How to get lumper fees reimbursed
Get a lumper fee reimbursed by billing it to the broker with the lumper receipt attached. Lumper fees on invoices factored through Truckstop had a median of about $146 per job.
By Clovrr ·
What a lumper fee is
A lumper fee is what a third-party crew charges to unload freight at a warehouse or distribution center. Truckstop says large retailers and grocery chains regularly require lumper services.
Truckstop puts standard unloads at $75 to $300. Jobs that involve breaking down and rebuilding pallets can cost more.
Who is supposed to pay
Federal law addresses this. Under 49 U.S.C. 14103, a shipper or receiver that requires unloading help must provide it or pay the carrier's costs for it.
The same law makes it unlawful to coerce a carrier into loading, unloading or paying someone to do it.
When your driver pays at the dock, you bill the fee back. Truckstop says the broker uses the lumper receipt to verify and pass through the charge.
Check your rate confirmation and broker-carrier agreement for how lumper fees are handled, including whether the broker must approve them first.
What the receipt should show
The receipt is the claim. Without it, the broker has nothing to verify. Have the driver photograph it before leaving the dock.
- The lumper company's name
- The facility name and date
- The load, PO or BOL number
- The amount, and that it was paid
- Any approval number the broker gave
How to bill it back
- 01Get the broker's approval first if your rate con requires it. Save the approval message.
- 02Pay the lumper and keep the receipt.
- 03Add the lumper fee as its own line on the load invoice.
- 04Attach the receipt, the signed BOL and any approval message.
- 05Check the remittance. If the lumper line is missing, resend the claim with the receipt.
If you factor, send the receipt the way your factoring agreement requires.
- Lumper paid at receiver
- $185, receipt photographed at the dock
- Invoice sent
- Line haul $2,100 + lumper $185 = $2,285
- Remittance received
- $2,100
- Gap found
- $185, the lumper line
- Follow-up
- Resent with the receipt, BOL and approval email
These numbers are made up to show the process. They are not a customer result.
Common questions
- Is a lumper fee the same as detention?
- No. A lumper fee repays unloading labor your driver paid for. Detention pays for time held past free time.
- What if the driver lost the receipt?
- Ask the lumper company or facility for a copy right away. A claim without a receipt is easy for a broker to deny.
- Can I bill a lumper fee after the load is paid?
- Check the billing window in your rate confirmation and broker-carrier agreement. Send it as soon as you find it, with the receipt.
Sources
- Truckstop, “Accessorial charges every freight broker needs to know (and what they cost),” June 11, 2026. Accessed October 1, 2026.
- 49 U.S.C. § 14103, Loading and unloading motor vehicles (Cornell Legal Information Institute). Accessed October 1, 2026.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Your rate confirmation and broker-carrier agreement set the terms for each load.