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All industries Transport, Postal and Warehousing

Road Freight Transport

Heavy vehicle freight — consignment management, fatigue and chain-of-responsibility obligations, fuel tax credits.

ANZSIC
4610
Division
I

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NATIONAL · staff unknown

State

National onlyNSWVICQLDWASATASNTACT

Employing staff

Not sureYesNo

Bundle spec

Recommended software & services

Ranked on merit for this trade, not on what pays us most. Core items are pre-selected at checkout.

Manifest

6 items · 3 pre-selected

  • TransVirtual TMS

    CORELogistics Software

    Consignment management, driver app and customer portals.

    $135/mo$159

  • Xero Accounting

    COREAccounting Software

    Fuel tax credits, maintenance costs and driver payroll.

    $59/mo$70

  • Employment Hero

    RECOMMENDEDWorkforce & Payroll

    Road Transport Award (MA000038) interpretation and fatigue-aware rostering. Only needed once you employ staff.

    $105/mo$125

  • BizCover Business Insurance

    COREInsurance

    Heavy vehicle, goods in transit and public liability cover.

    $75/mo$85

  • Prospa Business Lending

    OPTIONALLending

    Equipment and vehicle finance referral.

    No monthly fee

  • Airwallex Business Account & FX

    OPTIONALBanking & Fintech

    Cross-border payments for international freight partners.

    $45/mo$59
Bundle readout

Core bundle: 3 services

Retail

$314/mo

Bundle

$269/mo

Save $45/mo
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Workforce

Modern Awards that typically apply

  • MA000038

    Road Transport (Long Distance) Award

    Primary

    Primary award for long distance drivers. Short-haul distribution work is covered separately.

    11 entitlement rules modelledFair Work summary

Pay rates — deliberately not published

We deliberately don't publish pay rates. They change (usually each 1 July) and stale figures risk underpaying staff. Use the Fair Work Pay and Conditions Tool for current rates.

Compliance matrix

Licensing & compliance

National scope only

Showing national obligations only. Pick a state above to see the trade licences and permits that apply where you operate.

TAX REGISTRATION

2

  • Australian Business Number (ABN)

    NATIONAL

    Every business operating in Australia needs an ABN. It is free to apply for and is required before you can register for GST, issue compliant tax invoices, or avoid having 47% withheld from payments by other businesses.

    Australian Business RegisterCheck with the regulator

  • GST registration

    NATIONAL

    Registration is compulsory once your GST turnover reaches the registration threshold in a rolling 12-month period, and you must register within 21 days of crossing it. Registration is optional below the threshold. Ride-sourcing drivers must register regardless of turnover.

    Australian Taxation OfficeCheck with the regulator

WORKPLACE SAFETY

1

  • Work health and safety duties

    NATIONAL

    As a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) you owe a primary duty of care to workers and others. WHS law is implemented by each state and territory regulator.

    Safe Work Australia and state regulatorsCheck with the regulator

INSURANCE

1

  • Public liability insurance

    NATIONAL

    Not legally compulsory for most businesses, but effectively mandatory in practice — most commercial clients, councils, landlords and head contractors require evidence of cover before you can work.

    Not government-mandated for most businessesCheck with the regulator

May also apply — we need one more answer

  • PAYG withholding registration

    Do you employ staff (including casuals)?

  • Single Touch Payroll (Phase 2) reporting

    Do you employ staff (including casuals)?

  • Superannuation guarantee

    Do you employ staff (including casuals)?

  • Director Identification Number

    What is your business structure?

  • Workers compensation insurance

    Do you employ staff (including casuals)?

  • Chain of Responsibility obligations

    Do you operate heavy vehicles?

Payroll codes

Payroll allowances to expect (STP Phase 2)

Single Touch Payroll Phase 2 requires allowances to be itemised by type. These are the ones this trade commonly reports.

  • CD

    Cents per kilometre

    Car allowance paid on a per-kilometre basis for business travel in the employee's own vehicle.

  • RD

    Domestic or overseas travel

    Travel allowance covering accommodation, meals and incidentals away from home.

  • MD

    Overtime meal allowance

    Meal allowance paid when an employee works overtime.

Free tools

Free government tools worth using

Some of what businesses pay for is already published free. Start here.

  • Australian Business Licence and Information Service (ABLIS)

    Answer questions about what your business does and where it operates, and get back the licences, permits and registrations that apply across federal, state and local government. The single best starting point for the licensing question.

    Australian Government

  • Work out your business registrations

    Walks through which registrations you need — ABN, business name, GST, TFN, PAYG withholding — based on your structure and situation.

    business.gov.au

  • ABN Lookup

    Free public register for checking an ABN, its GST registration status and entity name. Worth running over any new commercial customer before you extend credit.

    Australian Business Register

  • Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR)

    Register a security interest over goods you supply on credit, or search whether equipment you are buying is encumbered. Low cost per registration and the difference between being a secured and unsecured creditor if a customer folds.

    Australian Financial Security Authority

  • IP Australia — TM Headstart

    A pre-application assessment service for trade marks — an examiner reviews your mark before you formally apply, so you find problems before paying the full application fee.

    IP Australia

  • Cash flow statement template

    A spreadsheet for projecting money in and out month by month.

    business.gov.au

  • Profit and loss statement template

    Standard income statement layout for businesses not yet on accounting software.

    business.gov.au

  • Balance sheet template

    Assets, liabilities and equity in a single standard layout.

    business.gov.au

  • Budget template

    Plan expected income and expenses across a financial year.

    business.gov.au

  • Start-up costs sheet

    Itemise what it will actually cost to open — the exercise that tells you how much runway you need before the first invoice is paid.

    business.gov.au

Government tools and templates referenced are © Commonwealth of Australia, licensed under CC BY 3.0 AU.

Disclaimer

General information only — not legal, financial or tax advice. Licence classes, thresholds and exemptions change; confirm every requirement with the named regulator before relying on it.