Valuations for Melbourne transport and logistics businesses, from the fleet to the contracts it serves.

A Melbourne transport or logistics business is valued on the cash it earns after the real cost of keeping its fleet on the road, not just book depreciation. Our valuers test how secure the customer contracts are, whether rates move with fuel and wages, how much of the work depends on the owner, and the age and finance of the trucks. Safety systems and accreditation are checked because buyers ask about them, and an owned depot is separated from the business and valued by a property valuer.

Profit after the fleet, not before it

Trucks, trailers, forklifts and vans wear out, and replacing them is the biggest call on a carrier's cash. Depreciation in the accounts often bears little relation to what it really costs to keep a fleet current, so the valuer looks at the age profile of the vehicles, the replacement cycle the business actually follows and how it is financed. A fleet bought on hire purchase or chattel mortgage brings debt that has to be dealt with in the price. The valuation reconciles earnings with the cash spent on vehicles over several years, then values the business on what is left. Where some vehicles are surplus or owned outside the business, they are shown separately. Owner-driver and subcontractor arrangements are reviewed as well, because they shift both the capital burden and the risk.

Customers, rates and the western and south-eastern corridors

Much of Melbourne's freight moves through precincts such as Laverton North, Truganina, Dandenong South and Tullamarine, and many carriers serve a small number of distribution centres there. That makes customer concentration the first risk a buyer looks at. The valuation sets out revenue by customer, the length of each relationship, whether there is a written agreement, and how rates are reviewed. A contract with a fuel levy and an annual rate review protects margin; a handshake rate that has not moved for years exposes it. For a third-party logistics operator, the warehouse lease and the customer contracts need to line up: a customer contract that runs longer than the lease, or the reverse, is a gap a buyer will price.

Chain of Responsibility and heavy vehicle accreditation

Under the Heavy Vehicle National Law, the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator says every party in the Chain of Responsibility has a primary duty to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the safety of its transport activities. Customers increasingly want proof of how a carrier manages fatigue, mass, loading and maintenance. Accreditation is changing too. The NHVR's Heavy Vehicle Accreditation scheme, a tiered framework under the updated law, took effect on 1 August 2026. No new accreditations are being granted under the older National Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Scheme, existing holders can operate under it until their accreditation expires, and an operator can hold accreditation in only one scheme at a time. The valuation records what accreditation the business holds, when it expires and what safety systems sit behind it. Whether it carries across in a sale is a question for the NHVR and your lawyer.

Owned depots: landholder duty and the property tax reform

Many carriers own their yard or warehouse inside the trading company or a related trust. That brings two Victorian rules into a sale of shares or units. The State Revenue Office says landholder duty can apply when someone acquires a significant interest in a company or unit trust holding Victorian land worth $1 million or more: 50% or more of a private company, or 20% or more of a private unit trust. The buyer must lodge a statement and pay within 30 days, at land transfer duty rates on the land's unencumbered value. Separately, a commercial or industrial property bought in an entry transaction on or after 1 July 2024 moves into the commercial and industrial property tax, which generally applies at 1% of site value each year once the 10-year transition ends, while the property keeps a qualifying use such as a warehouse or factory. The valuation separates the property from the business. Property is valued by a property valuer in Victoria; we value the business. Duty and tax are for your lawyer, accountant or the SRO.

When Melbourne transport businesses are valued

• ·Sale of the business to a competitor or a larger logistics group
• ·A partner or family member leaving the business
• ·Separating an owned depot from the operating company
• ·Restructuring before a sale or a capital raise
• ·Succession to the next generation of the family
• ·Market value evidence for small business CGT concessions on exit (your accountant applies them)

• ·Primary duty scope, National Heavy Vehicle Regulator
• ·NHVAS transition to HVA scheme, National Heavy Vehicle Regulator
• ·Understanding landholder duty, State Revenue Office Victoria
• ·Understanding commercial and industrial property tax, State Revenue Office Victoria