Pricing
Transparent pricing. No surprises.
Clear upfront rates for metro parcels and pallets, priority and after-hours service, and per-kilometre regional Victoria pricing. All prices include GST.
Metro delivery rates
Per-item rates with road kilometres included — every booking includes the first 20 km (small items only) or 50 km (any pallet on board) of driving. Most metro deliveries fit inside the included kilometres, so the item rate is your whole price.
Small item
Parcels, satchels & documents
$35
European pallet
1200 × 800mm footprint
$88
Standard pallet
1165 × 1165mm footprint
$110
Oversized pallet
Over-height or over-width freight
$155
Transparent freight pricing
Know your freight cost before you book.
Not every transport quote tells the full story. Some freight providers advertise a low starting rate, then add extra charges after you book — or after the delivery is done. Their own pricing schedules often say it in the fine print: fuel levies, surcharges, tolls, fees and detention charges “may apply” on top of listed rates.
Drop-X works the other way. Enter your pickup and delivery addresses, choose your freight, and the full price is on screen before you confirm — no call-and-wait quote cycle, and nothing added after the job is done.
What some carrier invoices look like
Example only — charges added after the quote
- Fuel levy (18%)+ $19.80
- Tail-lift / manual handling+ $35.00
- Waiting time (detention)+ $22.00
- Toll & congestion charges+ $12.40
- Administration fee+ $8.50
- Depot handling fee+ $18.00
- Pallet exchange fee+ $16.50
More than double the quoted rate
A Drop-X Transport invoice
Every line itemised at booking — the total never moves.
- Standard pallet item rate$110.00
- First 50 km — included with a pallet on board$0.00
- Remaining 30 km × $1.85+ $55.50
The number you book is the number you’re invoiced.
Every booking works this way: the item rate includes the first 20 km of driving (small-item-only bookings) or 50 km (any pallet on board). Most metro deliveries fit inside the included kilometres, so the item rate is the whole price. Beyond them — metro or regional — distance is $1.85/km, with kilometres beyond 100 at $2.30. No fuel levy; optional extras are priced before you confirm — never after.
Charges other carriers may add — depending on the provider
- Fuel levies
- Waiting time (detention) charges
- Administration fees
- Toll charges
- Congestion surcharges
- Depot handling fees
- Cross-docking fees
- Regional delivery surcharges
- Residential delivery fees
- Tail-lift charges
- Manual handling fees
- Oversized / overweight charges
- Storage fees
- Re-delivery fees
- After-hours & weekend surcharges
- Pallet exchange fees
- Special handling charges
The Drop-X Transport difference
We believe freight pricing should be simple and transparent. Whether you’re sending one pallet or booking regular business freight, you’ll know exactly what you’re paying before your delivery is confirmed.
- No fuel levy on any delivery — metro or regional, the price you book is the price you pay
- No administration or booking fees
- No undisclosed surcharges bolted on after delivery
- No surprise invoices at the end of the month
- Optional extras (hand unload, after-hours, waiting time past the 10-minute grace) are shown upfront and only apply when you use them
- You know your price before you book
Transparent pricing. Reliable service. No surprises.
Service & priority options
Choose the turnaround that suits the job. Add-ons stack on top of the base rate.
Priority delivery
1–3 hour turnaround on same-day or next-day jobs.
+$55
Standard same-day
Picked up and delivered within 8 hours on the same business day.
Base item rate
Next-day discounts
Discounted rates are applied to next-day deliveries — plan ahead and save.
See the savings below
After-hours delivery
Deliveries booked from 5:00 PM onwards.
+$110
Optional extras
Added to your job only when you need them.
Hand unload
$44Driver-assisted unloading by hand where no dock or forklift is available. Includes up to 30 minutes on site.
Transit insurance
$24.32Optional goods-in-transit cover added to your consignment.
Waiting time
10 min graceFree grace period at each pickup and delivery. Waiting time applies after — call dispatch for the rate.
Next-day delivery savings
Book next-day instead of same-day and pay less on every job.
