Lumpers and Humpers – Who Are They and What Do They Do?

• 26 April 2017
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The dictionary defines a lumper as a laborer who handles freight or cargo. In the trucking industry that is exactly what a lumper does. He or she unloads trailers for others. They are independent of the warehouse where the driver is making their delivery. The term humper is used more often when talking about household goods. It seems fitting doesn’t it? A person humps the boxes or furniture on their backs.

How much do Lumpers/Humpers cost?

How do you find one?

Why you should hire a lumper

Lumpers being independent in most cases can charge what they want. They are usually reasonable. Probably a normal range is anywhere from $60.00 to $150.00. The product and where you deliver will make the final difference in how much it will cost you.

Let’s use a pallet full of frozen cheese sticks and the pallet is stacked 8 high and 12 wide. The warehouse that you are delivering will only allow 6 high and 12 wide and you will have to break the pallet down to fit their requirements. Multiply that by 22 or 24 pallets and it turns into a lot of work.

The next load might be toilet paper loaded on the floor all the way to the roof and it has to go onto pallets of 4X6. Believe me that it makes it a tough job. It has to be done and this is a real live example of some of the work that is being done at warehouses every day. The Lumpers are there for drivers for several reasons.

Lumping provides a living for their families.

Drivers are needed to drive not so much to unload their trucks

Convenience for the warehouses

There are many warehouses across the country and not all of them are allowed to hire or should we say won’t hire the extra help and pay the Lumpers’ wages. Most of the jobs do not require full time employees and therefore it would be too costly to have to pay a person a full day’s wages.

If a driver spends several hours unloading their truck then that takes away from their driving time for the week. If they are people who drive OTR everyday then they don’t have enough log book time to throw away unloading the truck. There are absolutely no rules that say that you can’t make extra money unloading your truck, but the company and/or the broker pays the lumper fees from their money they receive from the customers. You might as well let the Lumpers provide for their families and you get some rest.

The warehouses like Lumpers because it makes the warehousemen’s job all that much easier because they don’t have to waste time teaching drivers how to stack the items they way that there particular warehouse wants them stacked. They can continue to work and get their job completed.

Many humpers work from truck stops, especially in metropolitan areas where many moves are made every day. Some can be found from the local moving companies. Usually drivers find someone in an area of the country that they frequent and they will try to use the same people over and over. If you’re new to the job then maybe you need to call the local representative of your company and they will help you locate good workers. Also there is always the job centers located in the cities.

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Source by John Joseph Flood