise or even physically be on the dock during the Loading/Unloading process. If there are any questions; I just show them my Driver's Handbook. If there are any "Lumper Fee's" these are paid by the broker, if we are hauling Brokered Freight.

    Drivers are paid to DRIVE, not to unload crap that stocks the shelves at your local Walmart.
    KB3MMX and I am medicineman Thank this.
  8. FozzyNOK

    FozzyNOK Road Train Member

    Jul 18, 2007
    All of this could have been avoided if the lazy truck drivers would unload their own freight, it would also cut down on the 450lb lard butts out there who are incapable of doing the job they signed on to do. This is just like the insurance and medical scams. These drivers stopped unloading and caring what it costs because they feel it does not matter how much the lumper fees are... Now the fees are just NUTS! I would always unload my own freight and collect the money ($40-$75 per load) myself and it kept me a lot healthier and wealthier and didn't hurt one bit. Was it always a lot of giggles? No. Did it mean that the company made more off of the load? Sure.
    Ffx95 Thanks this.
  9. MACK E-6

    MACK E-6 Moderator Staff Member

    Sep 19, 2005
    Baltimore, MD
    I don't have a problem unloading the truck. Okay, gimme a pallet jack and I'll get it done.

    But I draw the line at sort-and-segregate, since I feel that is very much NOT my problem. And somehow I feel that you and the group of people you just insulted feel the same way.
    KB3MMX, Sipesh, Bo Hunt and 2 others Thank this.
  10. FozzyNOK

    FozzyNOK Road Train Member

    Jul 18, 2007
    In every life a little rain must fall... Sort and segregate is part of the process, even the worst loads you can get done (if you have even a slight clue) done in less than three hours. At even $50 a load (most pay more) thats over $16.00 an hour. At $60 per load, thats $20.00 an hour and at $75 its $25 an hour. So instead of paying a driver and the driver accepting the FREE money at this rate, they just force the company to cough up $150.00 - $300.00 to unload a truck? I've seen plenty of drivers who were too uppity to break down one layer of product or even throw pallets for a slipsheet load. It's all just wasted money and laziness.
    Jhustle76 and Powder Joints Thank this.
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