Palletised freight is the backbone of Brisbane distribution
Ontime Haulers moves palletised freight every business day for Brisbane wholesalers, distributors, manufacturers and tyre businesses — from our Archerfield depot across Greater Brisbane, South East Queensland and Northern NSW. General Service delivers overnight to most zones, Express offers same-day pickup and delivery, and tailgate trucks handle sites without a forklift.
Walk through any warehouse precinct in Archerfield, Wacol, Acacia Ridge or Eagle Farm and you'll see the same thing: forklifts, racking and pallets. Palletised freight is how the vast majority of B2B goods move in and around Brisbane, and the way you set up pallet freight has an outsized impact on landed cost and on-time performance.
This guide covers how pallet freight is priced, the difference between general freight and dedicated pallet runs, and where cross-docking fits in.
How pallets are priced
Carriers price pallet freight three main ways, and the right one depends on your volume profile:
- Per-pallet rate to a postcode zone. Simplest to budget for. Works when consignments are reasonably uniform and you don't have many oversize pallets.
- Per-cubic-metre or per-tonne, whichever is greater. Standard for general freight. Protects the carrier on light, bulky loads (think foam, packaging) and on heavy, dense loads (think tiles, batteries).
- Per-vehicle (taxi truck or dedicated). A full vehicle for a defined window. Most economical when you have a half-load or full-load and want a single drop or a small number of drops.
The right setup blends all three: per-pallet rates for routine general freight, dedicated taxi-truck or Hot Shot for tight windows, and bulk rates for full-vehicle movements.
Pallet types we handle
We move standard CHEP and Loscam pallets every day, alongside plain-wood, plastic, half-pallets and custom skids. If you're sending freight that doesn't sit cleanly on a pallet — drums, rolls, machinery — talk to us about how to present the load so it ships safely and at the best rate.
Standard versus dedicated pallet freight
The biggest cost lever in pallet freight is choosing between general (consolidated) freight and dedicated pallet runs:
- General freight moves with other consignments on the same vehicle. Pricing is per pallet; transit times are next business day across most of SE QLD. Use for routine restocking where a 24-hour window is fine.
- Dedicated pallet runs put your freight on a vehicle by itself. Pricing is per vehicle or per hour. Use when timing is critical (a production line, a job site, a customer's window) or when freight is too sensitive to consolidate.
Most active accounts use both. The right blend is something we model when you open an account, and review every quarter as volumes shift.
Where cross-docking changes the maths
Cross-docking is one of the most under-used tools in SE QLD distribution. The idea is simple: freight arrives at our Archerfield site, gets sorted, and goes straight back out on the delivery vehicle without ever going into long-term storage. For wholesalers, importers and distributors who don't want to run their own depot in Brisbane, cross-docking turns a fixed cost (warehouse lease, racking, staff) into a variable cost (per pallet handled).
We cover cross-docking in more depth in our cross-docking guide. The short version: if you're shipping more than ~20 pallets a week into Brisbane and you don't have a local warehouse, cross-docking is almost certainly cheaper than a third-party 3PL contract.
Service areas
Pallet freight runs daily from Archerfield to every part of SE QLD and Northern NSW:
- Brisbane metro and Logan — same-day or next-day
- Gold Coast — daily same-day from Brisbane
- Toowoomba and Western corridor — overnight
- Sunshine Coast and Gympie — overnight
- Wide Bay — overnight
- Northern NSW — overnight cross-border
See the full service areas list for suburb-level coverage and postcodes.
What good pallet freight looks like
You should expect:
- A consistent rate card with no surprise surcharges
- Live tracking from pickup to drop
- POD (proof of delivery) within minutes of the drop
- A real person on the phone during business hours
- After-hours support for genuine emergencies
Get a quote and we'll show you what your current freight would look like on our network.