Freight Company: At courier quotes we help you by providing a choice of freight companies. Australia is a very large continent and when selecting a freight company there are multiple options to select from. Did you know that your goods may be handled many times by many different hands before it gets to the end destination. CourierQuotes.com.au recommends you that the box, parcel or carton you choose to package your goods in is the correct size for the item you are shipping in Australia. There are different sized boxes for a reason. Choose a box that has enough room for your item and some protective packaging. Also try and package heavy items into smaller boxes (CourierQuotes.com.au recommends double-walled boxes) and lightweight bulkier items into larger boxes. For engines and large machinery please help to palletise the shipment.

Selecting a Freight Company: Australia
When selecting the right freight company to move your products please ensure the shipments are handed over in good condition. The box, satchel or carton must be sturdy and robust and preferably corrugated with flaps intact. Never use boxes that are damaged, received from your import especially from China, thin, old, worn or damp; and never use fruit boxes or miscellaneous boxes from a supermarket. If in doubt, try your local storage company (For example try out Kennards storage, Millers storage , Storage King ) as they also sell packaging materials and boxes like bubble wrap and tape. Don’t make the freight shipment too heavy.

This may cause issues to the freight company in a few ways:

• The carton may break at the bottom while being transported by the freight company
• Freight company sortation staff in depots may drop it accidentally (because they’ve underestimated the weight),
• Your carton may be loaded into the freight’ section of a vehicle which means your carton sits amongst heavy and large freight, with the possibility of damage increasing.

Freight Companies that move heavy items:
If it is a heavy carton, mark it as HEAVY! in bold writing and write the weight next to it. There are stickers and signs you can also purchase to ensure the shipment is marked as heavy for the freight company. For OH and S reasons, most freight companies require a maximum liftable weight per item of 17kgs. If you have a carton weighing more than 17kg, consider breaking it down into 2 items (each less than 17kgs). Before handing to the freight company: Businesses may consider strapping a carton heavier than 17kgs to a skid (i.e. a small version of a pallet), enabling the freight company staff to utilise forklifts to lift the item.  If you cannot break the carton down, you should have someone available at the pickup and delivery addresses to help the driver load/unload the item.