Container pick up and removal: how it works

Container pick up is the same job as container delivery, run in reverse, and most moves are both at once. This guide covers when people need one, what happens on the day, what we need from you, and what it costs. Our container transport, hire and sales page covers the service itself, and for general pricing start with how much it costs to move a shipping container.

When you need a container picked up

• You have finished with it. A hire has ended, a build is done, or a storage container is no longer needed and has to go back to a depot or on to its next job.
• You have sold it. The buyer needs it collected from your property and delivered to theirs.
• You are moving. A packed container goes from the old property to the new one, across town or interstate.
• It is in the wrong spot. A container on site needs shifting to another part of the property or to a different site.
• It came with the property. A container left behind by a previous owner that you want gone.

What happens on the day

We book the truck that suits the container and the job. The driver needs the area around the container clear, the doors closed and secured, and firm ground to work on. A tilt tray backs up to the container, winches it onto the tray and drives away. Heavier 20ft containers and 40ft moves are done by side loader. At the other end the same truck sets it down where you want it, doors facing the way you asked. Interstate, the container goes to the rail terminal and a truck at the far end delivers it to the door.

Which truck we send depends on the container, the weight and the site, and the price includes it. Our guide to container trucks explains what each one is used for.

What we need from you

• Both addresses, and where the container sits on the property.
• Size, 20ft or 40ft, and whether it is a high cube.
• Empty or loaded, and a rough weight if loaded. An empty 20ft weighs about 2.2 tonnes and an empty 40ft about 3.8 tonnes.
• Access at both ends: the straight run to the container, gates, overhead lines and the ground. A photo from where the truck would stop is the most useful thing you can send.
• The CSC plate if the container is going interstate by rail. A photo of the plate, usually on the left hand door, is enough for us to confirm it is good to go.
• Timing, a date or even a rough timeframe. We will work around it either way, and it helps us hold the right truck.

What it costs

A 20ft pick up and move within Brisbane starts at about $450 inc GST for an empty container or one loaded up to 5 tonnes, and most Brisbane moves land between $500 and $1,000. A 40ft within Brisbane starts at about $650, empty or up to 5 tonnes. Interstate by rail, a 20ft from Brisbane to Sydney or Melbourne starts at about $2,300 door to door, empty or up to 5 tonnes, and return lanes are priced on their own. These are indicative figures from our calculator, October 2026. Your estimate takes about two minutes in our calculator, and a confirmed price follows within one business day.

Every price includes every leg of the move and the standard terminal lifts, goods in transit insurance and public liability, and one point of contact start to finish. If you are moving vehicles, machinery or anything unusual in the container, tell us and we will sort the cover for it.

Container removal when you do not want it back

If the container is simply in the way, we can take it off your hands. Most of the time that means collecting it and disposing of it for you; sometimes it goes to a depot or on to another owner. Tell us where it is and what condition it is in, and we will price the removal like any other move, on the route and the job.

Book a pick up

Enter both suburbs in the calculator for an instant estimate, or send the details through the quote form and we will price it by hand within one business day. Prefer to talk? Call 0423 859 829, 7am to 4pm weekdays.