Full Truck Load (FTL) Freight Quotes
Understanding full truckload road freight can be tricky. Our website makes it easy to consider distance, volume, capacity and get an accurate cost on full truck load shipping options.
To get a full truck load freight quote, all you need to do is click the link above. All we need are a few details and then we can help you compare and choose the best full truck load freight option to meet your needs.
In this article we discuss the tyranny of distance and how the vastness of Australia can determine how much we as customers pay for freight between capital cities. Freight lanes between major cities in Australia are increasing every year. There are more and more options with different pricing schedules.
What do we really know about the intricacies of the cost to trucking companies, calculating what you pay per KG or as a standard pallet rate. When calculating the cost of sending pallets and using a full truckload as the benchmark, it pays to get to know some of the basic facts and challenges of long distance line haul freight operations for full truckloads of freight.
Here are the approximate distances in kilometers between key capital cities in Australia.
- Sydney to Melbourne: 870 km
- Sydney to Brisbane: 920 km
- Sydney to Perth: 3,290 km
- Melbourne to Brisbane: 1,660 km
- Melbourne to Perth: 2,720 km
- Brisbane to Perth: 4,100 km
Note that these distances are approximate and may vary depending on the exact locations within each city that you are measuring from and to.
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How many hours typically of driving it will take?
These times are based on the fastest driving routes, and actual travel times may vary depending on traffic, road conditions and other factors such as adverse weather. Additionally, it is important for long distance drivers to take breaks when driving long distances. This adds a lot of time to a drive such as Brisbane to Perth/ That is necessary to ensure safety and avoid fatigue.
- Sydney to Melbourne: Approximately 8 hours of driving
- Sydney to Brisbane: Approximately 10 hours of driving
- Sydney to Perth: Approximately 40 hours of driving (not including breaks)
- Melbourne to Brisbane: Approximately 18 hours of driving
- Melbourne to Perth: Approximately 32 hours of driving (not including breaks)
- Brisbane to Perth: Approximately 43 hours of driving (not including breaks)
- Melbourne to Sydney: Approximately 8 hours of driving
- Brisbane to Sydney: Approximately 10 hours of driving
- Perth to Sydney: Approximately 40 hours of driving (not including breaks)
- Brisbane to Melbourne: Approximately 18 hours of driving
- Perth to Melbourne: Approximately 32 hours of driving (not including breaks)
- Perth to Brisbane: Approximately 43 hours of driving (not including breaks)
How much diesel fuel would be required for a semi trailer and truck?
Calculating the amount of diesel fuel required for a semi-trailer and truck to travel between capital cities in Australia depends on a variety of factors, including the fuel efficiency of the vehicle, the load being carried, road conditions, and other factors.
As a rough estimate, assuming an average fuel efficiency of around 5-6 miles per gallon for a semi-trailer and truck combination, and using the distances between the capital cities I provided earlier, we can estimate the approximate amount of diesel fuel required for each leg of the journey. Actual fuel consumption may vary depending on a variety of factors, including the specific truck being used, driving conditions and load weight.
Here are the estimated fuel consumption and cost calculations in litres, assuming a diesel price of $1.95 per litre:
- Sydney to Melbourne: Approximately 550-660 litres of diesel fuel, costing approximately $1073-$1288
- Sydney to Brisbane: Approximately 582-698 litres of diesel fuel, costing approximately $1134-$1362
- Sydney to Perth: Approximately 2116-2540 litres of diesel fuel, costing approximately $4129-$4963
- Melbourne to Brisbane: Approximately 1044-1253 litres of diesel fuel, costing approximately $2034-$2444
- Melbourne to Perth: Approximately 1713-2055 litres of diesel fuel, costing approximately $3343-$4007
- Brisbane to Perth: Approximately 2579-3095 litres of diesel fuel, costing approximately $5033-$6033
- Melbourne to Sydney: Approximately 550-660 litres of diesel fuel, costing approximately $1073-$1288
- Brisbane to Sydney: Approximately 582-698 litres of diesel fuel, costing approximately $1134-$1362
- Perth to Sydney: Approximately 2116-2540 litres of diesel fuel, costing approximately $4129-$4963
- Brisbane to Melbourne: Approximately 1044-1253 litres of diesel fuel, costing approximately $2034-$2444
- Perth to Melbourne: Approximately 1713-2055 litres of diesel fuel, costing approximately $3343-$4007
- Perth to Brisbane: Approximately 2579-3095 litres of diesel fuel, costing approximately $5033-$6033
How many pallets that will fit on a semi trailer?
The number of pallets that can fit on a semi trailer will depend on the size of the pallets and the configuration of the trailer.
