In the past three years, the cost of livestock cartage has increased as much as 40 per cent.
In the state's west, where distances are greater, this means for every four trailer loads of sheep or goats sent off the property, one pays for the load, says Pastoralists' Association of West Darling president Terry Smith.
Mr Smith said the cost was a significant concern for the group's members, with prices having jumped from around $7/kilometre to $9.80/km, slicing away already fine margins.
Mr Smith's closest abattoir was Thomas Foods International, Bourke, at 550km, while Victorian processers were in the vicinity of 950km to 1000km.
He said with over-the-hooks prices having dropped as low as $2.20/kg for goats, it no longer paid to send them to slaughter.
"If the carcases are less than 10kg, then the processor rejects them and you just don't get paid for those (underweight) carcases," Mr Smith said.
"If the freight cost is high, then having animals being rejected for being underweight and not getting paid at all really makes it tight."
Mr Smith said the presence of Victorian processors was helping, and the word among some agents was a couple more Victorian processors were considering a return to goats.
However, the stock prices were just one of several concurrent issues.
Mr Smith said the political scene in the Middle East was not helping to ease fuel costs, as well.
"It's really a perfect storm at the moment. If goats are not making any money, people will leave them in the paddock, and then they will begin breeding up again."
Mr Smith said the group's members understood the limitations imposed on transport owners and drivers.
"They mostly come out this way with an empty truck; they rarely carry a load out here, and running empty's a major cost," he said.
Increased regulation, fuel costs, wages and parts would offer little solace to the sector, said Livestock, Bulk and Rural Carriers Association president Wade Lewis.
Mr Lewis, also of Agrigrowers Logistics, Tamworth, said it cost $9/km to drive a truck to make a living.
"We know producers' returns have plummeted, but we can't make any more cuts. Our rates have been driven below sustainability.
"When fuel costs $2 a litre or more, we don't have anywhere to move."
He said the consolidation of saleyards and processing plants added to the difficulties. Driving a road train to Broken Hill with empty trailers and no chance of a backload still costs $9/km, empty or full.
Mr Lewis runs 12 heavy transports and so recites with little effort the hidden costs, such as fatigue management devices at $8000 a month for his 12 trucks.
Tyre costs have risen significantly.
"They've gone from $180 to $200 to $500 a tyre; it's phenomenal," Mr Lewis said.
"The state of our roads is so bad that a set of tyres should last 80,000km. We're lucky to get 50,000km.
"Steering boxes and torsion bars are supposed to last the life of the truck, but on bad roads, they are being smashed. Radiators are being broken."
The cost of registering a road train is in the vicinity of $30,000.
"The Heavy Vehicle National Accreditation process requires audits every two years," he said.
"By law, we must wash our trucks for biosecurity reasons after every load. A truck washdown costs $1.20 a minute. It takes us 2.5 hours to wash a B-double. In some places down south, it's $2 a minute."
Independent carrier Ian Tucker, Tucker Stock Transport, Dubbo, has two prime movers and five livestock trailers.
He's been running his business for about 12 years, before which he was a heavy vehicle mechanic.
"It was out of the frying pan and into the fire," Mr Tucker said.
"To put my trucks on the road with registration and insurance ... costs me close to $60,000."
Nick Thompson is part of the family-owned Thompsons Livestock Transport, Cowra.
The business regularly has about 30 trucks on the road daily, so fuel was a significant cost, particuarly after the increases of the past few years.
And while staffing shortages were easing, the cost of replacing trailers and prime movers was increasingly prohibitive.
"Another of our significant challenges is the wait on new gear and the prices. Steel prices have risen well over 10 per cent," he said.
"So a trailer has risen in price from $420,000 to $500,000, and a truck has also gone from $420,000 to about $500,000," he said.
Andrew Poole, Andrew Poole Transport, Dubbo, mainly carries sheep and cattle, servicing the local area.
"We run a range of different-sized trucks - body trucks and semi-trailers," Mr Poole said.
"Like most industries, fuel and wages are our biggest monthly expenses, followed by insurance. Insurance is one thing that has certainly jumped in price. It has gone up 30 to 40 per cent over the past five or six years.
"We're at the stage now where if we get a minor incident with the trucks, we don't put a claim in; we just repair it ourselves to keep our claims down to keep our premiums down.
"Our premiums are around $70,000 to $80,000, whereas they were about $30,000 five years ago."
He said to keep up, the company had to increase its prices about 10pc each year.
Simon Chamberlain
I have comprehensive experience in rural and regional journalism, as well as more than six years as a media officer for several politicians and worked in local government. I rejoined The Land in May 2022 and have loved being back in harness, reporting on a massive range of topics.
I have comprehensive experience in rural and regional journalism, as well as more than six years as a media officer for several politicians and worked in local government. I rejoined The Land in May 2022 and have loved being back in harness, reporting on a massive range of topics.
