FreightClause reviews, redlines and rewrites carrier, 3PL and customer freight agreements in minutes — graded against the Australian Consumer Law, the HVNL Chain of Responsibility and current market terms. The legal-grade safety net, at software prices.
Carrier subcontracts, 3PL agreements and customer trading terms decide who carries the loss when something goes wrong. Today you either sign them blind — or pay a lawyer hundreds an hour and wait weeks for a markup.
Uncapped indemnities, one-sided set-off and consequential-loss clauses sit unnoticed until a claim lands — then they're your problem.
External review runs A$2,500–A$7,500 and 1–3 weeks per contract. Deals stall, or get signed unreviewed to keep trucks moving.
Different reviewers, different opinions, no record of what changed or why. Nothing compounds into a reusable standard.
Since November 2023, including an unfair term in a standard-form small-business contract is a breach of the Australian Consumer Law, with penalties applied per term. Freight is built on standard-form contracts.
References: Australian Consumer Law (Competition and Consumer Act 2010, Sch 2) ss23–28; Heavy Vehicle National Law s26C; Payment Times Reporting Act 2020. FreightClause flags exposure against these regimes; it is a review tool, not legal advice.
Upload a contract or paste your own terms. FreightClause parses every clause, grades it against Australian freight regulation and market practice, and hands back redlines, a rewritten compliant contract, and a plain-English schedule of every change.
PDF, Word or text. Structure — headings, clauses and rate tables — is preserved end-to-end, not flattened.
Each clause is classified, severity-rated and cited to the regulation or market norm it breaches.
Precise from→to wording you can accept selectively. Nothing is invented — only the reviewer's proposed text.
A rewritten, branded contract plus a schedule of every change — ready to send or sign.
Average warm export renders in ~1 second. A full review completes while you make a coffee — not in a fortnight.
Every issue comes with the exact wording to swap in. Accept the ones you want; FreightClause assembles the revised contract and a schedule of changes you can hand to the counterparty.
| Lane / Service | Unit | Rate | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney – Melbourne | per trip | $1,850.00 | Indexed |
| Melbourne – Brisbane | per trip | $2,340.00 | Indexed |
| Metro distribution | per pallet | $28.50 | Incl. |
| Demurrage | per 15 min | $18.00 | N/A |
Live AIP terminal gate diesel prices drive your fuel-surcharge schedule — defensible, indexed, automatic.
FreightClause watches the HVNL, ADG code & legislation registers and flags you the moment they change.
Run your standard trading terms through the UCT lens before the regulator — or a counterparty — does.
| FreightClause | Traditional lawyer | |
|---|---|---|
| Turnaround per contract | Minutes | 1–3 weeks |
| Cost per contract | From ~A$40 (on plan) | A$2,500 – A$7,500 |
| Consistency across reviews | Identical lens, every time | Varies by reviewer |
| Freight specialisation | Purpose-built (UCT · HVNL · TGP) | Often generalist |
| Schedule of changes & audit trail | Automatic | Manual / extra cost |
| Ongoing regulatory monitoring | Built in | Re-engage & re-bill |
| Scales to 10s of contracts/month | Yes — flat fee | Linear cost increase |
Keep your lawyer for bespoke, high-value or disputed matters. Use FreightClause for the 90% of routine review that eats their hours — and your budget. Cost figures are typical Australian market ranges, illustrative only.
A mid-size broker or 3PL vetting around 2 carrier or customer agreements a month. Conservative legal estimate at A$3,500/contract.
Lawyers: 24 × A$3,500 ≈ A$84,000/yr. FreightClause Business: A$4,400/yr (annual). Illustrative — your mix and rates will vary.
Findings reference the exact provision — ACL ss23–28, s24, HVNL s26C, Payment Times Reporting Act 2020 — so you can stand behind every flag.
Regulatory monitoring tracks the registers and dates; provenance shows the "current as at" date on every review.
Exports carry your business name, ABN/ACN and logo as a letterhead — client-ready, not a generic template.
Annual billing discounts apply (e.g. Business A$4,400/yr). One mid-size dispute avoided pays for years of cover. A single avoided unfair-term penalty pays for a lifetime.
Start with a free exposure audit of your own standard terms. See exactly what a lawyer would charge thousands to find — in the next five minutes.
FreightClause provides contract review and drafting assistance, not legal advice. For bespoke, high-value or disputed matters, engage a qualified Australian legal practitioner.