How to Hire Delivery Helpers and Lumpers in Richmond, VA

When you need labor, not a truck

Plenty of freight problems in Richmond are labor problems. A floor-loaded trailer shows up at a store with no one to unload it. A carrier’s driver is not allowed to touch the freight. A furniture delivery needs a second person for the stairs. A trade show booth has to be built by 7 a.m. In each case the truck is fine; what is missing is people.

That is where delivery helpers and lumpers come in. Our final mile labor crews work at your site or ours, by the hour, with or without our trucks.

Delivery helpers vs. lumpers vs. driver assist

Delivery helpers ride with a driver or meet the truck at the delivery to carry, place, assemble or install freight. Lumpers unload (and sometimes load) trailers and containers, often palletizing floor-loaded freight. Driver assist means a helper works alongside a driver who is not able to unload alone, common for box-truck deliveries of heavy items.

Two-person teams are a combination: two trained people, often with our truck, handling bulky freight from pickup through placement.

Common jobs we staff in Richmond

Unloading floor-loaded trailers and containers at warehouses and stores. Restacking and rewrapping pallets. Carrying furniture, fixtures, appliances and fitness equipment inside and up stairs. Retail store resets and fixture installs. Hotel FF&E room delivery. Trade show load-in and load-out. Office and medical equipment moves. Helping a driver with a heavy liftgate delivery.

What it costs

Labor is priced by the hour per worker, with a minimum number of hours. The hourly rate depends on crew size, whether the work is on a weekday or after hours, location, and the type of freight. Weekday jobs at our Richmond dock fall under our $200 weekday minimum, and after-hours or weekend work adds a $250 fee to the job.

For a lumper job, the biggest cost variable is how the freight was loaded. Ten heavy, uniform cartons per pallet go fast. Hundreds of mixed SKUs that have to be sorted by PO take much longer. Share the packing list and photos to get an accurate estimate.

Questions to ask before you hire

Are the workers employees of the company or day labor? Who supervises them on site? Do they bring pallet jacks, hand trucks, dollies and blankets? What happens if the truck is late; are you billed for waiting? Is the company insured, and can they send a certificate? (We carry $1M.) Can they work nights and weekends?

The answers separate reliable labor providers from listings that send whoever is available.

Equipment our crews bring

Pallet jacks, hand trucks, appliance dollies, furniture dollies, moving blankets, straps and stretch wrap. If the job needs something more, such as a forklift on site, stair-climbing dollies or special tools for assembly, tell us when you book.

How to book labor that shows up

Give us the address, the contact on site, the arrival time of the truck, what the freight is, how much there is and any site rules (security check-in, union venues, elevator reservations). We confirm the crew size and time, and our crew lead calls the site contact before arrival.

If the truck runs late, tell us as soon as you know. We can adjust the crew start time rather than having people wait on the clock.

Safety and site rules

Good labor crews protect your freight, your building and themselves. Our crews use proper lifting technique and two-person carries for heavy items, protect floors and door frames with blankets, and follow site rules for PPE, sign-in and restricted areas. If your site requires safety vests, steel-toe boots or a site orientation, tell us when you book so the crew arrives ready.

For unloads, the trailer must be safely secured to the dock with wheel chocks or a dock lock, and the dock plate must be rated for the load. If anything looks unsafe on arrival, our crew lead will call you before starting work.

Labor plus dock plus delivery

Because we also run a cross dock and last mile delivery trucks, labor jobs can grow as needed. If the receiver will not accept the freight, we can take it back to our dock. If a load is damaged, we can rework it. If it needs to go somewhere else, we can deliver it. One call covers the whole problem.

Service area

We staff labor throughout Greater Richmond, including Henrico, Chesterfield, Glen Allen, Short Pump, Midlothian, Mechanicsville, Ashland, Petersburg, Colonial Heights and Hopewell, and travel to Hampton Roads, Fredericksburg, Charlottesville and Northern Virginia for larger jobs.

Call or text (804) 600-4352 with the job details, or request a quote online.