Steel coil transport in Ontario and cross border, on Conestoga and flatbed
Fission Logistics is a flatbed carrier in Mississauga, Ontario, that runs steel coil transport in Ontario and cross border with 80 trucks and 140 trailers. We load coil in Hamilton every working day and deliver to Ontario, Quebec and 6 US states. Every flatbed and Conestoga carries coil racks, timbers and chains, 106 of the 140 trailers are curtainside so coil rides dry without a tarp, and a 6 axle carries up to 86,000 lb inside Ontario.
Steel coil transport at a glance
| Item | Fission |
|---|---|
| Coil types | Master coil and slit coil, hot rolled, cold rolled and galvanized, eye to side, eye to front, eye to sky on skids, slit coil on pallets. Aluminum coil too. |
| Trailers | 90 Rolltite Conestogas, 53 ft tandem, that clear loads up to 102 inches tall. 16 multi axle curtainsides, 50 ft, 4 and 6 axle. Open and tarped flatbeds for taller coil. |
| Heaviest coil | A tandem takes a coil up to 45,000 lb. A 6 axle takes up to 86,000 lb inside Ontario and into Michigan, 76,000 lb into Ohio and Indiana. |
| Securement gear on board | Small and large coil racks, beveled 4 by 4 and 6 by 6 timbers, rubber belting, waterproof paper, edge protectors, chains and binders, 4 inch straps. |
| Rules we work to | Written coil procedure that meets or exceeds NSC Standard 10 and 49 CFR 393.120. A stricter customer spec applies over ours. |
| Lanes | Hamilton and Southern Ontario service centres to the GTA, Kitchener and Cambridge, Windsor, London, Woodstock and Quebec. Cross border through Detroit and Buffalo. |
| Port coil | Off the ship at Hamilton, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Camden and other ports. We regularly pick up coil at Quebec ports and bring it into Ontario, and deliver to Quebec plants. US port coil moves to Ontario in bond under Fission's own US Customs bond. |
| Quote | Within 1 business hour, 7 am to 5 pm ET, Monday to Friday. Dispatch answers 24 hours. |
| Record | Claims under 0.1 percent, more than 100,000 shipments, Northbridge Insurance Elite carrier. Figures as of October 2026. |
What we haul
Master and slit coils, hot rolled, cold rolled and galvanized, from mill to processor and from service centre to stamping plant. The coil's weight, its position and how it's loaded decide the trailer.
| Load | Trailer we send | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Coil that must stay dry, crane loaded | Conestoga, 53 ft tandem | The roof slides open for the crane and closes over the coil. No tarp. Clears loads up to 102 inches tall. |
| Heavy coils, Ontario, Michigan, Ohio or Indiana | Multi axle curtainside, 50 ft | The 6 axle carries up to 86,000 lb inside Ontario and into Michigan, about what 2 tandems carry, and 76,000 lb into Ohio and Indiana. |
| Coil loaded from the side by forklift | Conestoga or open flatbed | Both load from the side. Open deck if the receiver wants clear access. |
| Coil over 102 inches tall, more than the Conestoga clears | Tarped open flatbed | Racks and chains the same way, tarped if you ask. |
| Slit coil on pallets, multiple stops | Conestoga | Pallets stay dry across every stop. |
Steel coil transport companies in Ontario: what to check
Steel coil transport companies in Ontario all say they haul coil. Check what is on the trailer when it backs into your bay. Fission's answer is beside each item.
- Are coil racks and timbers on the trailer? Every Fission flatbed and Conestoga carries small and large coil racks and beveled 4 by 4 and 6 by 6 timbers, so the coil never sits on the bare deck.
- How many chains go through the eye? The coil weight decides it. Our written procedure requires a combined working load limit of at least half the coil's weight, each chain no steeper than 45 degrees to the deck, and no chains crossed in an X on an eye to side coil.
- Are belting and edge protectors on board? Rubber belting and waterproof paper go between the timber and the steel to your spec, and every point where a chain would touch steel gets an edge protector.
