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Direct Freight Express is an Australian freight carrier. The integration supports both parcel and pallet-scale consignments, which makes it the right choice for heavy or oversized goods that a parcel carrier won’t take.

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Getting credentials

Direct Freight Express provides an API Key and your Account Number through your account manager or their customer portal.

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Setting up the rate

1

Add a rate to your zone

In your rule, click Add rate on the zone you want.
2

Set the calculation parameter to Direct Freight Express

Choose it under the live carrier options.
3

Enter your credentials

Fill in API Key and Account Number.
4

Choose a Rate Type

Select the consignment type — including Pallet and Skid options for freight-scale orders.
5

Decide on fuel levy

Tick Fuel Levy Charges to add the fuel levy to the final delivery cost.
6

Configure packaging

Set Packaging box distribution and define your boxes or pallets.
7

Set a default rate

Default rate is used if Direct Freight Express doesn’t respond.

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Fuel Levy Charges

Freight carriers bill a fuel levy on top of the base rate, and it moves with fuel prices.
Leave Fuel Levy Charges unticked and the quote your customer sees excludes a charge you will be billed for. On freight consignments the levy is a meaningful percentage, not a rounding error.Tick it unless you have a deliberate reason to absorb the cost.

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Pallets and skids

Setting Rate Type to a pallet or skid option changes what ShipMagic quotes for — a pallet consignment rather than a set of cartons. Pallet configuration asks for the pallet’s Length, Width, and a Max Pallet Height. Items are distributed onto pallets up to that height.
If you sell both small parcels and pallet-scale goods, split them across two rules with a product condition — for example on product weight or dimensions — so each consignment type is quoted correctly.

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Always set a Default rate

If the carrier is unavailable and no default rate is set, the customer sees no shipping option and cannot complete checkout. This matters more on freight, where a failed quote can lose a high-value order.

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Testing

  1. Add products with accurate weights and dimensions
  2. Check out to a real Australian address, using a fresh address each time
  3. Test both a small cart and one large enough to trigger pallet rating
  4. Confirm the fuel levy is included if you enabled it

Packing algorithm

Box and pallet distribution methods.

Adding dimensions

Dimension data that freight quotes depend on.

Australia Post

The parcel-scale Australian option.

Bulky items

Routing oversized goods to a freight rate.