A standard Australian pallet measures 1165mm x 1165mm, while a standard European pallet measures 1200mm x 800mm.
A typical semi trailer in Australia can carry around 22- 24 standard pallets (approximately 23000-25000kgs) measuring 1165mm x 1165mm, assuming the pallets are stacked 2.4 meters high.
B-doubles are equipped to carry around 34 pallet, (approximately 34000-36000 kgs) and road trains (44 pallet spaces, 46000-48000kgs).
It’s important to note that these are estimates, and the number of pallets that can be carried may vary depending on the size and weight of the products being transported, as well as any other equipment or materials that need to be loaded onto the trailer.
What is a B-Double?
A B-Double gets its name becasue it has two trailers, both being B-types. The B-Double concept began in Canada and over there it’s called a B-Train, but the name was changed in Australia. B-Doubles are classified as RAVs (Restricted Access Vehicles) as they exceed one or a combination of the following: • 4.3 metres in height; a gross mass of 42.5 tonnes; • an overall length of 19.0 metres. There are dozens of combinations of these types of trucks, ranging from category 1 to 10. These types of RAVs can have multiple combinations of Prime Mover, Semi Trailer & Pig Trailer or Dolly, Prime Mover and Semi Trailer, Short B-Double, Short B-Triple, the list is endless. With so many configurations of trailers, our carriers are well-equipped to handle the biggest and complex freight tasks.
How to calculate the cost of sending a full truckload semi trailer to and from capital cities in Australia.
Investing in sending freight long distances means getting to know a few basic facts about how freight moves from one location to another, and more than anything else, as a business owner, you need to be confident the price you’re being quoted is fair and reasonable. As the developers of one of Australia’s leading Freight Management Platforms, One World Courier has invested heavily in technology to cater for just about every possible scenario. What we mean by this is, during the development of our platform, we have added many features and special additions to make sure when a full truckload or less than full truckload, such as moving 10 pallets from Brisbane to Melbourne for instance, every scenario is programmed into our platform.
As an example, if you were to manage booking the freight yourself and wanted to calculate costs etc, you’d have to consider the following when sending a full truckload of freight, more than likely you’d be sending bulk, palletised freight. Here’s what needs to be considered. This is what most freight companies would use to determine their operating costs.
- Calculate the distance between the two locations where the pallets are being picked up from and being delivered to.
- When sending a full truckload of freight (FTL), determine the maximum capacity weight carried on a semi trailer, which in Australia is usually around 40-50 tonnes.
- Determine the volume of the semi trailer. This will vary depending on the type of semi trailer being used, but a standard semi trailer in Australia has a volume of around 60-70 cubic meters.
- Calculate the cost of diesel fuel using the distance between the two cities and the fuel consumption rate of the semi trailer.
- Determine any additional costs, such as road tolls, permits and other fees that may be incurred during the trip.
- Divide the total cost by the volume of the semi trailer to determine the price per cubic meter.
- Divide the total cost by the maximum weight allowed to be carried on the semi trailer to determine the cost per tonne.
All of the above can go a long way into helping customers better understand how full truckload pricing can be calculated. Additionally, by providing transparent and detailed pricing information, trust is developed which in turn is a winning formula in any business and not just the freight industry.
Example. Sending full truckload of pallets from Brisbane to Melbourne.
If we were to send a full truckload of palletised freight from Brisbane to Melbourne consider the following.
- how many stackable pallets can fit into a truck?; and
- what is the maximum height of each pallet?
Assuming a standard semi-trailer with a length of 14.6 meters and a height of 2.7 meters, and using the standard Australian pallet size of 1165mm x 1165mm, 34 stackable pallets can fit in a truck, with each pallet height being a 2.4 meters high.
However, if you need to get as many pallets onto one truck as you can, you may consider using double-deck trailers, which have an internal height of around 4.2 meters and can accommodate up to 66 pallets. The maximum height of each pallet in a double-deck trailer would be 1.8 meters.
It’s important to note that the max number of pallets on a truck can vary depending on the size and weight of items on the pallet. Additionally, the total weight of the palletised goods does not exceed the maximum weight allowed for the semi-trailer.
To wrap this up…the cost to send full truckloads of pallet from Brisbane to Melbourne for instance can vary depending on several factors such as the size, weight, and destination of the pallet, as well as the carrier’s own coats and mode of transportation used. Other factors that may affect the cost include fuel prices, seasonality, and demand.
It’s important to get full truck freight quotes from several carriers and compare their rates and services to find the best option for your needs. This is why we built a Freight Management Platform to make it easier for Australia businesses to get instant full truckload quotes from multiple carriers.