- Tandem or 6 axle for the weight? A tandem takes a coil up to 45,000 lb. A 6 axle takes up to 86,000 lb inside Ontario, about what 2 tandems carry, so a heavy order moves on 1 truck.
- Can cold rolled or galvanized coil ride covered without a tarp? Yes, on a Rolltite Conestoga. The crane sets the coil through the open roof, the driver chains it and the roof closes over it, so no tarp touches the steel. 106 of our 140 trailers are curtainside.
- CTPAT and a bond for cross border and port coil? We are CTPAT validated, dispatch files the ACE or ACI eManifest on every load, and US port coil moves to Ontario in bond under Fission's own US Customs bond.
- Can you see the truck? Every truck runs Samsara live GPS tracking. Ask dispatch for the link or track your load.
Steel coils on a flatbed: how your coil rides
A steel coil never sits on the bare deck. It sits in coil racks on beveled timbers that hold it off the floor and stop it rolling, with rubber belting and waterproof paper between the timber and the steel to your spec. Chains run through the eye, and every point where a chain would touch steel gets an edge protector, so the chain never bears on the edge of the strip.
How the coil is set on the deck is the shipper's call, and it decides the chain pattern. Tell dispatch the position when you book.
| Position | What it means | What holds it |
|---|---|---|
| Eye to side | The eye points at the curb and the ditch. The coil can roll, so it rides in racks. | Racks and timbers against rolling. Chains through the eye, at least 1 holding forward and 1 holding rearward, and never crossed in an X. |
| Eye to front | The eye points at the cab. The coil can roll, so it rides in racks. | Racks and timbers, chains through the eye in an X, a chain over the top and blocking at the front and rear. |
| Eye to sky | The coil stands up on a skid or pallet. It can tip or slide, not roll. | A chain over the top, chains in an X over the coil, a trip chain around the front coil. Aluminum coil gets 4 inch straps instead of chains, with belting under every strap. |
Fission's written coil procedure meets or exceeds NSC Standard 10, the Canadian cargo securement standard, and 49 CFR 393.120, the US metal coil rule. Both treat a coil load of 2,268 kg (5,000 lb) or more as metal coil.
Chains loosen as a load settles, so the driver stops at a safe spot and rechecks every tie down within the first 80 km in Canada (50 miles in the US), then at least every 3 hours or 240 km (150 miles in the US). That is why a flatbed often pulls over a few minutes after leaving your dock.
Tarp or Rolltite
Cold rolled and galvanized coil can stain when it gets wet, and a tarp dragged over a coil edge can mark it too. On a Rolltite Conestoga the crane sets the coil through the open roof, the driver chains it, and the roof and curtains close over it. No tarp touches the steel and the coil arrives dry. Hot rolled coil that can ride open, or a coil over 102 inches tall, goes on an open flatbed and is tarped if you ask. If your receiver needs an open deck for the crane, say so and dispatch sends one. Rolltite or open flatbed covers the choice in more detail, and road salt and tarping covers what winter does to coated coil.
For drivers, each position is written out step by step on our load securement page. What you should see at your dock is racks under the coil, protectors under every chain, and a driver who sizes the chain count to your coil weight.
Slit coil carrier: pallets, stacks and multi stop
Slit coil is master coil cut into narrower mults, usually banded on a pallet or skid for a stamping plant or roll former. We carry it two ways. Eye to sky on pallets, where the pallets stack no more than 2 high, timbers with edge protectors go across each stack and chains run in an X over the timbers with horseshoe chains around the front and rear stacks. Or eye to the front in racks like a master coil, with a choker chain around the mults so they travel as one unit, chains through the eye, a chain over the top and a trip chain in front. Banding gets checked after loading, and the driver fixes any broken band before a chain goes on.
Most slit coil rides in a Conestoga because a slit order often has several drops across the GTA, Kitchener, Cambridge or London, and the pallets stay dry at every stop while the side curtains open for the forklift. Hamilton and Southern Ontario service centres are the usual pickups, with slit coil to US stamping plants moving through Detroit and Buffalo. For a few pallets, see flatbed partial loads.
