A lumper is a person — or a service — that handles the manual work of loading or unloading a trailer, usually at a warehouse or distribution center. Rather than the driver doing it, the receiving facility often uses lumpers to move freight at the dock.
Lumper fees are typically paid by the driver on the spot and then reimbursed, which makes them a routine line item in a dispatch operation’s accounting. Using lumpers can also speed up unloading and reduce the risk of detention from a slow dock.