Lockdowns Driving Massive Demand In Spot Freight Market

Lockdowns in Sydney and Melbourne may have stopped millions of people from moving around, but they have done nothing to stop Australians moving their cars, boats and caravans with Brisbane-based freight marketplace TruckIt.net reporting a 60% increase in demand for spot freight.

In September, Truckit users posted more than 17,000 freight jobs on the marketplace, a 65% increase on June this year and 60% on the same month last year. Many freight categories - cars, motorcycles, caravans and boats - have more than doubled in the three months to the end of September.

Truckit’s digital marketplace matches people wishing to freight large items with transport operators. The operators range from sole operators with one vehicle up to large multi-vehicle businesses.

Established by Queensland-born, Scottish rugby international Robbie Russell, Truckit.net is at the forefront of Australia’s rapidly-growing on-demand freight industry that is becoming an increasingly important part of the overall $100 billion a year freight industry.

Mr Russell said demand for freight had grown exponentially over recent months as people were unable to move items themselves and had to rely on the country’s army of truck drivers.

“With large trucking companies operating at full capacity, the spot market is often the only way they can get larger items moved around,” he said.  “Despite the lockdowns, people are still buying and selling cars and boats and caravans and need to be able to get them from one place to another.”

“These are tough times for everybody in lockdown but it is essential we keep the goods moving around the country.”

While multiple states and territories have announced the closure of their borders, the freight and logistics industry has been deemed an essential service and are therefore exempt from border closures.

Truckit works by letting customers simply list their item on Truckit.net for free and receive competitive quotes from interested vehicle operators. The booking, transaction and delivery process is managed directly between the freight owner and the operator.

Since it was first established 2012, Truckit has taken nearly 750,000 listings with deliveries covering more than 100,000,000 kilometres. At any one time there is about $3 million worth of freight jobs posted on the site and available for truckers to quote on.

The idea for the business had its origins in Mr Russell’s return home from international rugby career and moving goods around the world and the country to set-up a new home in Brisbane.

“At the time there were a few freight marketplaces in the UK but it was very difficult to organise freight in Australia,” he said. “Getting a car moved from one city to another or some furniture across town shouldn’t require dozens of phone calls.”

The site now has more than 400,000 customers who have posted a listing on the site and more than 4,500 vetted truckers ready to quote on individual jobs.