Lumper Fee Reimbursement Calculator — What the Unloading Fee Really Cost You

What did that lumper fee really cost you?

Enter the lumper receipt, the dock wait, and each way the broker might pay you back. You get what you are out on each route, the reimbursement request that would make you whole, and the cost of the wait. A lumper fee is a $150 surprise at the dock and a very different number after an advance fee, a cap and 45 days of waiting.

Calculated in this browser tab. No account, no upload. The example is made up. A planning estimate, not a contract.

1. The stop and the ways you might be repaid

Lumper fee on the receipt ($)

Linehaul on the load ($, optional)

Your cost of money (% a year)

Hours waiting at the dock

Free hours before detention

Detention rate ($/hour)

What an hour of your time is worth ($)

Lumper stops like this per month

One route per line: name, flat fee $, fee % of the lumper, % of the lumper refunded, cap $ (0 for none), days until the money is back. Names cannot contain commas.

Reimbursement routes

Enter the lumper receipt and your routes, or load the example, then click Calculate.

Result

Routes compared

Route	Route fee	Cash out	Refunded	Money tied up	You are out	With the dock wait	Per year

The first route as the lumper fee changes

Lumper fee	Refunded	You are out

The arithmetic, and what it leaves out

The route fee is its flat amount plus its percent of the lumper. Cash out is the lumper plus that fee.
Refunded is the refunded percent of the lumper, held to the cap if there is one. A route that refunds only part, or caps below the receipt, leaves the rest with you.
Money tied up is cash out times your yearly cost of money for the days until you are paid.
You are out cash out minus refunded plus the money tied up. The make-whole request is cash out plus the money tied up.
The dock wait costs your hourly value for every hour, less detention paid for hours past the free period.
Not modelled: taxes, factoring fees on the invoice line, a broker that short-pays or never pays, contract-specific lumper rules and state law. Read the rate confirmation.

Common questions

Who pays the lumper fee?

It depends on the rate confirmation. Many brokers reimburse a lumper if they authorized it before you paid, and some refuse or cap it. Get the authorization and the amount in writing before the receiver starts unloading.

What is a lumper fee?

A charge by a receiving warehouse for a third party crew to unload a trailer. Drivers are often asked to pay it at the dock, usually by cash advance code or card, and then bill it back.

How do I get my lumper fee reimbursed?

Ask the broker for an advance code or a written authorization before unloading, keep the receipt, and bill it as a separate line on the invoice with the receipt attached. Brokers commonly pay it only against a receipt.

Why does the advance code have a fee?

Cash advance and check services typically charge a flat amount or a percent of what they advance. This tool lets you enter that fee as a flat dollar amount, a percent, or both.

Can I charge detention while I wait to unload?

Often after a free period such as two hours, if the rate confirmation includes detention. Enter your free hours and hourly rate to see the billable part of the wait.

What does this leave out?

Taxes on reimbursements, factoring fees on the invoice line, a broker that short-pays or never pays, lumper rules in a specific contract, and any state law. Read your rate confirmation.

Is my data uploaded?

No. Everything runs in your browser tab and nothing is sent anywhere. There are no accounts.