Prepared by Sydney Collect
Updated October 2026 · Provider details checked on each provider's website, 6 October 2026
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What are the options for transport and logistics companies to recover debts?

There are four ways to chase an unpaid freight, haulage, courier or warehousing invoice. Here is what each one does, what it costs, and when it is the wrong choice.

OptionCostWhen not to use
SydneyCollect Letter, follow-up and law firm in one place. Built for freight, courier and 3PL invoices$29 per letter. Collect+ adds 10% of what we recover (min $150)Debts over $150,000. Debtors in WA, SA, TAS or NT
AMPAC Commission agency, 30+ years. Lists Transport & LogisticsCommission, rate not published. Legal action extraYou want the price before you start
Insight Mercantile Perth agency since 1994. Dedicated transport pageCommission, rate not published. $15 minimum under $500Small invoices: higher commission
Other agencies Most don't cater to transportUsually commissionSurcharge, demurrage or detention disputes
Law firms Most don't cater to transport debtQuoted per matterOne undisputed invoice: fees can outweigh the debt

Source: each provider's own website, checked 6 October 2026. Neither AMPAC nor Insight Mercantile publishes its commission rate. Links are in the sources list below.

Why is SydneyCollect the best option for most transport debts?

Three reasons.

1. It covers the whole job, end to end. SydneyCollect combines debt collection and legal tools. The letter of demand is step one. If the customer still hasn't paid, Collect+ follows up by email and text until they do (launching soon, $29 plus 10% of what we recover, minimum $150). If they still won't pay, a partner law firm can take it to court. You start with a fixed $29 letter and only add the next step if you need it, all in one place.

2. It is the cheapest way to start. A letter is a fixed $29, so you know the cost before you start. If you add Collect+, we take 10% of what we recover (minimum $150), and nothing more if we recover nothing. The agencies above take a commission from the start and only tell you the rate after they review your debt.

3. It is self-service and automated. You send a letter online in about 5 minutes, with no phone call and no quote to wait for. Reminders go out on day 7 and day 14 by themselves, and you see when the letter is opened. Got a stack of small jobs unpaid? Bulk Debt Recovery sends them all from one spreadsheet, at $29 per letter.

Freight invoice overdue? Send the letter today, before 30 days becomes 90. Send a letter for $29

How did we compare the options?

  • What you get: one step, or every step from first letter to court.
  • Cost: taken from each provider's own website on 6 October 2026. Where a rate isn't published, we say so and don't guess.
  • Transport focus: only what each provider's site says.
  • When not to use: the case where each option is the wrong fit, including ours.

What do AMPAC and Insight Mercantile offer transport companies?

AMPAC calls itself a fully licensed commercial collection agency with over 30 years of experience. Transport & Logistics is one of the ten industries it lists. It chases by phone, email and SMS, and clients track debts through AMPAC Online. Commission is only paid on what it recovers, and it says legal action will cost more.

Insight Mercantile is a Perth agency founded in 1994 with a dedicated transport page. It covers freight forwarders, 3PLs, owner-drivers, demurrage, detention and fuel surcharge disputes. It works on no recovery, no commission, but charges more on smaller debts and a $15 minimum fee on accounts under $500. It says most matters resolve in 30 to 60 days.

Most other agencies and commercial law firms list a long set of industries without naming transport.

Why are transport invoices getting paid later?

Big customers pay slowly by design. Large Australian businesses take 58 days on average to pay suppliers, 6 days longer than small businesses (Atradius, via the 2026 Debt Collection Report, §6). LATAM Airlines takes 184 days and Hull 2227 (Shipping) 165 days at the 95th percentile.

Your customers are mostly solvent but slow. Transport, postal and warehousing fails at 2.05 per 1,000 businesses, against 3.42 nationally (§5). A formal letter gets 55 to 70% of debts paid where reminders failed, usually within 7 to 21 days (§8). More numbers are in our transport and logistics guide.

Which option should a transport company use?

  • One or more freight invoices overdue, debtor in NSW, VIC, QLD or the ACT: start with SydneyCollect. $29, sent today.
  • The letter is ignored: stay with us. Collect+ follows up, and a partner law firm takes over if you need to sue.
  • The debt is over $150,000: use a specialist agency like Insight Mercantile, or a commercial law firm.
  • The customer is in WA, SA, Tasmania or the NT: use a locally licensed agency, or our free letter generator and send it yourself.
  • The customer is in liquidation, or the invoice is genuinely disputed: a letter won't fix it. You need a proof of debt or legal advice.

SydneyCollect is one of the options on this page. We checked the details for the others on their own websites. If something is wrong, email info@sydneycollect.com and we'll fix it within 24 hours.

Frequently asked questions

For most overdue freight invoices, SydneyCollect. You send a $29 letter of demand online in about 5 minutes and it goes out the same day. If the customer still doesn't pay, Collect+ follows up for you and a partner law firm can take it to court. Debts over $150,000 need a specialist agency or law firm.
A SydneyCollect letter of demand is a fixed $29. Collect+ follow-up adds 10% of what we recover (minimum $150). AMPAC and Insight Mercantile charge a commission on what they recover and quote the rate after reviewing the debt. Insight Mercantile charges a $15 minimum fee on accounts under $500 even if nothing is recovered, and AMPAC says legal action adds further costs.
We send reminders on day 7 and day 14. If the invoice is still unpaid at day 14, we offer to connect you with a partner debt recovery law firm, which quotes before you commit to court. Collect+, our managed follow-up by email and text, is launching soon for $29 plus 10% of what we recover (minimum $150).
AMPAC lists Transport & Logistics among its industries and says it has over 30 years of experience. Insight Mercantile, based in Perth since 1994, has a dedicated transport page covering freight forwarders, 3PLs and owner-drivers. Most general agencies don't name transport at all.
No. We act where the debtor is in NSW, Victoria, Queensland or the ACT. We aren't licensed to collect debts in WA, SA, Tasmania or the NT. Where your business is based doesn't matter, so a Perth carrier chasing a Sydney shipper is fine.

Sources