Who pays the lumper fee?

Under US law, the shipper or receiver that requires loading or unloading help must provide it or pay the truck's owner or operator for its cost. In practice the driver or carrier often pays at the dock and is reimbursed by the party paying the freight charges.

Can a driver be forced to pay a lumper?

No. 49 U.S.C. § 14103 makes it unlawful to coerce, or attempt to coerce, anyone into hiring or paying people to load or unload a truck, and federal guidance answers the question with a plain "No."

Is a lumper fee an accessorial charge?

It is usually billed like one. Carriers list unloading assistance in their rules tariffs — FedEx Freight at USD 3.16 per 100 lb with a USD 60 minimum — and recover lumper costs they pay on the shipper's behalf.

Term

Lumper fee

A lumper fee is what a carrier or driver pays a third-party crew — a lumper — to unload or load a truck at a warehouse, a practice common in food distribution. US law makes the shipper or receiver responsible for that labour or its cost, and forbids coercing a driver into hiring or paying lumpers.

Also called lumper charge, lumper service, unloading feeApplies in USUpdated 12 October 2026

What a lumper is

The Federal Highway Administration's freight glossary defines lumpers as individuals who help a motor carrier owner-operator unload property, "quite commonly used in the food industry". Many warehouses contract unloading to a lumper service and require trucks to use it.

What US law says

When a shipper or receiver requires help loading or unloading, it must provide that help or compensate the truck's owner or operator for all costs of it (49 U.S.C. § 14103(a)).
It is unlawful to coerce, or try to coerce, anyone to hire or pay people to load or unload a truck (§ 14103(b)). The section leaves lawful labour arrangements under US labour law untouched.
The rule dates from 1995 and replaced an earlier section on the same subject. Federal guidance asks "May drivers be coerced into employing loading or unloading assistance (lumpers)?" and answers: "No."
A carrier's lease with an owner-operator must say who is responsible for loading and unloading, and what they are paid for it.

How it is billed

In practice the driver or carrier often pays the crew at the dock and recovers the cost. FedEx Freight's rules tariff, for example, says the carrier is reimbursed by whoever pays the freight charges — and can collect from the shipper or consignee if that party refuses — and lists its own unloading service at USD 3.16 per 100 lb, minimum USD 60.

Worked example

12,000 lb shipment: 120 × 3.16 = USD 379.20 · 1,500 lb shipment: 15 × 3.16 = USD 47.40 → minimum USD 60

At FedEx Freight's list rate. A lumper service at a warehouse sets its own price, often per pallet or per load, and the receipt is what gets it reimbursed.

The mistake people make

Leaving lumper costs out of the contract. If the rate confirmation does not say who pays for unloading and how it is reimbursed, a driver ends up paying at the dock and the carrier spends weeks recovering it — or folds the risk into every rate it quotes.

FAQ

Lumper fee: common questions

Who pays the lumper fee?: Under US law, the shipper or receiver that requires loading or unloading help must provide it or pay the truck's owner or operator for its cost. In practice the driver or carrier often pays at the dock and is reimbursed by the party paying the freight charges.
Can a driver be forced to pay a lumper?: No. 49 U.S.C. § 14103 makes it unlawful to coerce, or attempt to coerce, anyone into hiring or paying people to load or unload a truck, and federal guidance answers the question with a plain "No."
Is a lumper fee an accessorial charge?: It is usually billed like one. Carriers list unloading assistance in their rules tariffs — FedEx Freight at USD 3.16 per 100 lb with a USD 60 minimum — and recover lumper costs they pay on the shipper's behalf.