Road Transport Award pay guide 2026/2027

Casual rates for ordinary weekday hours for transport workers (other than oil distribution), generated from the current Fair Work pay guide:

If you only skim one section, make it this one:

• The Road Transport and Distribution Award 2020 [MA000038] covers transport, distribution and logistics, with transport worker grades 1–10 (mostly set by vehicle type/weight).
• Minimums are reviewed each July. The FY2026/27 pay guide took effect from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026, lifting all rates by 4.75%.
• Example 2026/27 adult minimum pay:
  • Grade 1: full-time/part-time $26.87/hr, casual $33.59/hr.
  • Grade 7 (articulated vehicle): full-time/part-time $29.42/hr, casual $36.78/hr.
• Penalties: Saturday +50%, Sunday +100%, public holidays +150% (full-time/part-time); casual rates are higher again.
• Dangerous-goods, driver-salesperson and shift allowances/loadings apply on top.
• Get grade (by vehicle), employment type and shift type right for every employee.

The Road Transport Award — full name the Road Transport and Distribution Award 2020 [MA000038] — is the modern award that sets the legal minimum pay and conditions for its industry. It covers road transport, distribution and warehousing businesses and their employees. Its distinguishing feature is that driver grades are set by vehicle size, not seniority — the same driver moves up a grade when they move up a truck.

Pay is built from four things, in this order: the classification level the employee’s duties fall into (10 in this award), their employment type (full-time, part-time or casual — casuals receive a 25% loading instead of paid leave), when the shift was worked (weekend, public holiday, evening or overtime penalties), and any allowances that apply. Get one of the four wrong and the pay is wrong.

The Road Transport and Distribution Award covers transport, distribution, warehousing and logistics work — drivers, storepersons, forklift operators and yard staff. Transport workers are graded 1–10, largely by the type and weight of vehicle driven.

Important — who’s covered by other awards/provisions: oil distribution employees are paid higher rates within this award; long-distance drivers may be paid under cents-per-kilometre provisions; waste/recycling and passenger transport may fall under different awards. Confirm coverage with Fair Work’s PACT tool before applying rates.

A snapshot of the current FY2026/27 rates for transport workers (other than oil distribution), generated from the same data that powers the calculator above.

Ordinary weekday rates for transport worker grades 1–10:

Casuals receive the same base rate plus a 25% loading. Ordinary weekday casual rates:

Below is the 2026/27 ordinary hourly rate for each classification in the Road Transport Award (full-time and part-time), with the casual rate (base + 25% loading) in brackets. Weekend, public-holiday and overtime penalties apply on top. Classification follows duties, qualifications and responsibility — not the job title.

Transport worker grade 1 — $26.87/hour full-time/part-time (casual $33.59/hour, $1021.00/week full-time). Entry-level / yard / loading.

Transport worker grade 2 — $27.51/hour full-time/part-time (casual $34.39/hour, $1045.50/week full-time). Driver up to 4.5t / storeperson.

Transport worker grade 3 — $27.83/hour full-time/part-time (casual $34.79/hour, $1057.60/week full-time). Driver 4.5–13.9t / forklift.

Transport worker grade 4 — $28.32/hour full-time/part-time (casual $35.40/hour, $1076.20/week full-time). Driver 13.9–15.4t.

Transport worker grade 5 — $28.67/hour full-time/part-time (casual $35.84/hour, $1089.60/week full-time). Driver 15.4–22.4t.

Transport worker grade 6 — $29.00/hour full-time/part-time (casual $36.25/hour, $1102.00/week full-time). Driver 22.4–43t.

Transport worker grade 7 — $29.42/hour full-time/part-time (casual $36.78/hour, $1118.00/week full-time). Driver of articulated vehicles.

Transport worker grade 8 — $30.28/hour full-time/part-time (casual $37.85/hour, $1150.50/week full-time). Driver of road trains / B-doubles.

Transport worker grade 9 — $30.78/hour full-time/part-time (casual $38.48/hour, $1169.70/week full-time). Heavy combination / specialised.

Transport worker grade 10 — $31.55/hour full-time/part-time (casual $39.44/hour, $1198.80/week full-time). Most senior / specialised driver.

Classification is largely driven by the type and weight of vehicle driven (plus non-driving roles):

• Grade 1–2 cover yard, loading and light-vehicle/storeperson duties.
• Grades 3–6 step up by vehicle weight (rigid trucks from 4.5t up to 43t).
• Grades 7–10 cover articulated vehicles, road trains, B-doubles and specialised heavy combinations.
• Forklift, dangerous-goods and driver-salesperson roles attract additional allowances.

Write each employee’s grade (by vehicle), employment type and any allowances into your payroll/rostering system. If unsure, confirm the right level.

Here’s how the most common roles map to classifications and 2026/27 rates. Use these as a starting point, then confirm the level against the employee’s actual duties.