Plan ahead and save. Booking next-day instead of same-day earns a discount off the standard metro rate:
| Item | Same-day rate | Next-day rate | You save |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small item | $35 | $35 | No discount |
| European pallet | $88 | $77 | 12% offsave $11 |
| Standard pallet | $110 | $97 | 12% offsave $13 |
| Oversized pallet | $155 | $136 | 12% offsave $19 |
Next-day metro pallet rates are 12% off the standard same-day rate and apply per delivery. Small items are the same rate next-day. All prices inc. GST.
Regional runs save even more. Next-day regional deliveries are 12% off the full per-kilometre price — for example, a standard pallet on a 100 km run drops from $202.50 to $178.20.
The discount applies to the whole regional price — item rate and distance charge — per delivery. All prices inc. GST.
Pay for the journey, not the zone
Freight pricing that follows the road — metro & regional Victoria
Every Drop-X job is priced on the actual journey: an item rate with road kilometres included, then a per-kilometre charge only for the distance beyond them. The further your freight travels, the more the distance component — and that’s the only thing that changes. Most metro jobs never reach the kilometre rate; regional Victoria runs are where it matters. No zone tables, no rounding up to the next bracket. All prices inc. GST, confirmed before pickup.
Item rate
The base fee, charged for every item booked: $35 small item, $88 European pallet, $110 standard pallet, $155 oversized. Metro or regional, every job starts here.
Included kilometres
Every booking includes road kilometres before any distance charge starts: 20 km when the booking is small items only, or 50 km when any pallet or oversized item is on board. If the whole job fits inside the included kilometres — as most metro deliveries do — the item rate is the whole price.
Kilometre rate
Once a job runs beyond its included kilometres — metro or regional — the distance beyond them is charged at $1.85 per km of road driving. On runs past 100 km, only the kilometres beyond 100 are charged at $2.30 — the first 100 stay at the lower rate, so there's never a price jump.
What that looks like in practice
Small item · 80 km
- Item rate — $35.00
- 60 km beyond the free 20 km × $1.85 — $111.00
Same-day total$146.00
Next-day (12% off)$128.48
Standard pallet · 100 km
- Item rate — $110.00
- 50 km beyond the free 50 km × $1.85 — $92.50
Same-day total$202.50
Next-day (12% off)$178.20
Standard pallet · 150 km
- Item rate — $110.00
- 50 km at $1.85 — $92.50
- 50 km beyond 100 km × $2.30 — $115.00
Same-day total$317.50
Next-day (12% off)$279.40
No price cliffs at a zone boundary
On a zone-based rate card, one extra kilometre can tip a job into the next bracket and re-price the whole run. On a per-kilometre model, one extra kilometre costs exactly one kilometre.
Typical zone-table pricing
Illustrative — how bracket-style rate cards behave
- 120 km delivery$330
- 121 km delivery — crosses into the next zone$530
+$200 for one extra kilometre
Drop-X distance pricing
Standard pallet, same-day, inc. GST
- 120 km delivery$248.50
- 121 km delivery$250.80
+$2.30 for one extra kilometre
Zone figures are illustrative of how bracket-style pricing behaves, not a specific carrier’s rates. Drop-X figures: $110 standard pallet + first 50 km included + 50 km at $1.85 + kilometres beyond 100 at $2.30.
Distance is measured as road driving distance from pickup to delivery — the same way your sat nav measures it — and your price is confirmed when you book.
The same rules apply across all of regional Victoria — Geelong, the Mornington Peninsula, Ballarat, Bendigo and beyond are all priced per kilometre. And if a long metro job runs beyond its included kilometres, the same kilometre rate applies there too — always shown in the quote before you book.
Interstate freight is priced separately. Contact us for interstate runs or anything unusual.
Price it yourself in the booking form
Enter your pickup and delivery addresses
The system measures the actual road distance
Your full price appears before you confirm
No call-backs, no waiting on an emailed quote — GST and any card fee are shown on screen before you commit. Book online or call 1300 973 038 and dispatch will price it with you.
Why dedicated courier services cost more
A dedicated same-day courier isn't a parcel network. You're booking an entire vehicle and driver to move your freight directly — so the price reflects the real cost of running that service, not a share of a consolidated load.
Driver wages & super
A qualified driver is paid for their full time on the road, plus superannuation.
Fuel
Long regional runs burn significant fuel — often hundreds of kilometres each way.
Servicing, tyres & depreciation
Every kilometre wears the vehicle — servicing, tyres and the cost of the asset itself.
