LumpList

The lumper service directory

by the makers of LumpLogix

Metro record

Lumper services in Philadelphia

Philadelphia runs on perishables and import volume: a fruit port, refrigerated terminal markets and Bucks County distribution centers keep lumper crews busy year round.

29 lumping companies on the record

Lumping companies serving Philadelphia, PA

Agency & coverageService linesEngagementGoogle ratingContact

Dock labor in Philadelphia, PA

Agencies on the record
29
Dispatching to the metro directly
2
Covering the whole state
4
Nationwide operators
23
Places inside the market
10

PhilaPort's Packer Avenue Marine Terminal in South Philadelphia, operated under lease by Holt Logistics, is the metro's container anchor, with Tioga Marine Terminal handling breakbulk and the Delaware River main channel deepened to 45 feet. Across the river, Gloucester Marine Terminal and Paulsboro Marine Terminal pull the same labor pool into New Jersey. Philadelphia is the country's leading gateway for imported fresh fruit, and the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market on Essington Avenue, a fully refrigerated terminal market, sits minutes from the docks. That pushes dock labor here toward reefer doors and hand-stacked pallets rather than dry floor-load alone.

Inland, CSX's Greenwich intermodal terminal in South Philadelphia and Norfolk Southern's Morrisville Yard in Bucks County feed a warehouse belt running up I-95 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike and down I-295 and the New Jersey Turnpike. The clusters that matter are Keystone Trade Center on the former U.S. Steel Fairless Works site in Falls Township, the Pureland Industrial Complex in Logan Township, the Burlington and Florence corridor in South Jersey, and Northeast Philadelphia's older multi-tenant stock. Amazon fulfillment centers and Burlington Stores' home market anchor retail volume.

Demand has a clear shape. Chilean and Peruvian fruit lands from roughly December into April, and freight unloaders work refrigerated containers and grape pallets on short notice. Retail imports peak August through October. The Route 202 pharmaceutical corridor, with Merck at West Point and GSK in Upper Providence, keeps controlled-temperature cross-dock volume steady all year, so lumping companies here are judged on speed through a reefer door.

Last reviewed September 2026

Philadelphia, PA on the record

  1. Packer Avenue Marine Terminal is the region's principal container terminal, operated under lease by Holt Logistics, with Tioga Marine Terminal handling breakbulk and Pier 82 auto cargo.

    Source: PhilaPort (Philadelphia Regional Port Authority) terminal listings

  2. The Delaware River main channel from Philadelphia to the sea was deepened to 45 feet, allowing larger container and reefer vessels to call the port's terminals.

    Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia District, Delaware River Main Channel Deepening

  3. The Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market on Essington Avenue is a fully refrigerated wholesale terminal market, sited beside the South Philadelphia port and interstate access.

    Source: Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market

  4. CSX operates an intermodal terminal at Greenwich in South Philadelphia, and Norfolk Southern operates Morrisville Yard in Bucks County, putting two Class I ramps inside the metro.

    Source: CSX and Norfolk Southern intermodal terminal facility lists

  5. Chile's fresh fruit export season to the United States runs roughly from December into April, with grapes, stone fruit and blueberries moving through Delaware River ports.

    Source: USDA Foreign Agricultural Service and USDA AMS shipping point data

  6. Keystone Trade Center in Falls Township is a large-scale industrial redevelopment of the former U.S. Steel Fairless Works site, adding modern distribution space in Lower Bucks County.

    Source: NorthPoint Development / Falls Township public project records

  7. The Pureland Industrial Complex in Logan Township, Gloucester County, is one of the East Coast's largest single industrial parks and sits on the I-295 and Route 322 corridor.

    Source: Pureland Industrial Complex, Logan Township, New Jersey

Inside the Philadelphia, PA market

South Philadelphia (Packer Avenue and Essington Avenue)Northeast PhiladelphiaBensalem and Bristol, PAFalls Township and Fairless Hills (Keystone Trade Center)Chester and Aston, PALogan Township and Swedesboro, NJ (Pureland Industrial Complex)Burlington and Florence, NJPennsauken and Bellmawr, NJMount Laurel and Moorestown, NJKing of Prussia and Norristown, PA

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Reading for Philadelphia, PA operators

Questions about dock labor in Philadelphia, PA

When is lumper demand highest in the Philadelphia market?

Two peaks. Chilean and Peruvian fruit arrives from roughly December into April, filling refrigerated warehouses near the Packer Avenue and Gloucester terminals and the Essington Avenue produce market. Retail import volume peaks August through October in the Bucks County and Burlington County distribution centers.

Do Philadelphia lumper crews need refrigerated experience?

Usually yes. A large share of the metro's trailer unloading is perishable: fruit pallets off the docks, produce redistribution out of the wholesale market, and controlled-temperature freight from the Route 202 pharmaceutical corridor. Crews are expected to work cold doors, check pulp temperatures on arrival and record damage before the load leaves the dock.

How does port drayage shape scheduling here?

Containers pulled from Packer Avenue, Tioga, Gloucester and Paulsboro move on short local drays, so appointments cluster and free time runs out fast. Facilities near I-95, I-76 and the Walt Whitman and Commodore Barry bridges often book third-party unloading in blocks that match terminal gate hours rather than a fixed shift.