Border Express Pay Rates 2026: Driver, Depot & Warehouse Pay
What Border Express workers should be paid in 2026 — the Road Transport and Distribution Award floor by classification, casual loading, penalties, and where the Border Express enterprise agreements sit.
Leave & Entitlements Specialist · JD, Monash University — Admitted in Victoria (non-practising)
Who covers Border Express workers — award or agreement?
Border Express is a national linehaul and freight transport operator, running depots and interstate freight routes across the country and sitting within the same corporate group as Couriers Please. Its workforce covers linehaul and local delivery drivers, depot staff and freight handlers across its state-based operations.
Freight and depot roles are covered by the Road Transport and Distribution Award 2020. Border Express has registered enterprise agreements covering transport employees in several states and territories (listed below where our corpus holds them); each must leave staff better off overall than the award.
The federal awards relevant to Border Express roles:
- Road Transport and Distribution Award 2020 (MA000038)
- Storage Services and Wholesale Award 2020 (MA000084)
Workforce snapshot. In the 2024-25 Workplace Gender Equality Agency reports, Border Express Pty Ltd reported 1,419 employees (part of the Freight Management Holdings Pty. Ltd. group, 2,532 employees in total, 21.1% casual and 27.3% women). Source: WGEA 2025 Public Data File, data.gov.au (CC-BY 3.0 AU).
Road transport award floor (1 July 2026)
Drivers sit on the Road Transport and Distribution Award 2020 (MA000038). The grade follows the biggest vehicle combination you're required to drive:
| Classification | Permanent | Casual (incl. 25%) |
|---|---|---|
| Transport Worker Grade 1 (courier/van, light rigid) | $26.87/hr | $33.59/hr |
| Transport Worker Grade 2 (rigid over 4.5t, forklift) | $27.51/hr | $34.39/hr |
| Transport Worker Grade 3 (heavy rigid) | $27.83/hr | $34.79/hr |
| Transport Worker Grade 4 (semi-trailer/heavy combination) | $28.32/hr | $35.40/hr |
| Transport Worker Grade 5 (B-double) | $28.67/hr | $35.84/hr |
| Transport Worker Grade 6 (road train) | $29.00/hr | $36.25/hr |
| Transport Worker Grade 7 (double road train / specialist) | $29.42/hr | $36.78/hr |
| Transport Worker Grade 8 | $30.28/hr | $37.85/hr |
| Transport Worker Grade 9 | $30.78/hr | $38.48/hr |
| Transport Worker Grade 10 | $31.55/hr | $39.44/hr |
If you regularly drive a bigger combination than your grade pays for, that is a classification underpayment. Overtime, night and weekend loadings apply on top.
Source: Fair Work Commission modern awards pay database, current-operative rates (1 July 2026 annual wage review). Casual figures add the 25% casual loading.
Storage and warehouse award floor (1 July 2026)
Warehouse and distribution-centre staff sit on the Storage Services and Wholesale Award 2020 (MA000084):
| Classification | Permanent | Casual (incl. 25%) |
|---|---|---|
| Storeworker grade 1 (on commencement) | $27.08/hr | $33.85/hr |
| Storeworker grade 1 (after 3 months) | $27.41/hr | $34.26/hr |
| Storeworker grade 1 (after 12 months) | $27.72/hr | $34.65/hr |
| Storeworker grade 2 (forklift, RF picking) | $27.97/hr | $34.96/hr |
| Storeworker grade 3 (leading hand, inventory control) | $28.77/hr | $35.96/hr |
| Storeworker grade 4 (supervisor) | $29.61/hr | $37.01/hr |
Source: Fair Work Commission modern awards pay database, current-operative rates (1 July 2026 annual wage review). Casual figures add the 25% casual loading.
The Border Express enterprise agreements
Enterprise agreements set rates above the award, with their own classification structures and allowances. Current Border Express agreements in our corpus (4 in total):
- Border Express Pty Ltd Transport Employees and TWU Sydney, Newcastle and Central Coast Site Agreement 2024 — approved May 2024, nominal expiry 4 December 2026.
- Border Express Pty Ltd Transport Employees Albury Enterprise Agreement 2023 — approved June 2023, nominal expiry 13 August 2026.
- Border Express Pty Ltd Transport Employees ACT Enterprise Agreement 2023 — approved June 2023, nominal expiry 9 July 2026.
- Border Express Pty Ltd Transport Employees Western Australia Enterprise Agreement 2023 — approved June 2023, nominal expiry 14 June 2026.
We don't reproduce agreement dollar figures here — the agreement covering your site, state and stream is the document to read. Find your agreement, then your classification, then your pay point, and compare it with your payslip. The award tables on this page are the floor every one of these agreements must beat.
Common transport pay issues at Border Express
The patterns worth checking on a Border Express payslip:
- Driving a bigger combination than your grade pays for — the grade follows the vehicle you're required to drive.
- Unpaid loading, waiting and pre-start time.
- Overtime and night loadings absorbed into a flat rate that doesn't beat the award for the roster.
- Contractor arrangements that look like employment — owner-drivers who are really employees.
What to do if your pay looks wrong
Match your payslip to your classification in the agreement (or the award tables above), and price any gap with our back-pay calculator. Raise it in writing with payroll or your manager first — most underpayments are fixed at that step. Unresolved, the Fair Work Ombudsman (13 13 94) recovers underpayments at no cost, up to six years back, and your union can run the claim for you. Not sure which instrument covers you? Ask our AI advisor with your role and location.
FairWork Mate AI
Check your own pay with the advisor
“I work at Border Express. Am I being paid the right rate for my age and hours — and are my weekend and public holiday penalties correct?”
Cited answers grounded in the Fair Work Act, your award and the Fair Work Commission decisions behind them. Free to start.
Ask the advisor →Pro is $29.99/mo for 150 questions, or a $14.99 7-Day Pass covers 50 questions over 7 days. See plans
Get pay and rights updates for your job
Free email updates when award rates, the minimum wage or workplace laws change.
Free forever. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Official resources
General information and estimates only — not legal, financial or tax advice. Always check your specific award, agreement or contract, or a qualified professional, before you rely on the result.
Related articles
What DHL workers should be paid in 2026 — the Road Transport and Distribution Award floor by classification, casual loading, penalties, and where the DHL enterprise agreements sit.
Team Global Express Pay Rates 2026: Driver, Depot & Warehouse PayWhat Team Global Express workers should be paid in 2026 — the Road Transport and Distribution Award floor by classification, casual loading, penalties, and where the Team Global Express enterprise agreements sit.
CouriersPlease & Border Express Pay Rates 2026: Driver, Depot & Warehouse PayWhat CouriersPlease & Border Express workers should be paid in 2026 — the Road Transport and Distribution Award floor by classification, casual loading, penalties, and where the CouriersPlease & Border Express enterprise agreements sit.
CEVA Logistics Pay Rates 2026: Driver, Depot & Warehouse PayWhat CEVA Logistics workers should be paid in 2026 — the Road Transport and Distribution Award floor by classification, casual loading, penalties, and where the CEVA Logistics enterprise agreements sit.
Former Fair Work Commission Associate (2021–2024) after two years as a plaintiff-side employment paralegal in Melbourne. Juris Doctor from Monash University (2020). Writes about unfair dismissal, leave entitlements, termination, and enterprise bargaining. Admitted in Victoria, currently non-practising. Based in Fitzroy North.