[David Dunlop]

If I read your question as being related to a freight shipping issue regarding costs and/or reliability, I can assure you I have had no direct dealings with such in Australia, but can offer some insights into a bit of the operation here in Canada.

For the most part, if you are moving something 'specialized' like a 25-pdr from a Point A to a Point B, both of which are high traffic areas for freight companies, prices are pretty fixed. There is lots of business available and nobody is going to go broke if they say they are not interested. There is lots of work available. That holds pretty true for both the major players and the smaller independent operators.

If either of your Point A or Point B are in lower freight traffic areas, you might find a good deal with a smaller independent who may be in a situation of hauling a full load out but not have enough business to bring back in. It's not in their best interests to be moving an empty, or near empty rig anywhere.

It's a crap shoot in a way finding a shipper that it will work for, but definitely worth the time to look into. A bit like the car rental business. They will rent you a vehicle for a one way trip, but don't like to because it costs them money to send somebody out to bring the vehicle back to their location. If you are planning a long road trip here by rental, it sometimes pays to see if anyone here has a vehicle needing to be returned to where you are going. It becomes a plus situation for them rather than a negative. And you can usually find another stranded vehicle at the other end, you can use to get home.

My inflation riddled two cents.


David