Solutions · Aviation, since 2007
Aviation fuel transport
Jet fuel and aviation products have been a Hills specialty since our Brisbane depot opened in 2007 with aviation as its focus. Dedicated tanker units, dangerous goods discipline and schedules that match the way airports actually run.
Since 2007
Our Brisbane depot at Pinkenba opened with aviation products as its focus.
Seven days a week
The Coolangatta jet-fuel run operates every day of the week, as reported by Prime Mover Magazine.
Brisbane depot, Pinkenba QLD. Or send a freight enquiry online.
Why aviation is different
Plenty of carriers move fuel. Few move it for airports.
Aviation fuel is the least forgiving cargo in the tanker trade. The product is dangerous goods, the customer runs to the minute, and the delivery point sits inside working airport infrastructure where a missed window ripples through every departure board in the terminal.
That is why aviation work is not something we bolt onto general cartage. Airport supply runs get dedicated tanker units, not whatever combination happens to be spare, and the whole operation runs under the same NHVAS-accredited safety management system as the rest of our fleet.
- Aviation products focus since our Brisbane depot opened in 2007
- Dedicated A and B-double tanker units on airport supply runs
- DG-licensed drivers under an NHVAS-accredited safety management system
- Depot-managed operations, seven days a week where the contract calls for it
Terminal work: a Hills A-double loading under the gantry.
On the record · Prime Mover Magazine
The Coolangatta jet-fuel run
Coolangatta Airport on Queensland's Gold Coast has been rebuilding the way it fuels aircraft. Prime Mover Magazine's Chain of Command story describes 900 metres of new underground hydrant pipe, 31 new refuelling hydrant points and two new underground valve chambers, delivered under a joint venture between Caltex and BP for the airport's fuel operations.
Keeping that operation supplied is Hills Tankers work. The story reports that we deliver jet fuel to Coolangatta on four dedicated A and B-double units, seven days a week, and that in 2023 we introduced a third-generation MAN TGS 540hp prime mover on the run. Per the article, the new truck performed well enough that the other three units were due to follow it to MAN before the year was out.
Read the full story at Prime Mover Magazine, or see our summary.
A MAN TGS prime mover in the Hills fleet: the truck Prime Mover Magazine's story is about.
Operation details as reported by Prime Mover Magazine, Chain of Command.
From Pinkenba
Brisbane, built around aviation since 2007
When Hills expanded into Queensland in 2007, the Brisbane depot opened with aviation products as its focus. It sits at Pinkenba, in the industrial precinct between Brisbane Airport and the Port of Brisbane: proper bulk-fuel geography, where the tankers live near the product.
Behind that depot is the same family business that has carried fuel since 1960. Aviation is a specialty, not a sideline, and it is run by people who have been doing this particular job for a long time.
- 1960
The Hill family buys into the Maitland Esso fuel distributorship. Fuel cartage has been the trade ever since.
- 2007
Brisbane depot established at Pinkenba with an aviation products focus.
- 2023
A MAN TGS 540hp prime mover joins the Coolangatta jet-fuel run, as reported by Prime Mover Magazine.
Getting started
How an aviation supply run comes together
Scope the task
Product, volumes, delivery windows, and the airport or terminal access requirements that come with them. You talk to a depot, not a call centre.
Match the equipment
The right combination for the run, from tri-axle semis to A and B-doubles, crewed by DG-licensed drivers. Where the contract calls for it, units are dedicated to the run.
Run the schedule
Fleet operations are managed from the depot, with GPS tracking across the fleet, so the schedule holds on the days it matters most.
The safety spine
Jet fuel is dangerous goods. We treat it that way.
Every aviation run operates under the same safety system as the rest of the Hills fleet:
- NHVAS-accredited Safety Management System spanning training, maintenance and safety
- DG-licensed drivers with Chain of Responsibility discipline
- Fatigue and Distraction Management programs
- Real-time GPS tracking and dashcams across the fleet
- Cargo Risk Management program
Quick answers
What aviation buyers ask us
Do you deliver into working airport operations?
Yes. The clearest example is on the public record: Prime Mover Magazine reported that Hills Tankers delivers jet fuel to Coolangatta Airport on four dedicated A and B-double units, seven days a week.
Is aviation fuel handled as dangerous goods?
Yes. Jet fuel travels under our dangerous goods discipline: DG-licensed drivers, Chain of Responsibility, cargo risk management and an NHVAS-accredited safety management system.
Can you supply seven days a week?
Airport fuel does not keep business hours, and the Coolangatta run operates seven days a week. If you require after hours assistance, contact our Brisbane depot on 07 3860 9301.
How do I get a price on an aviation contract?
Tell us the product, the volumes and the schedule through a freight enquiry, or call the Brisbane depot on 07 3860 9300 or head office on 02 4918 5888.
Aviation fuel · Since 2007
Moving aviation fuel?
Tell us the product, the volumes and the schedule, and you'll be talking to the depot that has specialised in aviation since 2007.