Fleets see endgame for lumpers, the ‘last stronghold of dirty trucking’

[Mike]

Lamar Quinn doesn’t know exactly when motor carriers started paying receivers for unloading trailers, though he never encountered “lumper” services before the Motor Carrier Act of 1980 deregulated transportation pricing.

He anticipates that motor carriers will not be paying lumpers much longer, however.

Quinn, general manager of refrigerated truckload carrier R.E. Garrison, based in Vinemont, Alabama, (CCJ Top 250, No. 140), compares lumper services to “ransom schemes” that put carriers in the middle of haphazard transactions between receivers and shippers.

The owners of lumper services, he believes, are often friends or relatives of the managers at delivery locations. The perception is that workers are getting paid under the table and giving managers kickbacks, owing to the fact that many lumpers accept only cash or Express Codes from Comdata and similar payment systems.

Can fleets escape the ‘last stronghold of dirty trucking’?

Motor carriers are wondering when they will no longer be paying unloading fees. Is the endgame near? Read on for details

www.ccjdigital.com

 

[Mike]

I don't like this part of the industry, always felt like unloading or loading needed to be dealt with by the shipper or receiver, and cost needed to be worked out between shipper or receiver (or buyers, or whoever).

As a carrier today, I never have to pay this cost, though I might have to front the cost until I get reimbursed. Broker always deals with this, just so long as I clear it with the broker before agreeing to a lumper fee.

Larger carriers with more contract freight, especially refrigerated carriers, might be seeing this from an entirely different perspective, though.

 

[Duck]

UPS and FedEx remove your package from their truck and walk it up to your door.

But unloading trucks at a warehouse requires forklifts and a dock. OTR truckload carriers don't drive around with their own forklifts and docks.

But the warehouses have forklifts and docks. And employees who know how to use them.

So why the hell do they expect the carrier to unload the freight?

Also they have their own systems for how high they want stuff stacked on each pallet but they order more than can be hauled in a truck, per their specs, so the shippers stack it higher on each pallet rather than double stack heavy stuff that can collapse the product below it. So why do they expect it to be stacked to their ti/hi specs by the carrier?

It doesn't make any sense.

 

[Electric Chicken]

UPS and FedEx remove your package from their truck and walk it up to your door.

But unloading trucks at a warehouse requires forklifts and a dock. OTR truckload carriers don't drive around with their own forklifts and docks.

But the warehouses have forklifts and docks. And employees who know how to use them.

So why the hell do they expect the carrier to unload the freight?

Also they have their own systems for how high they want stuff stacked on each pallet but they order more than can be hauled in a truck, per their specs, so the shippers stack it higher on each pallet rather than double stack heavy stuff that can collapse the product below it. So why do they expect it to be stacked to their ti/hi specs by the carrier?

It doesn't make any sense.

It's all a racket.

 

[Duck]

It's all a racket.

I don't see how.

The receiver ends up paying the lumpers in the end.

The carrier or broker is going to add it to the rate.

 

[Rigjockey]

Sure carriers pay the up front costs of lumpers but the shippers pay for the lumper service in the end.
A DC wants 5000 units of whatevers, the cheapest way to ship it is on 24 Pallets on one single truck, But they don't want 24 pallets they need it broken down for individual stores and one store may want one pallet and another store only needs six units on a pallet.
NOW, how is this the driver or carriers problem? It's NOT!

The DC can unload all 24 pallets, release the truck and break them down on their own time, Lumpers or employees.
But they need to count it to ensure accuracy. Absolutely! The DC can unload and count it all after the truck has been released. OS&D can be handled by E-mail.
What is the point of holding up the truck and driver? If they are short 6 units is the driver supposed to pull them out of his ass?

Lumpers, counting and breaking down pallets while detaining the truck and driver is an antiquated system!

That's just my opinion and I got lots of them!

 

[Electric Chicken]

Sure carriers pay the up front costs of lumpers but the shippers pay for the lumper service in the end.
A DC wants 5000 units of whatevers, the cheapest way to ship it is on 24 Pallets on one single truck, But they don't want 24 pallets they need it broken down for individual stores and one store may want one pallet and another store only needs six units on a pallet.
NOW, how is this the driver or carriers problem? It's NOT!

The DC can unload all 24 pallets, release the truck and break them down on their own time, Lumpers or employees.
But they need to count it to ensure accuracy. Absolutely! The DC can unload and count it all after the truck has been released. OS&D can be handled by E-mail.
What is the point of holding up the truck and driver? If they are short 6 units is the driver supposed to pull them out of his ass?

Lumpers, counting and breaking down pallets while detaining the truck and driver is an antiquated system!

That's just my opinion and I got lots of them!

I like how these places are soooo particular about counting everything and yet other carriers can drop with a "subject to count" stamp.

Not that I'm bitchin when I'm the subject to count guy.

 

[Rigjockey]

I like how these places are soooo particular about counting everything and yet other carriers can drop with a "subject to count" stamp.

Not that I'm bitchin when I'm the subject to count guy.

That's another thing that pisses me off!
I got to count this shit?
You say you are sending 3 thousand units, If the receiver only counts 2,999 units, what am I supposed to do?
You people can battle it out in E-mails and leave me out of it.

 

[Electric Chicken]

That's another thing that pisses me off!
I got to count this shit?
You say you are sending 3 thousand units, If the receiver only counts 2,999 units, what am I supposed to do?
You people can battle it out in E-mails and leave me out of it.

I have yet to stand there and count shit. I don't even go on the docks.