Your Complete Guide to Transport Labour Hire for Perth’s Mining and Logistics Industries
With Western Australia’s mining industry setting record employment – 135,693 on-site jobs in 2024, businesses are under pressure to keep trucks rolling and warehouses stocked. Finding qualified staff fast, especially during peak seasons, can be time-consuming and costly.
That’s where transport labour hire steps in as a smarter solution.
No more dealing with recruitment delays, payroll headaches, and compliance stress. Now, you get job-ready workers from a trusted labour hire & recruitment agency, exactly when and where you need them.
Here’s your guide that breaks down everything about road transport labour hire in Perth. We’ll help you explore what it is, how it works, its benefits over casual employment, what roles are available, and how to choose the right provider for your business. Let’s dig in.
What Is Transport Labour Hire?
Labour hire refers to the practice of hiring workers through a third-party labour hire & recruitment agency. These workers are employed by the agency but perform their duties under the supervision of your business.
While the host company (you) manages the worker’s daily tasks, the labour hire provider handles everything else. All from payroll and super to insurance, taxes, and workplace compliance. This gives companies the flexibility to increase or decrease their workforce as needed, without the obligations of permanent hiring.
In industries like transport and mining, where operations are fast-paced and workforce needs can change quickly, labour hire offers flexibility without long-term commitments.
So, what are the benefits of using transport labour hire services?
- Reduced Downtime – Quickly fill critical roles and avoid costly delays due to staff shortages.
- Fast Turnaround – Fill roles quickly, immediate access to trained and certified workers; within 24–48 hours
- Cost-effective Staffing – Avoid long-term employment costs during short-term spikes
- Workforce Flexibility – Scale up or down depending on projects and demand
- Access to Skilled Talent – Tap into a ready pool of qualified transport and mining workers
- Minimised Admin Hassle – We manage insurances, payroll, and workplace compliance
How Labour Hire Services Work?
Three parties are involved in a labour hire arrangement:
- Labour hire agency,
- Worker
- Host company
The process generally works like this:
- Client requests staff: A business provides the agency with job details and staffing needs.
- Agency recruits or assigns a worker: The labour hire company finds and employs a suitable worker for the role.
- Worker placement: The worker goes to the client’s site and performs tasks under the client’s supervision.
- Agency handles administration: The labour hire agency manages recruitment, payroll, taxes, insurance and other HR tasks for the worker. The host simply pays the agency’s fees and supervises the work.
Who Pays Employees in Labour Hire?
The labour hire agency is the legal employer and pays the worker’s wages and benefits. In practice:
- The labour hire agency issues paychecks, superannuation and any entitlements to the worker.
- The host company does not pay the worker directly; it pays the agency a fee or hourly rate instead.
What Types of Workers Are Available Through Labour Hire
Labour hire agencies supply a wide range of workers, depending on the client’s needs and preferences. Here’s a breakdown of the types of workers commonly available:
- General Labourers – Warehouse staff, freight handlers, construction crews, and offsiders
- Qualified Tradespeople – Electricians, plumbers, carpenters, diesel mechanics, and fitters
- Technical and Admin Staff – Machine operators, technicians, drivers, dispatchers, and office support
Both entry-level workers (e.g. apprentices, trainees) and experienced professionals can be arranged through labour hire.
Reasons Why Businesses Choose Transport Labour Hire Worker?
There are several practical reasons businesses turn to labour hire services, especially in fast-moving sectors like transport, logistics, and mining. Flexibility, speed, and reduced stress on internal resources make it an ideal solution in many situations.
Here are some of the most common reasons:
- Staff Shortages: Illness, leave, or sudden resignations can leave critical gaps. Labour hire lets you fill roles fast, without lengthy recruitment.
- Seasonal Demand: During busy periods like end-of-year freight spikes or harvest seasons. Businesses can scale up their workforce quickly and efficiently.
- Unexpected Project Surges: Got a last-minute contract or project win? Labour hire helps you meet tight deadlines without sacrificing quality or compliance.
- Business Expansion or Fit-Outs: If you’re expanding, opening a new depot, or undergoing major fit-outs, extra staff can keep things running smoothly during the transition.
- Supply Chain Instability: In times of market or supplier unpredictability, having flexible staffing helps reduce risk and maintain output.
- Audits & Inspections: Yearly safety audits or compliance checks often require increased manpower to prepare thoroughly without halting operations.