Insurance & compliance
Goods-in-transit and vehicle insurance, plus ongoing transport compliance.
GST
All rates include GST, so the price you see is the price you pay.
Time
One regional job can occupy a driver and vehicle for 4–8 hours, start to finish.
A dedicated vehicle
Your freight travels alone — unlike parcel networks that consolidate hundreds of deliveries.
Parcel network vs dedicated courier
Parcel network
Freight is consolidated with many other customers
Dedicated courier
The vehicle is dedicated to your freight only
Parcel network
Delivery may take 3, 5, 7 or even 14 days
Dedicated courier
Direct, same-day service
Parcel network
Lower cost
Dedicated courier
Higher cost due to exclusive use of the vehicle
Why does regional same-day freight cost more?
Because you're booking an entire vehicle and driver to move your freight directly, often hundreds of kilometres, without waiting for other loads. You're paying for dedicated service, not shared freight.
Pricing FAQs
Common pricing questions
Waiting time, fuel levy, priority and after-hours charges — the answers customers ask us most before they book.
Does waiting time apply to pickups and deliveries?
Every job includes a grace period of 10 minutes at pickup and 10 minutes at delivery at no charge. If our driver is held up beyond that grace period, waiting time is charged in line with the vehicle and job — call our dispatch team on 1300 973 038 for the current waiting-time rate before you book.
Are Drop-X Transport prices inclusive of GST?
Yes. All metro item rates, service add-ons and regional Victoria per-kilometre pricing shown on this page include GST.
Do you charge a fuel levy?
No. Drop-X doesn't charge a fuel levy on any delivery — metro or regional. The rate you see is the rate you pay, with no hidden add-ons.
How much does a same-day priority delivery cost?
Priority delivery adds $55 to the base rate and gives you a 1–3 hour turnaround on same-day or next-day jobs. Standard same-day is charged at the base item rate and delivered within 8 hours on the same business day; next-day bookings are also at the base item rate, with discounts available on next-day freight.
What are the after-hours delivery charges?
Deliveries booked from 5:00 PM onwards attract an after-hours fee from $110 on top of the base rate. Contact dispatch for weekend and public-holiday pricing.
Do you do regional Victoria same-day delivery?
Yes. We run same-day regional Victoria deliveries as dedicated point-to-point jobs — a car or van is assigned to your freight and driven straight through, priced per kilometre as explained on this page. For lower-cost regional freight we also offer scheduled next-day services at 12% off. Call dispatch on 1300 973 038 with your pickup and delivery towns and we'll confirm the fastest same-day option and price.
How is regional Victoria and interstate freight priced?
Every job is priced the same way: the item rate ($35 small item, $88 European pallet, $110 standard pallet, $155 oversized) plus $1.85 per km of road distance beyond the included kilometres — 20 km are included when the booking is small items only, and 50 km are included when any pallet or oversized item is on board. Most metro jobs fit inside the included kilometres; regional Victoria runs are where the kilometre rate applies, and on runs past 100 km the kilometres beyond 100 are charged at $2.30. Interstate freight is priced separately — contact us for a quote.
Do metro deliveries ever pay a kilometre rate?
Only when the job drives beyond its included kilometres — 20 km for small-item-only bookings, 50 km with a pallet on board. Most metro runs fit inside the included kilometres, so the item rate is the whole price. On a long cross-metro run that goes beyond them, the same $1.85 per km applies to the extra distance and is shown in your quote before you book.
Do you charge extra for oversized or pallet freight?
Pallet and oversized freight is priced by item type rather than by weight: European pallets are $88, standard pallets $110, and oversized (over-height or over-width) freight $155. Regional pallet freight pays the same item rate plus the per-kilometre distance charge beyond the included 50 km.
Who qualifies for corporate pricing?
Corporate pricing is based on consistent weekly volume, route efficiency and long-term partnership potential. Typical qualification starts from around 10 local pallet deliveries per week or 3 regional deliveries per week. High-volume corporate accounts can save up to 30% — contact us about a freight account and we'll tailor a rate to your volume.
Still have a question about pricing? Contact our Melbourne dispatch team for a tailored quote.
Ready when you are
Need a pickup in the next hour?
Talk to a real dispatcher in Melbourne. We quote in minutes and dispatch the next available driver.