Quick answer
How do I send pallets from Sydney to Bathurst, Orange or Dubbo?
Sydney to the Central West climbs the Great Western Highway over the Blue Mountains: about 190 km from the Prestons yard to Bathurst, 245 km to Orange and 385 km to Dubbo on the Mitchell Highway. Shared freight takes one to ten pallets across the towns, next business day to Lithgow, Bathurst and Orange for most Sydney metro pickups, confirmed on the quote; a dedicated truck does Bathurst or Orange and back in a day. A quote asked for before 2pm is answered the same business day, with shared and dedicated side by side.
Sydney to the Central West climbs the Great Western Highway over the Blue Mountains to Lithgow and Bathurst, then runs on to Orange, and the Mitchell Highway carries the Dubbo freight past Wellington. From the Prestons yard it is about 190 km to Bathurst, 245 km to Orange and 385 km to Dubbo. When the mountains road is closed for weather or roadworks the Bells Line of Road is the alternative and adds time rather than distance. Shared freight suits one to ten pallets across the towns; a dedicated vehicle suits a full load to one site and can do Bathurst or Orange and back in a day.
The lane runs 245 km by road, about three and a half hours of driving to Orange over the Blue Mountains on the Great Western Highway, two and a half to Bathurst and close to five to Dubbo on the Mitchell. We collect across Sydney Metro, Sydney South West through Liverpool, Campbelltown and Prestons, and Sydney West through Penrith, Blacktown and the Nepean and deliver across Lithgow, Bathurst and Kelso, Orange and Blayney, Cowra, Parkes and Forbes, and Dubbo with the Wellington and Narromine side of it. Anything outside those areas is still quoted, with the extra leg shown as its own line rather than buried in the rate.
Transit: Next business day on shared freight to Lithgow, Bathurst and Orange for most Sydney metro pickups, one to two business days to Parkes and Dubbo, confirmed on the quote.
Cut-offs: a quote asked for before 2pm is answered the same business day. The pickup day and the delivery window are confirmed on the booking before anything moves, and a 7am to 3pm weekday window at the receiving dock keeps waiting time, and the rate, down.
What does it cost?
The price comes back in minutes from the quote tool rather than sitting on this page as a headline that may not match your freight. Put in the two postcodes, the pallet count and the weight and you get a figure for shared freight and for a dedicated vehicle at the same time, so you can see which one is cheaper before you commit to either.
Shared freight or a dedicated truck: which is cheaper on this lane?
Shared freight puts your pallets on a trailer that is already running the lane, so you pay for the space you use. It suits one to about ten pallets, and the trade off is that the vehicle makes other stops. A dedicated vehicle runs your freight only, direct, on your timing. It costs more per pallet until you are filling most of the trailer, and then it costs less.
The vehicles that run this lane:
- 10 Pallet Rigid, 10 pallet positions and up to 7.5 t
- 12 Pallet Rigid, 12 pallet positions and up to 9 t
- 14 Pallet Rigid, 14 pallet positions and up to 12 t
- Heavy Rigid, 16 pallet positions and up to 12.5 t
- Semi Trailer, 22 pallet positions and up to 24 t
- B-double, 34 pallet positions and up to 40 t
Not sure which one? Put the freight in and both come back priced together.
What moves the price on this lane?
Pallet count. The rate per pallet drops as the consignment grows, so eight pallets on one booking beats eight pallets booked separately. If you have regular volume, a committed lane rate beats both.
Weight against space. A pallet is charged on whichever runs out first, the floor space or the weight. Dense freight like liquids, metal or paper hits the weight limit well before the trailer is full. The quote states which one applied so there is no surprise.
Access at both ends. A dock and a forklift are the cheapest way to load and unload. No forklift means a tail lift and a driver moving the freight by hand, which takes time and costs money. Residential and tight access sites cost more again. Tell us up front and it is in the quote instead of in an invoice afterwards.
Fuel. The levy moves with the diesel price and is shown as its own line, not folded into the rate.
Regular freight on this lane? Ring 0494 820 639 and we will price it as a committed lane rather than trip by trip.
Questions about Sydney to the Central West
How much does it cost to send a pallet from Sydney to the Central West?
It depends on the pallet count, the weight and whether either end needs a tail lift or a hand unload. The quote tool returns a figure in minutes for shared freight and for a dedicated vehicle together, so you can compare before booking.
Is shared freight or a dedicated truck cheaper on this lane?
Shared freight is cheaper up to roughly half a trailer. Past that the dedicated vehicle usually wins, because you stop paying a per pallet rate and start paying for the run. The quote prices both so the crossover is visible rather than guessed.
How is a pallet measured for this lane?
A standard 1165 by 1165 Australian pallet up to 1.4 metres high is one position. Over that height it may count as two. Heavy freight is charged on weight rather than space when the weight is the limiting factor, and the quote states which one applied.
What if the delivery site has no forklift?
Say so when you quote. The freight then needs a tail lift and a hand unload, both of which are priced into the quote up front rather than added after the driver arrives and cannot unload.
Which Central West towns does the lane cover?
Lithgow, Bathurst, Orange, Cowra, Parkes, Forbes and Dubbo are the regular drops, with Blayney, Wellington and Narromine on the same roads. Mudgee is reached from Lithgow on the Castlereagh Highway and is quoted as its own leg.
Can a dedicated truck do Sydney to Orange and back in a day?
Yes. Three and a half hours each way leaves time for the unload and a pickup on the return, which is what makes a dedicated vehicle on this lane cheaper per pallet than the distance suggests. Dubbo and back is a long day and usually runs as an overnight.
Do you collect pallets in the Central West?
Pallet collection west of the mountains is priced in the written offer against what the pallets earn and planned around freight already going that way; the free pickup rule applies inside Greater Sydney only. A sorted stack of sixty or more sound standard pallets at one site is usually worth the trip, and we will say so either way.
Palletised freight and final mile across Australia. Pricing a job? See what pallet delivery costs. Not sure what size you need? See how many pallets fit on a truck. There is a page for every vehicle in the fleet with its deck and payload. The Sydney to Melbourne, Sydney to Brisbane, Sydney to Newcastle, Sydney to Wollongong, Sydney to the Central Coast, Sydney to Canberra, Sydney to the Mid North Coast, Sydney to Adelaide, Newcastle to Sydney, Melbourne to Sydney and Brisbane to Sydney lanes carry their own pages. If you need the pallets too, we supply those as well.
Related questions
- Pallet freight Sydney to Adelaide, the two day lane
- Pallet freight Newcastle to Sydney, the return leg
- Pallet freight Melbourne to Sydney, the Hume return leg
- When is a pallet pickup free?
Page updated 16 October 2026. Facts on this page are kept in step with the facts page; terms are explained in the glossary; the suburbs we stop at are on the areas page. Written by the team at 360 Operations Group, Prestons NSW; follow 360 on LinkedIn.