Pouring one out for Canada
Why brokers need to start thinking north while everyone else fights over U.S. freight
Canada, you had our hearts this week — and then the Blue Jays broke them again. We were all rooting against the Dodgers, hoping the Jays might finally give Toronto something to smile about besides polite airport signage and Tim Hortons consistency. But no. Another early exit. So we pour one out for the Blue Jays… and maybe pour another for all the freight we’re about to send north to cheer ourselves up.
But before we get there — how about those Chicago Bears?
Five wins. Let me repeat that: five wins. It’s not exactly a Lombardi parade down Michigan Avenue, but it’s progress. And more than that — it’s proof that leadership matters. Ben Johnson has these guys looking organized, confident, and like they actually know who they are. He’s not playing chess when everyone else is playing checkers; he’s building a system and holding people accountable inside it. The man’s the freight-broker equivalent of “don’t overcomplicate this, just execute.”
Good: You finally decide to get into cross-border freight.
Better: You figure out how Canada actually works.
Best: You do both — and stop pretending it’s some mystical, license-heavy wilderness.
Alright. Let’s talk freight.
You Don’t Need Anything Special to Move Canada Freight
Let’s clear up the biggest myth first: you don’t need a separate “Canada freight-broker license.”
If you’re a U.S.-based freight broker arranging cross-border truckloads, you’re covered under your standard FMCSA broker authority — your OP-1 filing, $75,000 bond or trust, and BOC-3. Canada doesn’t require a federal license just because you’re crossing the 49th parallel.
Here’s what actually matters:
Your carriers need authority and insurance valid for both sides of the border.
Somebody (not you, unless you love paperwork) needs to handle the customs brokerage.
And your paperwork — commercial invoice, BOL with HS codes, PARS/PAPS barcodes — must be perfect.
That’s it. You don’t need to hire a Mountie with a clipboard. You just need the right partners and a clean process.
The Hockey-City Freight Map
Canada’s economy is like hockey — regional rivalries, physical, and somehow polite at the same time. Each freight hub has its quirks, just like each team’s fanbase.
And let’s be real: the vast majority of freight moving between the U.S. and Canada hits a handful of core markets — Toronto, Windsor, Montréal, Vancouver, Calgary/Edmonton, Winnipeg, and a few others. Once you get outside those metros, it’s mostly resource-based freight — oil, gas, mining, timber — and plenty of land so remote that the only way in is by plane, helicopter, or seasonal ice road.
🏒 Toronto (Maple Leafs Country)
The big one. Auto parts, vehicles, packaging, and industrial freight dominate.
You’ll hear “The GTA” — The Greater Toronto Area — one of North America’s densest industrial corridors.
Freight moves heavily with the Midwest and Northeast.
🏒 Windsor (Spitfires Country)
Auto everything: engines, stampings, drivelines, interiors, finished vehicles.
The Detroit–Windsor crossing is one of the busiest in North America, handling tens of thousands of commercial trucks every day.
Tight manufacturing windows mean you need reliable carriers who know the crossing and the timing.
🏒 Ottawa (Senators Country)
As Canada’s capital, it doesn’t produce a ton of freight — but it receives a lot.
Government, defense, tech, and construction materials all flow into the region.
You’ll see more LTL and high-value shipments here than big industrial volumes.
🏒 Montréal (Canadiens Country)
My personal favorite city in Canada (and I own an Expos hat on top of it!)
Aerospace, aluminum, and high-value manufacturing.
Expect bilingual paperwork and French emails that start with Bonjour, my friend.
Québec’s carrier registry adds some red tape, but the market is strong and consistent.
🏒 Québec City (Remparts Country)
Bulk and break-bulk freight: wood pulp, paper, aluminum-linked cargo, fertilizers, and port-related shipments.
Nearby Saguenay adds more aluminum and pulp/paper flows.
Cold winters can complicate port access, but the freight is steady year-round.
🏒 Vancouver (Canucks Country)
Forestry, lumber, and port freight.
It’s where Asia meets North America.
Great backhauls from the U.S. Pacific Northwest into BC.
🏒 Calgary / Edmonton (Flames vs. Oilers)
The oil and gas capital of Canada.
Flatbeds, pilot cars, and wide-loads galore.
Tough weather but high-margin if you know your equipment.
🏒 Saskatchewan: Regina and Saskatoon
Potash, canola (seed, oil, and meal), oats, wheat, barley, and lentils.
Regina’s Global Transportation Hub is a trimodal inland port connecting to major Canadian rail lines.