Lanes we run coil on
Out of Hamilton, coil goes to service centres and plants in the GTA, Kitchener and Cambridge, Windsor, London and Woodstock, and into Quebec. Coil for the Windsor stamping plants is on our flatbed carrier in Windsor, Ontario page. Domestic coil runs on the lanes listed under flatbed trucking across Ontario. Coil delivering inside Toronto is on our flatbed carrier Toronto page.
Cross border coil clears at Detroit or Buffalo into Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky. Dispatch files the ACE or ACI eManifest on every load. Detroit runs both ways, with Michigan coil coming north to Ontario plants.
Imported coil comes off the ship at Hamilton, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Camden and other ports. We regularly pick up coil at Quebec ports and bring it into Ontario, and we deliver it to Quebec plants too. We bring a lot of steel back from the Quebec mills and service centres every week, so a Quebec to Ontario coil load rides a truck that is already heading home. US port coil moves to Ontario plants in bond under Fission's own US Customs bond. See Port of Hamilton trucking, Port of Baltimore trucking and port trucking for imported coil.
How to book a coil load
- Send the pickup (mill, service centre or port terminal) and the release number if you have one.
- Send the receiver and the delivery window. Say if the receiver unloads by crane or forklift, and from the side or the top.
- Give the coil count, the weight of each coil, and the outside diameter and width. Weight picks the trailer. Diameter and width tell us how tall the coil stands on the deck, and the 53 ft Rolltite Conestoga clears loads up to 102 inches tall.
- Say the position: eye to side, eye to front or eye to sky, and whether the coil must stay dry.
- For cross border or port coil, send the commercial invoice and your customs broker's contact. Your broker files under Fission's bond with written authorization from Fission.
- Send it through the quote form or call dispatch at (905) 799 7900. You get a price within 1 business hour, 7 am to 5 pm ET, Monday to Friday, and the truck shows up with the racks for your coil weight already on board.
Why coil shippers call us
- 106 of our 140 trailers are curtainside, so most coil stays dry without a tarp.
- 16 multi axle units take the heavy Ontario loads a tandem can't legally carry.
- Our claims ratio is under 0.1 percent across about 16,000 loads a year, 3 cargo claims since 2017 across more than 100,000 shipments. Figures as of October 2026.
- Every truck runs live GPS tracking, and you can track your load.
- The certificate of insurance is in the carrier packet, emailed the same business day on request.
- Northbridge Insurance rates us Elite, the top 5 percent of Canadian fleets on safety management.
Questions coil shippers ask
How heavy a coil can you move?
A tandem takes up to 45,000 lb at 80,000 lb gross, in Canada and the US. A 6 axle takes up to 86,000 lb inside Ontario and into Michigan, and 76,000 lb into Ohio and Indiana. Send the coil weights and dispatch picks the trailer.
Should my coil ride eye to side or eye to sky?
Your plant's crane or forklift and the receiver's unloading set that, and the truck fits around it. Eye to side is the usual crane loaded mill coil and rides in racks. Eye to sky coil stands on a skid or pallet and is forklift friendly. We run both, plus eye to front and slit coil on pallets, each with its own written procedure.
Can coils travel covered without tarping?
Yes. On a Rolltite Conestoga the roof and curtains slide open for the crane or forklift and close over the coil, so it stays dry and nothing touches the steel. The 53 ft Rolltite clears loads up to 102 inches tall. A taller coil goes on an open flatbed, tarped if you ask.
Do you haul slit coil on pallets with several drops?
Yes. Slit coil on pallets rides eye to sky, stacked no more than 2 high, chained over timbers, usually in a Conestoga so every pallet is dry at every stop. Give us the drop order when you book.
Can you bring imported coil from a US port into Ontario?
Yes. We pick up coil at Baltimore, Philadelphia and Camden and other East Coast and Great Lakes ports and move it in bond to Ontario under Fission's own US Customs bond. Your broker files under our bond with written authorization from Fission.
How fast can you quote a coil load?
Within 1 business hour, 7 am to 5 pm ET, Monday to Friday. Dispatch answers the phone 24 hours for loads that cannot wait.
Related
Coil moving this week?
Send the mill, the receiver, the coil weights and how many coils. Dispatch will price it.