Ontario to Kentucky flatbed and Conestoga, down Interstate 75
Fission Logistics runs flatbed and Conestoga freight from Mississauga and anywhere in Southern Ontario to Kentucky, crossing at Detroit and running Interstate 75 straight through Ohio to the Ohio River. Northern Kentucky sits at about 500 miles from the GTA, so most loads there deliver next day; for Louisville, Lexington and western Kentucky dispatch gives the delivery window with the quote. We are CTPAT validated, PIP and FAST approved, and dispatch files the ACE eManifest on every load.
The lane
Kentucky is 1 of our regular US lanes and the one that runs furthest south. Loads leave Mississauga and the rest of Southern Ontario, run the 401 to Windsor, cross at Detroit and follow Interstate 75 through Ohio to the river at Cincinnati. Northern Kentucky starts on the far bank. Interstate 71 carries on to Louisville, Interstate 75 to Lexington, Interstate 65 to Bowling Green, and Interstate 64 and the parkways reach Owensboro and the west.
| Trailer | Payload into Kentucky | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Conestoga, 53 ft tandem | Up to 45,000 lb | Freight that has to stay dry: coil, aluminum, machinery, 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 |
Kentucky is a tandem lane. Our 6 axle units cross into Michigan, Ohio and Indiana, not Kentucky, 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 Kentucky. Distances are road distance from Toronto, rounded.
| Area | From the GTA | Transit |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Kentucky: Covington, Florence and the Cincinnati side | About 800 km (500 miles) | Next day on most loads |
| Lexington and central Kentucky | About 920 km (570 miles) | Dispatch confirms the window |
| Louisville | About 945 km (590 miles) | Dispatch confirms the window |
| Bowling Green | About 1,120 km (695 miles) | Dispatch confirms the window |
| Owensboro and western Kentucky | About 1,140 km (710 miles) | Dispatch confirms the window |
| Paducah and the Jackson Purchase | About 1,250 km (775 miles) | Dispatch confirms the window |
Freight on this lane
Kentucky builds cars and trucks in Louisville, central Kentucky and Bowling Green, is 1 of the largest aluminum producing states in the US, with smelters and rolling mills in the west of the state, and has steel processors and service centers from Northern Kentucky down to Louisville. So the trucks carry steel coil and plate for processors and stampers, aluminum extrusions and ingots, structural steel, shingles and building products, and dies and machinery for the auto plants and their suppliers. Freight comes back north on the same trucks.
Crossing at Detroit
- Detroit on the Gordie Howe International Bridge or the Ambassador Bridge, then Interstate 75 the whole way to the Ohio River.
- 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.
River steel from the Ohio River terminals around Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky and Louisville comes north to Ontario and Quebec in bond under our own US bond.
More on our border programs: cross border flatbed and certifications.
Oversize loads into Kentucky
A load over Kentucky's legal width, height, length or weight needs an overweight or overdimensional permit from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, plus permits for the states on the way through and for Ontario when the load is also over Ontario limits. Dispatch pulls all of them in house, checks the route and gives you 1 price before the truck moves. See oversize and overdimensional.
Getting a Kentucky load quoted
Send the pickup, the Kentucky 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 Illinois.
Questions shippers ask
How long does Ontario to Kentucky take?
Northern Kentucky, across the river from Cincinnati, is about 800 km from Toronto, right at our 500 mile next day radius, so most loads there deliver next day. Louisville is about 945 km and western Kentucky about 1,100 km, so dispatch gives the delivery window with the quote.
How heavy a load can you take into Kentucky?
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 Kentucky, so heavy Kentucky 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 Kentucky?
Detroit. The Gordie Howe International Bridge connects Highway 401 straight to Interstate 75, which runs through Toledo, Dayton and Cincinnati to Northern Kentucky without a turn. Louisville is Interstate 71 from Cincinnati, and Lexington is Interstate 75 on south.
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 Kentucky?
Yes. Steel, aluminum, machinery and building products come north on the same trucks, and river steel from the Ohio River terminals around Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky and Louisville 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.