Labour Hire vs. Casual Employment
Labour hire differs from casual or directly hired temporary employment. See below the side-by-side comparison for clear understanding:
Factor | Labour Hire | Casual Employment |
Who Employs the Worker? | Employed by a labour hire provider or recruitment agency | Employed directly by the host company |
Payroll & Benefits | Agency manages payroll, superannuation, insurance, and compliance | Employer handles payroll; may include casual loading instead of benefits |
Work Supervision | Day-to-day tasks supervised by the host business | Same; tasks are directed by the employer |
Flexibility & Shifts | Placed in set shifts or contracts via the agency | Can have more flexible or on-call hours, depending on company policy |
Tax & Super Handling | Agency handles all tax and super obligations | Typically, the employer or worker manages tax/super (based on employment type) |
Best Use Case | Ideal for scaling up quickly, covering staff shortages or special projects | Suitable for ad hoc work or short-term availability within internal teams |
HR & Admin Load | Minimal for host; agency handles all HR and legal responsibilities | All admin is managed internally by the company |
Overall, labour hire provides an outsourced employment structure, whereas casual hiring is an internal arrangement by the company itself.
Industries That Commonly Use Labour Hire Services
Certain industries use labour hire more than others. For example, construction, mining and infrastructure projects often rely on temporary labour to meet variable workloads. Other common fields include:
Industry | Common Labour Hire Roles |
Construction & Mining | Machine operators, labourers, truck drivers, diesel mechanics, site assistants |
Transport & Logistics | Forklift operators, delivery drivers, warehouse staff, logistics coordinators |
Manufacturing | Assembly line workers, trades assistants, process workers, machine operators |
Warehousing | Pickers/packers, inventory controllers, forklift drivers, dispatch workers |
Events & Hospitality | Catering staff, setup crew, cleaners, ushers, bar staff |
Agriculture | Fruit pickers, seasonal harvesters, general farmhands |
Facilities Maintenance | Cleaners, landscapers, security guards, building maintenance technicians |
Which Transport and Mining Roles Can a Labour Hire Provider Fill?
A strength of transport logistics recruitment is the broad range of roles covered. A top agency can supply experienced truck drivers, forklift operators, logistics coordinators, and warehouse staff, among many others. If you’re running a mine site, labour hire agencies can also provide heavy equipment operators and maintenance crews specialised in mining gear.
Common positions in transport and logistics labour hire include:
- Heavy Vehicle Drivers: Long-haul and local truck drivers, road train and truck & dog operators, pilot car drivers.
- Warehouse and Forklift Staff: Forklift operators, pickers/packers, storepersons and dispatch clerks.
- Support Crew: Offsiders/assistants, freight handlers, loading dock hands.
- White-Collar Logistics Roles: Logistics coordinators, supply chain planners, inventory managers and procurement professionals.
- Mining Specific Roles: Mine site truck operators, plant operators, diesel fitters/mechanics, and HSE advisors for mining projects.
By keeping a ready pool of these workers, a road transport recruitment service ensures you can plug any skills gap. For example, if one of your long-distance drivers quits unexpectedly, the agency can quickly send a qualified replacement, often with FIFO (fly-in-fly-out) experience for remote sites. The result: you avoid production delays and keep supply chains moving.
How To Choose the Best Labour Hire & Mining Recruitment Agency in Perth?
With so many agencies out there, what criteria should you use? Here are key factors for Perth’s transport and mining businesses:
- Industry-specific experience
- Proven safety and compliance record
- Transparent pricing and contracts
- Skilled, certified worker pool
- Flexibility for short or long-term placements
- Fast response times
Feeling the pinch of staff shortages or fleet downtime?
Get Qualified Workers Fast with West Fleet Care’s Transport Labour Hire Services
West Fleet Care is a Perth-based labour hire & recruitment agency specialising in the transport, logistics, and mining sectors.
We supply experienced heavy vehicle drivers, diesel mechanics, and support staff for short-term projects or long-term staffing needs. Our skilled professionals (from truck drivers to maintenance crews) are examined and ready to step in. We handle all the admin and compliance.
Whether you need a forklift operator, truck driver, or warehouse assistant, a transport & logistics recruitment agency like West Fleet Care delivers talent on demand.
Let us tailor a workforce solution that fits your budget and schedule.
