Pallet freight, Sydney to Melbourne

The Hume is the busiest freight corridor in the country, which is why it is also the cheapest per pallet. Volume means a trailer leaves most days, so a few pallets ride on a vehicle that was going anyway rather than paying for the whole truck.

The lane runs 878 km by road, an overnight run for a dedicated vehicle, with the driver working to fatigue rules. We collect across Sydney Metro, Sydney South West through Liverpool, Campbelltown and Prestons, and Sydney West through Penrith and Blacktown and deliver across Melbourne Metro and Melbourne Outer through Dandenong, Pakenham, Melton and the Mornington Peninsula. Anything outside those areas is still quoted, with the extra leg shown as its own line rather than buried in the rate.

Transit: 2 to 3 business days on shared freight, which is the interstate commitment already published on the shared freight page. A dedicated vehicle runs it direct and the date is set when you book.

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?

Add $45 a consignment and a 22 per cent fuel levy. Minimum charge $60. All figures are ex GST, for a standard 1165 by 1165 pallet up to 1.4 metres high, dock to dock. Tail lift, hand unload and residential delivery are charged separately and are shown on the quote before you book.

Worked example. Eight pallets on this lane: 8 pallets at $85, plus $45 a consignment, plus the 22 per cent fuel levy. $884.50 ex GST for the load, $110.56 a pallet delivered. No account needed and no minimum term.

Want the same sum at every volume from one pallet to twenty, on both published lanes? What pallet delivery costs sets out the rate, the consignment charge and the fuel levy separately, with the arithmetic.

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.