Lumper Fee

A lumper fee covers the cost of hiring third-party workers to physically unload a truck at the delivery destination. The term "lumper" refers to the laborers themselves – typically contracted by the receiving facility or an independent lumper service rather than employed by the carrier. Lumper fees are especially prevalent in food and beverage, grocery, and retail supply chains, where large distribution centers require specialized unloading crews to handle high-volume inbound freight efficiently.

Lumper fees typically range from $150 to $500 or more per load depending on the commodity, pallet count, whether the freight is floor-loaded versus palletized, and the facility's unloading requirements. The fee is usually paid at the time of delivery – either by the driver (who then seeks reimbursement from the shipper or carrier) or billed directly to the shipper. Some receivers mandate the use of their own lumper service and set the price, leaving the shipper with little negotiating leverage.

For shippers, lumper fees are a frequent source of billing surprises and disputes. The charge may not be included in the original freight quote, creating variance between expected and actual shipment costs. When drivers are expected to front the payment, reimbursement delays can strain carrier relationships. Tracking lumper spend by facility and receiver helps shippers identify which customers or distribution centers carry the highest unloading costs – information that's useful for customer freight allowance negotiations and landed-cost analysis.

Best practice is to establish lumper fee expectations upfront in carrier contracts and customer routing guides, flag facilities known to require lumper services during load planning, and audit lumper charges against historical norms to catch outliers.