Transport operators · Freight, haulage and warehousing
Fractional CFO for transport operators
A transport business can run full and still lose money once fuel, empty kilometres and fleet finance are counted. We help you price each route and customer so the rate covers the truck, and plan the cash for the next one.
What transport operators are deciding
Rules and rates are stated in general terms. Your legal adviser or tax adviser can confirm how they apply to your business.
The rate per kilometre that covers the truck
Fuel, tyres, registration, insurance, finance and driver time all sit in the rate, and an empty return leg changes it.
How much fuel levy to charge
Diesel moves weekly, the fuel tax credit moves with excise and the road user charge, and customers expect the levy to be explained.
When to replace or add a truck
Finance terms, depreciation and the work that is actually contracted decide whether the next truck pays for itself.
Which routes and customers earn their keep
A route can look busy and still lose money once waiting time, tolls and empty kilometres are counted.
Illustrative example · Transport operator · Queensland
The fuel levy that recovers a diesel rise, for one truck
One prime mover runs 150,000 kilometres a year at 50 litres per 100 kilometres, so it burns 75,000 litres of diesel. If the pump price rises 20 cents a litre, the business pays 18.18 cents more after it claims back the GST, and the fuel tax credit is unchanged, so the truck costs $13,636 more to run each year.
The work is charged at $3.20 a kilometre, or $480,000 a year. A fuel levy of 2.84 per cent recovers the rise. The road user charge works the other way: every cent it rises comes off the fuel tax credit, so each 1 cent rise costs this truck $750 a year.
75,000 L
Diesel a year, one truck
$13,636
Extra cost of a 20 cent rise
2.84%
Fuel levy that recovers it
$750
A year for each 1 cent of road user charge
Since 3 August 2026 a heavy vehicle on public roads claims 21.3 cents a litre: excise of 53.7 cents less the road user charge of 32.4 cents. The next road user charge rise has been deferred to 1 January 2027, and its rate is still to be confirmed.
Illustrative, modelled on one truck in a regional freight business. Not a client engagement.
Sources: ATO, fuel tax credit rates from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027; National Transport Commission, road user charges. Checked 22 October 2026.
How an engagement runs
Every engagement starts with discovery and a diagnostic in the first two weeks. We get under your numbers, from fuel, kilometres and finance by truck to rate cards, payroll and aged debtors, and surface the issues and opportunities that matter most to a transport business.
In weeks three and four we set up clean reporting, a cash flow forecast and the rhythm of reviews. The first decisions land in the second month, in pricing, cash or cost, and from the third month we are part of how the business runs, alongside your accountant and bookkeeper. The fractional CFO service page sets out the full scope.
Tools to start with
Free tools on the ProfitPulse tools site for the questions transport operators ask most, each with its result on screen straight away.
Reading for transport operators
Common questions
Do you replace our accountant?
No. Your accountant keeps the tax returns, BAS and year end accounts, and your bookkeeper keeps the books. We add the forward looking work: cash forecasts, margins by route and customer, and the numbers behind decisions on pricing, stock and investment. We share what we find with your accountant, so everyone works from the same figures.
What does it cost?
The fractional CFO partnership starts from $3,750 a month, billed month to month with no long term lock in. When you need a figure for the business, before a sale or a handover, an indicative valuation starts from $4,500 and a comprehensive valuation from $13,500. Each of these is a starting price.
How is the fee sized?
Engagements usually stay at the starting price. Some need closer oversight or a deeper assessment, and the scope and fee rise to match. Find your fit confirms your price based on the characteristics of your business, and the pricing page explains how everything is sized.
Do you work with transport operators outside Brisbane?
Yes. We work with transport operators across Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast, and further afield across Australia. Most of the monthly work happens over video calls and shared reports, with visits to your site as each engagement needs, so distance changes little. The locations we serve page has the detail.
What do you need from us to start?
Read only access to your accounting software, the last two years of financial statements, your fleet list with its finance, fuel and kilometre records by truck, your rate cards, aged debtors and creditors, and your payroll summary. A first meeting with you covers how work is won, run and paid. Nothing needs to change in your systems before we start.
Talk it through with us
A 45 minute discovery call is complimentary. Bring your rate cards and your fuel records.