Port of Montreal breakbulk trucking to Ontario and Quebec
Breakbulk is under 1 percent of what the Port of Montreal handles, but its Bickerdike berth handles steel and copper, and the port has been open all year since 1964. Fission Logistics trucks steel, metals and project freight from the Bickerdike and Logistec terminals to plants across Quebec and Ontario, about 536 km to Toronto on Autoroute 20 and Highway 401.
At a glance
| Carrier | Fission Logistics, Mississauga, Ontario. Port drayage and trucking across Ontario and Quebec on flatbed, Conestoga and multi axle. |
|---|---|
| Terminals | Bickerdike Terminal (multipurpose). Logistec Laurier terminals and Section 98 laydown area. |
| Operators | Bickerdike: Empire Stevedoring, part of QSL since 2021. Laurier and Section 98: Logistec. |
| Gate | Terminal check in; the main port runs a camera portal at its truck entrance. Autoroutes 25 and 40 are the nearest highways. |
| Free time | Not published for breakbulk. Get the last free day from the terminal in writing. |
| Customs | CBSA release from the sufferance warehouse. No US in bond. |
| TWIC | No TWIC. Port truck portal and terminal check in rules. |
| Crossing | None, Canadian port |
| To Toronto | About 536 km. About 566 km to Mississauga. |
| Season | Open all year since 1964 |
| Breakbulk volume | Close to 197,000 tonnes in 2024, against 35 million tonnes in total |
Breakbulk at a container port
Montreal moved 35 million tonnes in 2024, and close to 197,000 tonnes of it was breakbulk. That cargo lands at a few berths. Bickerdike, upstream of the Old Port, has handled steel, copper, cars and locomotives and moves about 600,000 tonnes a year across all its cargo, with hundreds of trucks a day through its gate. Logistec's Laurier terminals handle bulk, breakbulk, project cargo and heavy lift, and its Section 98 terminal has a laydown area for out of gauge pieces. Tell dispatch which terminal has your cargo; the gates and the check in are different.
The truck portal
Trucks entering the main port pass a common portal that reads the truck by camera, built for up to 2,500 trucks a day. The port's Trucking PORTal app shows live wait times at the container gates. Breakbulk terminals set their own appointment rules, and dispatch confirms them with the terminal before the truck leaves.
Customs: CBSA, no US in bond
Montreal is a Canadian port. Imported freight sits in the terminal's sufferance warehouse until CBSA accepts your customs broker's release request and the terminal shows the goods released. Only then can we load. CBSA allows goods to sit in a sufferance warehouse for up to 40 days from the day they are reported, and the terminal charges its own storage on top. There is no US border and no US in bond on these loads. The customs broker is always yours. Send us the release once it clears and dispatch books the terminal pickup.
Free time
Neither terminal publishes free time; it is set by the terminal and changes by commodity. Get the last free day in writing when the arrival notice comes and send it to dispatch with the CBSA release. We plan the trucks back from that date.
To Ontario on the 20 and the 401
Montreal to Toronto is about 536 km, and to Mississauga about 566 km, on Autoroute 20 and Highway 401. Coil and aluminum ride in a Conestoga with the cover closed. Beams, pipe and project pieces ride on open flatbeds or a step deck. Heavy Quebec and Ontario loads can go on a 4 axle unit, which runs both provinces. Each tandem takes up to 45,000 lb.
Getting a Montreal port pickup quoted
Send the terminal, the CBSA release and the stevedore's pickup number, the vessel and its discharge date. Add the piece count, weights and delivery address. Loads inside 500 miles of the GTA deliver the next business day. Dispatch names the trailer with the price within 1 business hour, 7 am to 6 pm ET, and answers at (905) 799 7900, press 1, 24 hours. What else to send, and how tracking works, is on the port trucking page.
Questions shippers ask
Do you truck from the Port of Montreal to Ontario?
Yes. Port of Montreal loads go to plants across Quebec and Ontario. Toronto, Hamilton and the rest of Southern Ontario are on Autoroute 20 and Highway 401.
Which Montreal terminals handle breakbulk steel?
Bickerdike Terminal, upstream of the Old Port, handles non containerized cargo including steel and copper. Logistec runs the port's Laurier breakbulk and bulk terminals and the Section 98 laydown area for out of gauge pieces. MGT and Termont are container terminals.
Do Montreal loads need a US in bond?
No. Montreal is a Canadian port. The freight sits in the terminal's sufferance warehouse until CBSA accepts your customs broker's release request, and then we load.
Is the Port of Montreal open in winter?
Yes. It has had year round navigation with federal icebreaking since 1964.
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.