What does a lumper do?
Lumper responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real lumper resumes:
- help loading/unloading trailers with pallet jacks and dollies
- Separate shipments of food/utensils onto pallets to be transport elsewhere.
- Distribute production materials to designate locations on assembly lines observing the first-in-first-out (FIFO) inventory control practice.
- Work in shipping/receiving department operating motorize pallet jack used to load and unload semi-trailers.
- Maintain warehouse records in accordance with inventory accuracy and ISO certification.
Lumper skills and personality traits
We calculated that 58% of Lumpers are proficient in Pallets, Electric Pallet Jack, and Safety Standards. They’re also known for soft skills such as Hand-eye coordination, Listening skills, and Physical strength.
We break down the percentage of Lumpers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Pallets, 58%
Worked in shipping/receiving department operating motorized pallet jack used to load and unload semi-trailers.
- Electric Pallet Jack, 7%
Unload trucks in a timely, responsible manner utilizing electric pallet jacks, stand up and sit down battery powered forklifts.
- Safety Standards, 6%
Complied with all safety standards while working in a fast pace environment.
- Unload Trucks, 4%
Loaded and unloaded trucks; Prepared materials that needed to be shipped; Used a pallet jack to load and unload trucks
- Safety Rules, 3%
Utilized safety practices and procedures following established safety rules and regulations and maintained a safe and clean work environment.
- Unload Trailers, 3%
Contracted with Independent Drivers to load and unload trailers of residential furnishings
"pallets," "electric pallet jack," and "safety standards" are among the most common skills that lumpers use at work. You can find even more lumper responsibilities below, including:
Hand-eye coordination. One of the key soft skills for a lumper to have is hand-eye coordination. You can see how this relates to what lumpers do because "most hand laborers and material movers use their arms and hands to manipulate objects or move objects into specific positions." Additionally, a lumper resume shows how lumpers use hand-eye coordination: "inspect and package parts removed from press molds 5s fifo delivery - coordination - organization of parts for export forklift operation"
Listening skills. Many lumper duties rely on listening skills. "hand laborers and material movers follow instructions that a supervisor gives them.," so a lumper will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways lumper responsibilities rely on listening skills: "communicated with fellow lumpers to ensure pallets were broken down correctly and on time. "
Physical strength. lumpers are also known for physical strength, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to lumper responsibilities, because "some hand laborers and material movers must be able to lift and carry heavy objects." A lumper resume example shows how physical strength is used in the workplace: "repaired pallets, swept floors, and ran floor scrubber participated in physical inventories. "
Customer-service skills. lumper responsibilities often require "customer-service skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "hand laborers and material movers who work with the public, such as grocery baggers or carwash attendants, must be pleasant and courteous to customers." This resume example shows what lumpers do with customer-service skills on a typical day: "pick up and stack boxes on a pallet to be shipped to customers. "
The three companies that hire the most lumpers are:
- Performance Food Group7 lumpers jobs
- Randstad North America, Inc.7 lumpers jobs
- Americold7 lumpers jobs
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Compare different lumpers
Lumper vs. Freight associate
The typical tasks of a freight associate include stocking merchandise on shelves, organizing the sales floor, and providing excellent customer service. Freight associates load and unload trucks and transfer the items from the receiving area to the store. Some of them may operate heavy equipment like forklifts. They may work on the critical functions of equipment for proper maintenance. Also, they maintain the cleanliness of the sales floor and the work area on a regular basis.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between lumpers and freight associate. For instance, lumper responsibilities require skills such as "pallets," "safety standards," "safety rules," and "unload trailers." Whereas a freight associate is skilled in "sales floor," "cleanliness," "customer service," and "sort merchandise." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Freight associates tend to reach similar levels of education than lumpers. In fact, freight associates are 1.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Lumper vs. Stage hand
Stagehands are skilled employees who work in the television, film, or theatre to assist other crew members set up the sound, lighting, and other equipment as well as helping performers change into their costumes. These employees are required to hang banners, update marquees, and handle other signage within the venue as it is important for any production. They must keep the venue clean by removing any trash in waste containers and sweeping the stage floor in between shows. Stagehands must also perform any adjustments on the set and run errands when necessary.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that lumper responsibilities requires skills like "pallets," "electric pallet jack," "safety standards," and "unload trucks." But a stage hand might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "venues," "audio systems," "stage equipment," and "audio equipment."
In general, stage hands achieve similar levels of education than lumpers. They're 1.9% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Lumper vs. Freight team associate
The primary job of package handlers is to assemble, seal, and load packages. They are responsible for tracking package information using scanners and sorting parcels according to destination. Other duties and responsibilities may include complying with the company standards for safe package handling, unloading delivery trucks, and following the established guidelines for postal routing. This position requires an eye for detail, ability to follow instructions, and knowledge of equipment and hand-tools such as conveyor belts and forklifts. A few requirements are needed for this role, including a high school diploma, driver's license, and ability to lift heavy items.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from lumper resumes include skills like "pallets," "safety standards," "safety rules," and "unload trailers," whereas a freight team associate is more likely to list skills in "sales floor," "customer service," "store shelves," and "store merchandise. "
When it comes to education, freight team associates tend to earn similar degree levels compared to lumpers. In fact, they're 0.9% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Lumper vs. Package handler ups
Types of lumper
Updated January 8, 2025
