Lumpers And Lumper Fees

Currently im working in a warehouse in the Minneapolis MN area, and had a driver come in asking me what our lumper fee is. I've worked in 3 different warehouses in the last 7 years and that was the first time I've ever heard of it. Lumper fees sound like a real pain in the A $$. As i prepare to obtain my CDL and begin a trucking career, i would like to know if there are still many places that charge the lumper fee, and if the drivers responsible, or if the trucking company is.

Thanks!

Unless you're an Owner Operator , for the most part your company will be responsible for any lumper fees. They will provide a form of payment (Comcheck, T-Check, etc) with a code. I've seen fees range from $50 to over $350. My previous dedicated run to Detroit my 2nd stop was at Sysco and they charged $160 to unload what was usually 3 or 4 pallets of fresh chicken. Some expensive yard bird!

So let me get this straight...you paid the shipper for chickens so you can sell them and make money. The shipper paid my company to bring it to you so you can make money. Now you want me to pay you to offload it so you can make money? Only in America!

There are a number of different reasons why receivers use lumpers. Usually - to escape having to pay wages/taxes/insurance/workmans-comp. really easy togged injured on docks, and for each real employee that gets injured, WC/Disability insurance premiums go up. So, while it's somewhat of a "scam" for receivers to get carriers to pay lumpers - it's more along the lines of reducing their liability, and not necessarily to lessen their freight costs - as shippers/receivers reimburse the carriers for lumpers on the back end.

If a lumper is paid by the RECEIVER - then it's (usually) possible they can sue the receiver as their employer if they get injured on the dock - even if they are 1099 employees (sub-contractors). Having the CARRIER pay the lumper - gets them around this potential liability.

Again - for some receivers, they don't let drivers unload - because of insurance liability, if the driver gets hurt on their dock.

Company drivers are not (and should not) be responsible for "lumper pay". As elaborated above - they are usually paid with T-Check/Com-Check/etc. In the unlikely scenario that they will only accept CASH - make sure your DM approves this, as well as reimbursement (and do it over QualComm not verbally, so there's a record of the conversation). Carriers that deal with receivers on a regular basis (Walmart DC's, grocery chains, etc.) are aware of which receivers use lumpers, the costs involved, and this is either built into the rate or reimbursed under the contract.

In the case of lease-ops/OO's - this is an out-of-pocket expense - that either gets reimbursed by the company (lease-op) or is negotiated with the Broker (O/O) - hopefully, ahead of time.

Rick

In your guys experience, do you run into alot of this? Just seems like a real pain, even if the driver isnt the one paying it.

In your guys experience, do you run into alot of this? Just seems like a real pain, even if the driver isnt the one paying it.

It's almost always the "receiver" who charges the fees - and most of them do . . . Walmart charges a flat $50 almost exclusively but others charge according to how many pallets and if they have to "handle" or re-stack some of the load . . . the lumpers tell us (the drivers) what the fee will probably be (not sure until the truck is completely unloaded) and we call our dispatch (more accurately, text message on the QualComm) with the fee amount, they put it on our CommData card (the same as your fuel card) and you call CommData, give them the amount (which matches what has been put on your card) and the CommChek number . . . the lumper King (or the Head lumper - whichever applies) calls the CommData phone number, confirms the money is on the check and everyone gets drunk . . . well, that last part is an exaggeration, but you know what I mean . . . . it's kinda like the Mafia - everyone knows it's a huge scam but everyone pays anyway . . .

Jopa

No lumpers or lumper fees for flatbed drivers.

It's almost always the "receiver" who charges the fees - and most of them do . . . Walmart charges a flat $50 almost exclusively but others charge according to how many pallets and if they have to "handle" or re-stack some of the load . . . the lumpers tell us (the drivers) what the fee will probably be (not sure until the truck is completely unloaded) and we call our dispatch (more accurately, text message on the QualComm) with the fee amount, they put it on our CommData card (the same as your fuel card) and you call CommData, give them the amount (which matches what has been put on your card) and the CommChek number . . . the lumper King (or the Head lumper - whichever applies) calls the CommData phone number, confirms the money is on the check and everyone gets drunk . . . well, that last part is an exaggeration, but you know what I mean . . . . it's kinda like the Mafia - everyone knows it's a huge scam but everyone pays anyway . . .

So, does that mean, if I want to unload the truck myself, I get to pay myself the lumper fee?

So, does that mean, if I want to unload the truck myself, I get to pay myself the lumper fee?

Normally, no. Trucking companies also do not want their drivers unloading freight unless it's part of their everyday job like local Sysco drivers who unload their own freight at every stop. But trucking companies want their drivers rested and ready to drive, not injured or exhausted from unloading freight. So trucking companies will either expressly deny you the opportunity to unload freight or simply won't pay you to do it. So in the end you'll almost never unload any freight with most jobs.

A lot of drivers get very upset when they first learn about lumpers. They figure, "Hey, I brought this cr*p to ya. If you don't want it, don't take it, but I'm sure as h*ll not paying you to unload your own freight after I worked so hard to bring it here."

But as Rick and the guys explained, this is a "money wheel" kinda setup. The receiver collects payment to unload, which in turn goes to the freight broker (which could be the trucking company), who in turn reimburses the carrier. So it really is just a scheme to protect the receiver from lawsuits and the extra costs associated with having their own employees. So don't let it bother you a bit. You're not "paying someone to unload you". You're just part of the money wheel and it all works out in the end.

Here is a copy of a Lumper Receipt. I'm not sure if there are other forms out there but this one is pretty straight forward and you can see all the details of what's involved.