Illinois to Ontario flatbed and Conestoga, from Chicago
Fission Logistics runs flatbed and Conestoga freight from Chicago and the rest of Illinois into Ontario on the same trucks that deliver south, running Interstate 94 across Michigan and crossing at Detroit or Port Huron. Chicago is just over 500 miles from the GTA, so most loads from the Chicago area deliver next day. We are CTPAT validated, PIP, FAST and CSA approved, and dispatch files the ACI eManifest before the truck reaches the bridge.
The lane
Chicago and the suburbs run Interstate 94 across Michigan. Loads for the 401 side of Ontario cross at Detroit on the Ambassador Bridge, or the Gordie Howe International Bridge when the lane calls for it, and loads for the 402 side cross at Port Huron to Sarnia on the Blue Water Bridge. Most Chicago area loads deliver next day to the GTA, Hamilton, Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge, London and Windsor. Every other lane is on where we run, and the southbound half of this one is on Ontario to Illinois flatbed.
| Trailer | Payload into Ontario | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Conestoga, 53 ft tandem | Up to 45,000 lb | Freight that has to stay dry: coil, plate, aluminum, machinery |
| Open flatbed, 53 ft tandem | Up to 45,000 lb | Structural steel, pipe, crane loaded freight |
| Step deck or double drop | Step deck up to 45,000 lb, double drop up to 42,000 lb | Tall machinery and equipment |
Up to 45,000 lb on a 53 ft tandem, at 80,000 lb gross. Our 6 axle units run Michigan, Ohio and Indiana, not Illinois, so heavy Illinois orders are planned on tandems. A single piece over 45,000 lb is quoted after dispatch checks the permit route. Heavy loads inside Ontario go on the same 6 axle units up to 86,000 lb.
Where the loads come from
We pick up anywhere in Illinois. Distances are road distance to Toronto, rounded.
| Area | To the GTA | Transit |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago | About 815 km (505 miles) | Next day on most loads |
| Joliet and the southwest suburbs | About 870 km (540 miles) | Next day on most loads |
| Aurora, Elgin and the west suburbs | About 860 km (535 miles) | Next day on most loads |
| Rockford | About 950 km (590 miles) | Dispatch confirms the window |
| Peoria and Bloomington | About 1,060 km (660 miles) | Dispatch confirms the window |
| The Quad Cities, Springfield and southern Illinois | About 1,080 to 1,300 km (670 to 800 miles) | Dispatch confirms the window |
Where the loads go in Ontario
Service centres, stampers, fabricators and plants in Windsor and Essex County, London, Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge, Hamilton and Toronto and the GTA, plus Quebec on the same truck when the load carries on east. Our yard is in Mississauga, so an Illinois pickup is a backhaul for a truck that delivered south.
Freight on this lane
Chicago is a steel, machinery and distribution hub, with processors and service centres across the south suburbs and northwest Indiana next door, and breakbulk steel landing at Iroquois Landing on the lakefront. Northbound, the lane carries steel coil and plate to Ontario service centres and stampers, machinery, and building products.
Breakbulk steel off the ships at Iroquois Landing moves to Ontario and Quebec in bond under our own US bond.
Crossing into Ontario at Detroit or Port Huron
- Detroit on the Ambassador Bridge or the Gordie Howe International Bridge, or Port Huron to Sarnia on the Blue Water Bridge. Dispatch picks the one that suits the Ontario end of the load.
- Dispatch files the ACI eManifest before the truck reaches the bridge, and the ACE eManifest on the way back south.
- The customs broker is always the importer's. Send their contact with the commercial invoice.
- CTPAT validated and PIP approved. FAST lane when the importer and driver qualify. CSA approved, so a CSA importer's freight clears under Customs Self Assessment.
- Every tractor runs Samsara, so one tracking link follows the load on both sides of the bridge.
More on our border programs: cross border flatbed and certifications.
Oversize loads into Ontario
A load over 2.6 m (8 ft 6 in) wide, 4.15 m (13 ft 7 in) high, or over Ontario's legal length or weight needs an Ontario oversize permit from the Ministry of Transportation, plus an Illinois permit when the load is also over Illinois limits. Dispatch pulls the permits in house, checks the route and gives you 1 price before the truck moves. Limits as of November 2026; the permit governs the move. See oversize and overdimensional and how wide a load can be in Ontario.
Getting an Illinois pickup quoted
Send the Illinois pickup, the Ontario delivery, the commodity, the weights and the date. Dispatch names the trailer with the price within 1 business hour, 7 am to 5 pm ET, and answers at (905) 799 7900, press 1, 24 hours. Brokers and 3PLs: send the rate confirmation to dispatch and we email the carrier packet the same business day. Have the southbound leg too? Send both and dispatch quotes them together.
Questions shippers ask
How long does Chicago to Ontario take?
Chicago is about 815 km from Toronto, just over our 500 mile next day radius. Most loads from the Chicago area still deliver next day, and dispatch confirms the delivery window with the quote. Rockford, Peoria and the Quad Cities are a longer run, and dispatch gives the window when it quotes.
How heavy a load can you take from Illinois into Ontario?
Up to 45,000 lb on a 53 ft tandem, at 80,000 lb gross. Our 6 axle units run Michigan, Ohio and Indiana, not Illinois, so heavy Illinois orders are planned on tandems. A single piece over 45,000 lb is quoted after dispatch checks the permit route.
Which crossing do you use from Illinois?
Detroit, on the Ambassador or Gordie Howe bridge, or Port Huron to Sarnia on the Blue Water Bridge. Both come off Interstate 94 across Michigan. Dispatch picks the one that suits the Ontario end of the load.
Who files the customs paperwork coming into Canada?
Dispatch files the ACI eManifest before the truck reaches the bridge. The customs broker is always the importer's. Send their contact with the commercial invoice and dispatch sends the broker the documents it needs.
Can you bring breakbulk steel from Iroquois Landing into Ontario?
Yes. Breakbulk steel off the ships at Iroquois Landing moves to Ontario and Quebec in bond under our own US bond. The Chicago port page has the terminal details.
Do you run Ontario to Illinois as well?
Yes. That is the southbound half of the same lane, on the Ontario to Illinois flatbed page. Send both legs and dispatch quotes them together.
Related
Rather talk it through?
Call dispatch with the load and the lane. They'll tell you which trailer it goes on, and someone picks up 24 hours a day.