What Pilot Freight does

Pilot Freight is an Australian freight forwarding company founded in 2015 by Clive Thomas, who serves as owner and CEO. The company provides international logistics services spanning air freight, ocean freight (FCL, LCL, and specialized containers), customs brokerage, ground transport, and specialized handling for perishable, hazardous, and oversized cargo. It operates from a head office in Alexandria (Sydney) with branch offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Cairns, and maintains dedicated perishable cargo handling facilities across six Australian cities. Pilot Freight holds contractual agreements with all airlines operating out of Australia and all major shipping lines to worldwide destinations, and is IATA accredited for international air cargo.

The company generates revenue primarily through transaction fees on freight forwarding services and professional services fees on customs brokerage activity. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; customers request freight quotes via a website form or by phone, and billing is on a pay-as-you-go cadence. Go-to-market is sales-led: logistics consultants engage Australian importers/exporters, freight forwarders seeking partner capacity, and specialized cargo handlers (perishables, medical supplies, automotive, project cargo) directly through branch offices. Marketing is concentrated on a company website with an active logistics news blog and a LinkedIn presence.

The technology stack is limited. The company describes its core technology as a freight forwarding and logistics management platform and offers one public-facing tool, a Charge Weight Calculator for air freight shipments. There is no mobile app, no public API or SDK, and no documented AI/ML capabilities in the input data. The firm's primary differentiation rests on carrier network breadth, multi-city perishable facility infrastructure, and IATA accreditation rather than proprietary technology.

Name

Pilot Freight

Legal name

Pilot Freight

Website

https://pilotfreight.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pilot Freight is an Australian freight forwarding company founded in 2015 that provides air, sea, and ground freight services plus customs brokerage for importers, exporters, and specialized cargo handlers across five Australian branch cities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Freight Forwarding and Logistics Services

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Trucking & Courier Services (No Air) (4210)

akta.pro primary industry

General Cargo Air Freight Forwarding (Airport-to-Airport / Door-to-Door) (TLACAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

FCL (Full Container Load) Ocean Forwarding (TLACABAA), Ocean Import Forwarding (Destination Handling/DO/ISF) (TLACABAE), Trade Compliance & Ocean Regulatory Services (Sanctions/Export Controls) (TLACABAL)

Keywords

• Freight forwarding services
• Air freight logistics
• Ocean freight services
• Customs brokerage
• Perishable cargo handling

Headquarters

HQ city

Alexandria

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Freight Forwarding Services: Revenue generated from air freight, ocean freight, and ground transport services. The company offers comprehensive freight forwarding solutions including consolidated services, direct and deferred routings, FCL, LCL and specialized container services.
2. Customs Brokerage: Clearance services for import/export goods, handling documentation and regulatory compliance for various cargo types including perishable cargo, medical supplies, cars and project cargo.
3. Ground Transport: Haulage and delivery services including same day services, sea-freight container pickup/delivery, aircraft bin transport, and pallet delivery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Pilot Freight is an Australian freight forwarding company that arranges and manages international shipments via air, sea, and ground transport. It provides customs brokerage for import/export clearance and operates dedicated perishable cargo handling facilities across six Australian cities. Customers contract Pilot Freight to coordinate end-to-end logistics including cargo booking, documentation, customs clearance, and last-mile delivery.

Product overview

Pilot Freight is a freight forwarding company offering a comprehensive suite of logistics services. The core portfolio consists of Customs Brokerage Services, Air Freight Services, Sea Freight Services, and Transport Delivery Services. Supporting services include Perishable Cargo Handling with facilities in six Australian cities, and Project and Hazardous Cargo handling for complex shipments. The company also provides a Charge Weight Calculator tool. Services are offered through branches in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Cairns, with contractual agreements with all airlines operating out of Australia and major shipping lines worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Customs Brokerage Services
• Air Freight Services
• Sea Freight Services
• Transport Delivery Services
• Perishable Cargo Handling
• Project and Hazardous Cargo Handling

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• All Airlines Operating Out of AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContractual agreements with all airlines operating out of Australia, providing comprehensive air freight routing options and capacity access for customers.
• All Major Shipping Lines (Worldwide)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContractual agreements with all major shipping lines to worldwide destinations, enabling FCL, LCL and specialized container services on a global scale.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• DB Schenker: DB Schenker is a major global logistics provider with air, ocean, and land transport services, including Australian operations. It overlaps with Pilot Freight's air and ocean forwarding and customs brokerage offerings for Australian shippers.
• Kuehne+Nagel: Kuehne+Nagel is one of the world's largest freight forwarders with established operations in Australia covering air, ocean, customs, and specialized cargo. While much larger globally, it competes with Pilot Freight for the same Australian enterprise and SME import/export customers.
• DSV: DSV is a global transport and logistics company formed via the Panalpina and UTi integrations, offering air, sea, and road freight services worldwide including Australia. It is a broad incumbent competing with Pilot Freight across similar forwarding product lines.
• DHL Global Forwarding: DHL Global Forwarding is a major worldwide freight forwarder with full air, ocean, and customs services in Australia. As a broad incumbent, it competes with Pilot Freight on international forwarding and customs brokerage for both large enterprises and SMEs shipping in and out of Australia.

Emerging players

• Flexport: Flexport is a digital-native global freight forwarder offering air and ocean forwarding with a strong technology platform. While not Australia-headquartered, it competes for Australian import/export forwarding business and represents the technology-forward disruption to traditional forwarders like Pilot Freight.

Direct peers

• Toll Group: Toll Group is one of Australia's largest logistics and freight forwarding companies, offering air, sea, and domestic transport with extensive domestic branch coverage. It is a directly comparable Australian forwarder competing for the same importers/exporters and freight forwarding contracts as Pilot Freight.
• Mainfreight: Mainfreight is a New Zealand-headquartered global freight forwarder with strong Australian operations across air, ocean, and domestic transport. It is directly comparable to Pilot Freight as a multi-modal forwarder targeting the Australia-NZ trade corridor with similar service breadth and customer base.
• FB International: FB International is an Australian freight forwarder offering air, sea, and customs brokerage services. It directly competes with Pilot Freight for Australian SMEs and importers/exporters requiring similar multi-modal forwarding solutions.
• Mondiale Freight Services: Mondiale is an Australian-owned freight forwarder providing air, sea, and customs brokerage services across multiple Australian cities. It directly competes with Pilot Freight for Australian importers/exporters requiring similar multi-modal forwarding capabilities.
• Centurion International: Centurion is an Australian freight forwarder specializing in air, sea, and customs services with national coverage. It is a directly comparable Australian forwarder targeting similar import/export and perishable cargo customers as Pilot Freight.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pilot Freight