Refrigerated Transport Hemmant & Port of Brisbane — Cold Store Pickups and Deliveries

We collect chilled and frozen freight from cold stores and food businesses in Hemmant, Lytton, Murarrie and the wider Port of Brisbane area, and we deliver into them. We are a road carrier for product that is released and ready to collect. We do not claim wharf or container work, so ask us first about anything involving the terminals.

The port-side suburbs

The Port of Brisbane sits at the mouth of the Brisbane River. Behind it, Hemmant, Lytton, Murarrie, Tingalpa and Morningside line the south bank, with Pinkenba and Eagle Farm on the north bank. Together they make up much of the area known as Australia TradeCoast.

The Gateway Motorway bridges join the two banks, and the Port of Brisbane Motorway runs from the Gateway out to the port. Cold stores, importers, exporters, seafood and meat businesses and food manufacturers all operate along those roads.

What we do here, and what to ask about

Before you book a cold store pickup

Most wasted trips to a cold store come from one of five gaps. Close them before the truck is booked.

1. 1Confirm the product is released. Your customs broker, freight forwarder or the cold store will tell you when it is available to collect.
2. 2Get the pickup reference and the collection time the cold store has given you.
3. 3Ask how it is presented — on pallets or loose, wrapped or not, and how tall each pallet stands.
4. 4Check the pallets. Find out whether they have to be exchanged or returned.
5. 5Read the temperature off the product specification, not from memory.

Then add the delivery addresses, receiving hours and a contact at each one. Our guide on how to book refrigerated transport has the full list.

Seafood, meat and frozen cartons: holding the temperature

Seafood and meat are potentially hazardous foods, so the Food Standards Code requires them to travel at 5°C or below. In practice seafood and vacuum-packed meat are often held closer to 0°C. Frozen food must stay frozen, and −18°C or colder is the usual industry guidance.

Imported frozen cartons deserve a close look at pickup. A receiver should accept frozen food only if it is frozen hard, so soft corners or frost inside the wrap are worth raising at the cold store door. We read and record calibrated probe temperatures at pickup and at delivery, which shows where a problem began.

Businesses that transport meat or seafood in Queensland may require an accreditation. Check with Safe Food Production Queensland for your product, and ask any carrier, including us, for current documents. Our handling routines are HACCP-aligned.

Vehicles for port-side work

• Refrigerated van or small truck — one to four pallets, for samples, top-ups and split deliveries to restaurants and retailers.
• Medium or large truck — typically 6–14 pallets, for part of a consignment going to one or two warehouses.
• Semi-trailer — typically 22–24 pallets, for a full load between a cold store and a distribution centre.
• Multi-temperature vehicle — when chilled and frozen lines leave the same cold store together.

Frozen cartons are dense, so weight can limit a load before the floor is full. Chilled and frozen food usually cannot be double-stacked. See the fleet page for each class, and our frozen goods delivery service for how frozen loads are handled.

Onward from the port side

The Gateway Motorway is the reason this area works for distribution. North, it leads to the Bruce Highway and the Sunshine Coast. South, it leads to Logan and the M1 to the Gold Coast. Deliveries across Brisbane make up much of the rest.

Regional Queensland freight moves on planned linehaul services, and interstate runs are on request.

Getting a quote

We quote each job and reply within 24 hours, often the same day for routine routes. If a cold store pickup has become urgent, our urgent refrigerated transport service covers same-day work where dispatch has a vehicle available.