Michigan to Ontario flatbed and Conestoga, through Detroit
Fission Logistics runs flatbed and Conestoga freight from Michigan into Ontario on the same trucks that deliver south every day, crossing at Detroit. Our 6 axle units carry up to 86,000 lb from Michigan into Ontario, so a heavy coil or plate order that would take 2 tandems often moves on 1 truck. We are CTPAT validated, PIP, FAST and CSA approved, and dispatch files the ACI eManifest before the truck reaches the bridge.
The lane
Loads pick up anywhere in Michigan, run Interstate 75, 94 or 96 to Detroit and cross on the Ambassador Bridge, or the Gordie Howe International Bridge when the lane calls for it, straight onto Highway 401. From the bridge it is about 370 km to Toronto, so every main Michigan metro delivers 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 Michigan flatbed.
| Trailer | Payload into Ontario | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 6 axle curtainside | Up to 86,000 lb | Heavy coil, plate and steel orders |
| 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 86,000 lb on a 6 axle unit from Michigan into Ontario, and up to 45,000 lb on a tandem. 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 Michigan. Distances are road distance to Toronto, rounded.
| Area | To the GTA | Transit |
|---|---|---|
| Detroit and the Downriver plants | About 370 km (230 miles) | Next day |
| Ann Arbor | About 430 km (265 miles) | Next day |
| Flint and Saginaw | About 470 to 520 km (290 to 325 miles) | Next day |
| Lansing | About 520 km (325 miles) | Next day |
| Kalamazoo and Battle Creek | About 600 km (375 miles) | Next day |
| Grand Rapids | About 630 km (390 miles) | Next day |
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 a Michigan pickup is a backhaul for a truck that delivered south.
Freight on this lane
Michigan is the auto industry's home, with assembly plants, stampers and parts suppliers from Detroit out to Flint, Lansing and Grand Rapids, plus office furniture and general manufacturing on the west side of the state. Northbound, the lane carries steel coil and plate from Michigan processors to Ontario stampers and service centres, dies and machinery coming back from Michigan tool shops to Ontario plants, aluminum, and building products.
Crossing into Ontario at Detroit
- Detroit, on the Ambassador Bridge or the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which runs straight from Interstate 75 to Highway 401. Port Huron to Sarnia on the Blue Water Bridge when the Ontario end sits on the 402.
- 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 a Michigan permit when the load is also over Michigan 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 a Michigan pickup quoted
Send the Michigan 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. A real run on this lane: 2 coils, 76,000 lb, 1 truck from the Detroit area to Cambridge.
Questions shippers ask
How heavy a load can you take from Michigan into Ontario?
Up to 86,000 lb on a 6 axle unit, and up to 45,000 lb on a tandem. That is the same weight the unit carries inside Ontario, so a heavy coil or plate order often moves on 1 truck instead of 2. Send the weights and dispatch picks the trailer.
Which crossing do you use from Michigan?
Detroit, on the Ambassador Bridge or the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which runs straight from Interstate 75 to Highway 401. Port Huron to Sarnia on the Blue Water Bridge when the Ontario delivery sits on the 402.
How long does Michigan to Ontario take?
Next day. Detroit is about 370 km from Toronto and Grand Rapids about 630 km, so every main Michigan metro sits inside the 500 mile radius we deliver next day. Dispatch confirms the delivery window with the quote.
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.
My Ontario receiver is a CSA importer. Does that help?
Yes. Fission is a CSA approved carrier, so a CSA importer's freight can clear under Customs Self Assessment, which means faster clearance into Canada. We are also CTPAT validated and PIP and FAST approved.
Do you run Ontario to Michigan as well?
Yes. That is the southbound half of the same lane, on the Ontario to Michigan 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.