Agriculture and bulk commodities dominate. Freight is seasonal but reliable and essential.
🏒 Winnipeg (Jets)
The crossroads of Canada. Agriculture, grain, and wood products rule here.
Seasonal surges during harvest, quieter winters.
It’s well connected to Minnesota and North Dakota carriers, which makes it a natural extension for Midwest brokers.
🏒 The Maritimes (Atlantic Canada)
If you’ve never heard the term before, The Maritimes refers to Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island — the eastern provinces hugging the Atlantic.
They don’t move the same volume as Ontario or Québec, but they quietly ship an impressive amount of specialty freight — especially peat moss.
Peat moss is the unsung hero of Canada’s ag exports. It’s used in horticulture, gardening, and soil production all over the U.S. Those massive bales you see at garden centers every spring? They likely came out of New Brunswick or PEI, hauled by flatbeds and dry vans through border crossings like Houlton, ME.
It’s lightweight, bulky, and ships year-round — a sneaky-good backhaul opportunity for U.S. carriers delivering to the Northeast.
Other Maritimes exports include seafood (lobster, scallops, fish), forest products (lumber, pulp, paper), refined fuels from the massive Irving refinery in Saint John, PEI potatoes, wild blueberries, and gypsum for construction. Smaller, family-run carriers dominate the region and have deep cross-border experience, especially into New England.
The Domestic Canada Problem
If you’re thinking about brokering loads entirely within Canada — say Toronto to Vancouver — here’s what you need to know:
Every province runs its own system of record for carriers: Ontario’s CVOR, Québec’s SAAQ, Alberta’s Safety Fitness Certificate, and so on.
These systems don’t talk to each other. That’s led to rampant double-brokering, cloned authorities, and fake carrier profiles.
If you move domestic freight in Canada, you’re required to register for GST/HST (Canada’s version of sales tax) and bill in CAD, not USD.
If you’re not set up for that, or you’re not operating through a Canadian subsidiary, you really shouldn’t be moving domestic freight at all.
That’s exactly why Cargado hasn’t opened up Domestic Canada yet.
We know it’s a real issue, and we’re building a real answer before we go live there.
The last thing brokers need is another marketplace full of recycled loads and fraudulent carriers. But once we’re confident in the infrastructure — we’re going north.
What’s Actually Moving
When people picture Canada, they think maple syrup and hockey pucks. In reality, it’s one of America’s core trading partners, and about 70% of that trade moves by truck.
🇨🇦 Top 10 Exports from Canada to the U.S. (Truck-Heavy)
Mineral fuels, oils, and gas (crude, refined, LPG)
Vehicles and auto parts
Machinery and industrial equipment
Aluminum (massive in Québec)
Wood and lumber
Electrical components
Plastics
Aerospace parts
Precious metals and minerals
Grains and agricultural goods
🇺🇸 What Canada Imports from the U.S.
Vehicles and heavy equipment
Machinery and parts
Mineral fuels and refined petroleum
Electrical equipment
Plastics and resins
Pharmaceuticals
Food and beverages
Steel and fabricated metals
Building materials
Computers and electronics
Trucks cross both ways full. It’s one of the few freight markets where balanced trade actually exists.
Why You Should Care
Cross-border freight is the easiest way to grow your brokerage right now without reinventing your business.
It’s high-volume: trucks handle nearly $70 billion/month in U.S.–Canada trade.
It’s less saturated: far fewer brokers specialize in it.
It’s familiar: same playbook, just a few more forms.
It’s stable: demand holds up even when U.S. spot rates fall apart.
Your biggest edge? Confidence.
You don’t need special licensing. You just need strong carrier relationships and an understanding of how cross-border paperwork actually works.
Wrapping It Up
When everyone’s crashing on the U.S. domestic market, you’ve got to think outside the box — or outside the country, in this case.
Go after Canada. (And Mexico while you’re at it.)
There’s freight moving from hockey cities, from the Maritimes, from the oil fields, and from the ports — all of it trucked by carriers who already know how to cross the border. You just need to get in the mix.
This isn’t about chasing shiny objects. It’s about expanding where the volume already is — north and south, not just east and west.
So yeah, pour one out for the Jays, raise one for the Bears, and maybe pour another for your first load into Canada.
Oh — and if you’ll be at the Traffic Club of Montreal’s Oysterfest, Nov 12–14, or you’re based in Montréal and want to meet up while I’m in town, shoot me a note.
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Because the brokers who win the next decade are the ones who start building cross-border relationships today.