Refrigerated Transport Rocklea — Produce and Flower Freight to and from Brisbane Markets

We carry chilled and frozen freight to and from Rocklea, including pickups from and deliveries to wholesalers at Brisbane Markets. Loads run from a single pallet in a refrigerated van to a full semi-trailer, with probe temperatures read and recorded at each end.

What moves through Rocklea

Brisbane Markets, on Sherwood Road, is Queensland’s central fruit and vegetable wholesale market. Growers’ produce is sold here to greengrocers, providores, food-service suppliers and other wholesalers, and flowers are traded on the same site.

Freight moves in two directions. Produce comes in from growing regions such as the Lockyer Valley and the Darling Downs. It then goes out to shops, kitchens and warehouses across Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast.

Market mornings: settle the pickup the day before

Wholesale trade happens early in the day, and buyers want their stock on the shelf while there is still a day’s trade left. That leaves no room to sort out details at the kerb. Arrange the run ahead of time; our office takes bookings from 8am to 8pm, seven days.

1. 1Name the wholesaler and tell us exactly where on the site the order is collected.
2. 2Give the load size — pallets, or a carton count if the order is loose.
3. 3List each product and its temperature, not just “fruit and veg”.
4. 4Put the drops in order, with receiving hours and a contact at each address.
5. 5Say who loads. Tell us whether the wholesaler forklifts the order on or it is carried by hand.

Site access and loading rules are set by the market operator and by each wholesaler. Pass on what your wholesaler has told you and we will confirm at quote how the pickup will work.

Not all produce travels at the same temperature

The most common mistake with a mixed produce order is asking for everything at 0–4°C. Leafy lines want it colder than that. Several tropical and subtropical lines are damaged by it.

These are typical figures. The product owner’s specification wins, so send it with the booking. Our guide to chilled and frozen transport temperatures covers the rest.

Which vehicle for a market run

• Refrigerated van — one pallet equivalent, up to 1 tonne. Suits a single fruit shop, cafe or restaurant order.
• Small truck — typically 2–4 pallets. Suits one buyer with several shops, or a multi-drop run to kitchens.
• Medium truck — typically 6–10 pallets. Suits a wholesaler supplying a group of stores.
• Large truck or semi-trailer — typically 12–14 and 22–24 pallets. Suits grower loads coming in to the market.

Produce is often light but tall and easily crushed, so pallet height matters as much as weight. The fleet page lists each class, and our post on what size refrigerated truck you need works through examples.

Tell us if a delivery address has no dock. Our vans load through rear barn doors at the kerb, and a tailgate is available on our small trucks, so a shopfront with street parking can still take a pallet.

Beyond the market: Acacia Ridge, Archerfield and Coopers Plains

Rocklea is not only the market. Food manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors operate in the industrial streets of Rocklea, Acacia Ridge, Archerfield, Coopers Plains, Salisbury and Moorooka. Their freight is mostly palletised chilled and frozen food moving dock to dock, and we carry it on the same terms: a pre-cooled vehicle and a recorded temperature at each end.

Chilled food is carried at 5°C or below. Frozen food must stay frozen, with −18°C or colder the usual industry guidance. The Ipswich Motorway starts at Rocklea, which makes a run west to Ipswich a common pairing with a pickup here.

Getting a Rocklea quote

We do not publish a rate card, because the price depends on the vehicle, the number of drops, the distance and the time of day. Send those details and we reply within 24 hours, often the same day for routine routes.

For a regular order, our fresh produce transport service is the place to start. For a one-off that cannot wait, contact dispatch and we will tell you what is available.