A storeperson, warehouse picker packer or freight handler sits at grade 2 — $27.51/hr (casual $34.39/hr); entry-level yard and loading work sits at grade 1 — $26.87/hr.

A forklift operator sits at grade 3 — $27.83/hr (casual $34.79/hr), the same grade as a driver of a 4.5–13.9 tonne vehicle.

Driver grades follow gross vehicle mass: 4.5–13.9t at grade 3 ($27.83/hr), 13.9–15.4t at grade 4, 22.4–43t at grade 6 ($29.00/hr), articulated at grade 7 ($29.42/hr) and road trains and B-doubles at grade 8 ($30.28/hr).

A warehouse shift supervisor or packing team leader is classified on duties rather than vehicle, generally grade 4–6.

Road Transport Award penalties (on the ordinary rate):

• Saturday: 150% (full-time/part-time), 175% (casual)
• Sunday: 200% (full-time/part-time), 225% (casual)
• Public holiday: 250% (full-time/part-time), 275% (casual)
• Shiftwork loadings apply for afternoon and night shifts (separate from the calculator above).
• Dangerous goods (about $25.07/day bulk, $10.47/day packaged), driver-salesperson (about $23.16/week) and other allowances apply.
• Overtime: time-and-a-half then double time; double time on Sundays and public holidays.

The calculator above covers ordinary, Saturday, Sunday and public-holiday rates. For shiftwork, oil distribution, long-distance and overtime, use Fair Work’s PACT tool or award-interpreting software.

• Full-time is around 38 hours per week, ongoing; part-time has a regular agreed pattern.
• Both receive paid annual and personal/carer’s leave (pro-rata for part-time) and other NES entitlements. Part-time hours should be agreed in writing.

• Paid a 25% casual loading instead of paid leave, with a minimum engagement per shift.
• Casual weekend and public-holiday rates are higher than the permanent rates because the loading is added to the penalty (for example, casual Sunday is 225% of the base rate).

Common allowances under this award include:

• Driver-salesperson – about $23.16 per week.
• Dangerous goods – about $25.07/day (bulk) or $10.47/day (packaged).
• First aid – about $16.92 per week.
• Dirty material – about $0.63/hr; carting tar – about $4.76/week; carbon black – about $2.96/day.
• Travelling, meal and living-away allowances apply for distant work.

Exact amounts update each pay guide — see the Fair Work pay guide.

Leave comes from the National Employment Standards (NES), which apply on top of the award and cannot be reduced by it. Casual employees receive the loading instead of paid leave, but still get unpaid carer’s and compassionate leave, and paid family and domestic violence leave.

Four weeks per year for full-time employees, pro-rata for part-time, accruing progressively from the first day. Employees the award defines as shiftworkers receive a fifth week. Most awards also add annual leave loading — check the leave clause of this award for the rate that applies. See our annual leave guide for how accrual, cash-out and payout on termination work.

• Personal/carer’s leave: 10 days per year for full-time employees, pro-rata for part-time. It accrues and carries over year to year.
• Compassionate leave: 2 days per occasion.
• Family and domestic violence leave: 10 days per year, available to casuals as well, renewing each year rather than accruing.
• Parental leave: 12 months unpaid with a right to request a further 12, alongside the government paid parental leave scheme.
• Public holidays: employees are entitled to be absent on a public holiday; if they work it, the award’s public-holiday penalty applies.

Tracking accruals across mixed full-time, part-time and casual teams is where spreadsheets break down — leave management software keeps balances, requests and approvals in one place.

• Confirm the award and stream (general transport vs oil distribution; not long-distance cents-per-km or passenger transport).
• Download the latest pay guide (FY2026/27).
• Classify each employee by grade (vehicle type/weight) and role.
• Set base rates and apply weekend/public-holiday penalties, shift loadings, dangerous-goods and other allowances, and overtime.
• Use award-interpreting software so penalties and allowances are calculated automatically, and keep records for 7 years.

These are the errors that show up most often when employers audit their own Road Transport Award payroll.

Awards classify on what the employee actually does, their qualifications and their level of responsibility. Two people with the same title can sit on different levels, and someone doing higher duties is owed the higher rate for those hours.

Casual weekend and public-holiday rates are not the permanent penalty plus 25% bolted on afterwards. The award publishes a single casual figure for each penalty — use the rate sheet or the calculator above rather than stacking percentages by hand.

This award carries 6 common allowances. They are easy to overlook because they are not part of the hourly rate, but they are still legally owed — the rate sheet above lists every one.

Because grade follows the vehicle, a driver who covers a shift in a larger truck must be paid the higher grade for that shift. Fleet changes are the most common source of quiet underpayment in this award.

• Grades 1–10, largely set by vehicle type/weight.
• Saturday +50%, Sunday +100%, public holidays +150%.
• Oil distribution and long-distance drivers are paid differently.
• Dangerous-goods and driver-salesperson allowances are easy to miss.
• Update every July and keep good records.

For official guidance, visit the Fair Work Ombudsman website.