Pennsylvania to Ontario flatbed and Conestoga, through Buffalo
Fission Logistics runs flatbed and Conestoga freight from Pennsylvania into Ontario on the same trucks that deliver south, crossing at Buffalo. Erie, Pittsburgh and Harrisburg sit inside about 500 miles of the GTA and deliver next day, and river steel from the Pittsburgh terminals and port steel from Philadelphia and Camden move to Ontario in bond under our own US bond. We are CTPAT validated, PIP, FAST and CSA approved, and dispatch files the ACI eManifest before the truck reaches the bridge.
The lane
Erie and Pittsburgh loads run Interstate 79 and 90 up to Buffalo. Harrisburg, the Lehigh Valley and Philadelphia loads run Interstate 81 and 90 across New York to Buffalo. The truck crosses at the Peace Bridge or Lewiston to Queenston onto the QEW, about 160 km from Toronto, and 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania, so heavy Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania. Distances are road distance to Toronto, rounded.
| Area | To the GTA | Transit |
|---|---|---|
| Erie | About 310 km (190 miles) | Next day |
| Pittsburgh and the Mon Valley | About 500 km (315 miles) | Next day |
| Scranton | About 600 km (375 miles) | Next day |
| Harrisburg, York and Lancaster | About 615 km (380 miles) | Next day |
| Allentown, Bethlehem and the Lehigh Valley | About 700 km (435 miles) | Next day |
| Philadelphia | About 800 km (500 miles) | Next day on most loads |
Where the loads go in Ontario
Service centres, stampers, fabricators and plants in Hamilton, Toronto and the GTA, Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge, London and Windsor and Essex County, plus Quebec on the same truck when the load carries on east. Our yard is in Mississauga, so a Pennsylvania pickup is a backhaul for a truck that delivered south.
Freight on this lane
Pittsburgh and the Mon Valley still make and process steel, fabricators and machine shops sit across western and central Pennsylvania, and the Lehigh Valley and Philadelphia have service centres, building products plants and the port. Northbound, the lane carries steel coil, plate and structural steel to Ontario service centres and fabricators, pipe, aluminum, and building products.
River steel from the Pittsburgh river terminals and port steel from Philadelphia and Camden move to Ontario and Quebec in bond under our own US bond.
Crossing into Ontario at Buffalo
- Peace Bridge at Fort Erie or Lewiston to Queenston. Dispatch picks the bridge that suits the route and the hour.
- 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 Pennsylvania permit when the load is also over Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania pickup quoted
Send the Pennsylvania 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 heavy a load can you take from Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania, so heavy Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania?
Buffalo, at the Peace Bridge or Lewiston to Queenston. Erie and Pittsburgh come straight up Interstate 79 and 90. Harrisburg, the Lehigh Valley and Philadelphia come up Interstate 81 and across New York on Interstate 90.
How long does Pennsylvania to Ontario take?
Next day from Erie, Pittsburgh, Scranton and Harrisburg, all within about 500 miles of the GTA. Philadelphia is right at the edge of that radius at about 800 km, so most loads deliver next day and dispatch confirms the 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.
Can you bring steel from the Pittsburgh terminals or the Port of Philadelphia?
Yes. River steel from the Pittsburgh terminals and port steel from Philadelphia and Camden move to Ontario and Quebec in bond under our own US bond. The port pages have the terminal details.
Do you run Ontario to Pennsylvania as well?
Yes. That is the southbound half of the same lane, on the Ontario to Pennsylvania 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.