One of the first questions we ask when you book refrigerated transport is "how much are you moving?" The answer decides which vehicle we send, and that affects your cost, your delivery window and how easily the driver can get into your site.
Here's a plain-English guide to the four types of vehicle in our refrigerated fleet and when each one makes sense.
Refrigerated utes: small loads and tight spaces
A refrigerated ute is the right choice when you're moving a few cartons or crates, not pallets. Think a restaurant's urgent top-up, a pharmacy delivery, a box of seafood for a function, or samples that need to stay cold.
Utes are quick to dispatch and easy to park, which makes them ideal for:
- CBD and inner-suburb drops with limited loading space
- Last-minute orders and short-notice emergencies
- Last-mile delivery to homes, cafés and small shops
Small refrigerated trucks: everyday commercial runs
When your order moves onto pallets or fills more than a ute, a small refrigerated truck is usually the best fit. They suit restaurant and catering supply runs, retail restocks and regular weekly deliveries.
Small trucks are still easy to manoeuvre around suburban streets and shopping centre loading bays, so they're a common choice for scheduled deliveries.
Large refrigerated trucks: wholesale and bulk
For wholesale distribution, large supermarket orders or event catering at scale, a large refrigerated truck gives you much more pallet space in a single trip. That often works out cheaper than two smaller runs, and keeps all of your stock at the same temperature from pickup to delivery.
Large trucks need more room to access a site, so let us know about any height limits, narrow driveways or loading-dock bookings when you request a quote.
Refrigerated semi-trailers: full loads and long distances
A refrigerated semi-trailer is built for full-scale loads, regional Western Australia and interstate runs. If you're moving a full order from a Perth cold store to a regional town, or between distribution centres, a semi is usually the most efficient option per pallet.
Read more about cold chain logistics for regional WA.
Four questions to answer before you book
You don't need to know exact pallet numbers to get the right vehicle. These four answers are enough for us to recommend one:
- Roughly how much are you moving? A few cartons, a few pallets, a lot of pallets or a full load.
- What temperature does it need? Chilled, frozen or not sure. We'll advise if you're unsure.
- Where is it going? Pickup and delivery suburbs, plus any access limits at either end.
- When does it need to arrive? Now, today or on a regular schedule.
The Find the Right Truck tool on our homepage walks through the same questions and carries your choice straight into a quote request.
When in doubt, ask
If your load sits between two vehicle sizes, or changes week to week, call dispatch on +61 424 245 756 and we'll suggest the most cost-effective option. You can also request a quote online and include any details about your site, and we'll come back with a recommendation.
