Lumper fee

A lumper fee is the charge for a third-party crew (lumpers) to unload or load your trailer, most common at grocery and food-distribution warehouses that do not let drivers touch the freight. The fee is paid at the dock, often through a settlement service.

Why it matters: lumper fees are a cost you should never absorb – they are reimbursable. Get confirmation that the load pays lumpers before you accept it, keep the receipt, and bill it back as a accessorial charge on your invoice. Like detention, lumpers are a dock cost that quietly erodes margin if you do not track and recover them.