Ontario to Illinois flatbed and Conestoga, Chicago and beyond
Fission Logistics runs flatbed and Conestoga freight from Mississauga and anywhere in Southern Ontario to Chicago and the rest of Illinois, crossing at Detroit or Port Huron and running Interstate 94 across Michigan. Chicago is just over 500 miles from the GTA, so most loads to the Chicago area deliver next day. We are CTPAT validated, PIP and FAST approved, and dispatch files the ACE eManifest on every load.
The lane
Illinois is 1 of our regular US lanes, and the one that runs furthest west. Loads leave Mississauga and the rest of Southern Ontario, run the 401 or the 402, cross at Detroit or Port Huron and take Interstate 94 across Michigan and the top of Indiana into Chicago. From there Interstate 55, 80, 88 and 90 fan out to the suburbs and downstate.
| Trailer | Payload into Illinois | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Conestoga, 53 ft tandem | Up to 45,000 lb | Freight that has to stay dry: coil, plate, aluminum, shingles |
| 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 |
Illinois is a tandem lane. Our 6 axle units cross into Michigan, Ohio and Indiana, not Illinois, so a heavy order is split across tandems at 45,000 lb each. A single piece over 45,000 lb is quoted after dispatch checks the permit route.
Areas we cover
We deliver and pick up anywhere in Illinois. Distances are road distance from Toronto, rounded.
| Area | From 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 |
Freight on this lane
Chicago and its suburbs hold 1 of the largest concentrations of steel service centers and fabricators in North America, with manufacturers out along the interstates, machinery builders in Rockford, and heavy equipment makers downstate around Peoria and the Quad Cities. On our trucks that means steel coil and plate for service centers and fabricators, structural steel, aluminum extrusions, shingles and building products, and machinery between plants. Steel and machinery come north on the same trucks.
Crossing 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. Loads coming down the 401 usually cross at Detroit, and loads from the 402 side cross at Port Huron.
- CTPAT validated and PIP approved. FAST lane when the importer and driver qualify.
- Dispatch files the ACE eManifest going south and the ACI eManifest coming north.
- The customs broker is always yours. Send their contact with the commercial invoice.
- Every tractor runs Samsara, so one tracking link follows the load on both sides of the bridge.
Breakbulk steel off the ships at Iroquois Landing on Chicago's southeast side comes north in bond under our own US bond, with a TWIC driver at the gate. Burns Harbor sits on the same run, just east of the Illinois line.
More on our border programs: cross border flatbed and certifications.
Oversize loads into Illinois
A load over the Illinois legal width, height, length or weight needs an oversize or overweight permit from the Illinois Department of Transportation, issued through its ITAP system, plus an Ontario permit when the load is also over Ontario limits. Dispatch pulls the permits in house, checks the route and gives you 1 price before the truck moves. See oversize and overdimensional.
Getting an Illinois load quoted
Send the pickup, the Illinois delivery, the commodity, the weights and the date. Dispatch names the trailer with the price and the delivery window 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. The same trucks run Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Kentucky.
Questions shippers ask
How long does Ontario to Chicago take?
Chicago is about 815 km from Toronto, just over our 500 mile next day radius. Most loads to 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 into Illinois?
Up to 45,000 lb on a 53 ft tandem, at 80,000 lb gross. Our 6 axle units run into 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 for Illinois?
Detroit, on the Ambassador or Gordie Howe bridge, or Port Huron to Sarnia on the Blue Water Bridge. Both lead to Interstate 94 across Michigan and into Chicago. Dispatch picks the one that suits the Ontario end of the load.
Do you provide the customs broker?
No. The customs broker is always yours. Send their contact with the commercial invoice, and dispatch files the ACE eManifest going south and the ACI eManifest coming north.
Do you bring freight back from Illinois?
Yes. Steel, machinery and building products come north on the same trucks, and breakbulk steel off the ships at Iroquois Landing moves to Ontario and Quebec in bond under our own US bond.
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.