All pay rates under the Road Transport (Long Distance Operations) Award 2020 (MA000039) for 2026-27, including base rates, casual rates, penalty rates, and break rules.
Last verified: 19 July 2026MA000039 · Road Transport
Common roles: Truck driver, Heavy vehicle driver, Bus driver, Tanker driver, Removalist
$27.83
Base rate/hr
$34.79
Casual rate/hr
| Level | Base Rate/hr | Casual Rate/hr | Weekly (38hrs) | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | $27.83 | $34.79 | $1,057.54 | $54,992.08 |
| Grade 4 | $28.32 | $35.40 | $1,076.16 | $55,960.32 |
| Grade 5 | $28.67 | $35.84 | $1,089.46 | $56,651.92 |
| Grade 6 | $29.00 | $36.25 | $1,102.00 | $57,304.00 |
| Grade 7 | $29.42 | $36.78 | $1,117.96 | $58,133.92 |
| Grade 8 | $30.28 | $37.85 | $1,150.64 | $59,833.28 |
Saturday
$41.75/hr
1.5x base
Sunday
$55.66/hr
2x base
Public Holiday
$69.57/hr
2.5x base
Overtime (first 2 hours)
$41.75/hr
1.5x base
Overtime (after 2 hours)
$55.66/hr
2x base
Rates shown for Level 1 ($27.83/hr base).View full penalty rate table →
| Shift Length | Meal Break | Rest Break | Paid? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 5 hours | None | None | No |
| 5–8 hours | 30 min | 15 min | Yes |
| 8–11 hours | 30 min | 15 min | Yes |
| 11+ hours | 60 min | 30 min | Yes |
Select your classification level and penalty type below.
| Award | Base Rate | Casual Rate | Sunday | Public Holiday |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Road Transport Award | $27.83/hr | $34.79/hr | $55.66/hr | $69.57/hr |
| Hospitality Award | $26.44/hr | $33.05/hr | $39.66/hr | $59.49/hr |
| Retail Award | $27.81/hr | $34.76/hr | $41.71/hr | $69.52/hr |
| Clerks Award | $26.97/hr | $33.71/hr | $53.94/hr | $67.43/hr |
| Building Award | $26.67/hr | $33.34/hr | $53.34/hr | $66.68/hr |
Under the Road Transport Award (MA000039), the Level 1 base rate is $27.83/hr from 1 July 2026. The casual rate (including 25% loading) is $34.79/hr. Higher classification levels receive progressively higher rates.
Permanent employees under the Road Transport Award receive 2x their base rate for Sunday work. For a Level 1 employee, that's $55.66/hr on Sundays.
Public holiday work under the Road Transport Award is paid at 2.5x the base rate. For Level 1, that's $69.57/hr.
The Road Transport Award covers employees in the road transport industry. Common job titles include Truck driver, Heavy vehicle driver, Bus driver, Tanker driver, Removalist, Road train driver.
Embed this calculator on your site — free
One line of HTML. Auto-updates with the latest Australian rates. Click to copy the code.
Copy & paste into any HR blog, payroll docs, intranet, or CMS.
<iframe
src="https://fairworkmate.com.au/embed/pay-rates?partner=YOUR_NAME"
width="100%"
height="700"
frameborder="0"
loading="lazy"
title="Road Transport Award Pay Rates 2026-27 by FairWork Mate"
style="border:1px solid #e2e8f0;border-radius:8px;max-width:680px;"
></iframe>YOUR_NAME with your site identifier for attribution (optional).Get notified when rates change
Free alerts when minimum wage, award rates, or workplace laws are updated.
Free forever. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
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.
Complete guide to modern award pay rates for 2026-27. Covers the 4.75% increase, how to find your award, minimum wage levels, penalty rates, overtime, and allowances under the Fair Work system.
KFC Australia Pay Rates 2026: Crew Member to Manager PayKFC Australia hourly rates 2026 — crew member, cook, team leader, and manager pay under the Fast Food Industry Award. Junior rates and weekend penalties.
Coles Pay Rates 2026: Award Rates by Age, Casual & Penalty RatesWhat Coles workers should be getting paid in 2026. Full breakdown of hourly rates by age, casual loading, weekend and public holiday penalty rates under the General Retail Industry Award.
Free tools surface the issue. Our partners help you solve it.
Authorised Employment Hero Partner
Australian HR, payroll, rostering and award interpretation in one platform. Used by 300,000+ businesses. Fixes the underlying payroll/compliance issues our calculators surface.
Best for: SMEs that have outgrown spreadsheet payroll or want automated award interpretation.
See Employment HeroHR support partner
Senior, hands-on HR support for your toughest workforce challenges — performance and conduct, grievances and mediation, redundancy and change. Liquid HR picks up where the technology ends.
Best for: employers and individuals who need a human HR professional to guide a workplace situation, not just a calculator.
Talk to Liquid HRIT, Microsoft & cyber partner
Microsoft 365, Copilot rollouts, Essential Eight, Privacy Act 2026 and board-level cyber compliance for Australian SMBs. Where pay and HR end, your data and IT obligations begin.
Best for: SMBs running on Microsoft 365, anyone hitting cyber/privacy compliance, boards wanting an outside read on IT risk.
See FrontrowRecommended partners — we only recommend partners we've vetted as a good fit for Australian workplaces. Some partnerships help fund the free tools on this site.