Houston, TX to Calgary, AB freight

Lanes/

The Houston to Calgary corridor runs across the U.S.–Canada border.

Direction

U.S. – Canada cross-border

Equipment on this lane

Dry van-led, with reefer demand

Carrier availability

Vetted carriers cover this corridor

Marketplace activity

Posted by brokers on the Cargado marketplace

<div class="lane-viz"><div class="lane-viz-mapwrap"><img class="lane-viz-map" src="https://cargado-lane-maps.pages.dev/houston-tx-to-calgary-ab.svg" alt="Houston, TX to Calgary, AB freight route map on Cargado" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="620"></div><div class="lane-viz-panel"><div class="lane-viz-title">Transit time</div><div class="tr"><div class="trrow tot"><span>Transit</span><b>4 days</b></div><div class="trmi">2107 mi driving</div></div><a class="lane-cta" href="https://cargado.com/brokers/get-a-demo">Get a Rate <span class="arw">→</span></a><div class="lane-viz-fine">Estimated drive time by road, split at the border. Border dwell varies with documentation and crossing.</div></div></div>

This corridor connects the Houston market (Houston, Pasadena, Baytown, La Porte, Freeport, Rosenberg) with the Calgary market (Calgary, Rocky View County, Innisfail, Blackfalds, Crossfield, Airdrie), running across the U.S.–Canada border. Over the past 12 months brokers posted this corridor to the Cargado marketplace.

What ships from Houston

Freight out of the Houston market leans toward plastics and packaging, chemicals and additives and fresh produce based on what brokers actually post there. You can read more about moving these goods on the freight types pages.

Equipment on this corridor

Dry van-led, with reefer demand. Browse equipment definitions in the glossary if a term is unfamiliar.

Customs on the U.S.–Canada leg

Entries are pre-filed electronically and cleared before arrival, and drivers need documentation in order at the booth.

Cargado is where hundreds of brokers post corridors like this one to verified carriers. Every carrier is checked before it can bid, and banded market-rate context from real bids is built into the product.

The markets on this lane

Origin market

Houston, TX

Houston is the Gulf Coast's main gateway for containers, refined fuels, petrochemicals, steel and project cargo. The Houston Ship Channel is the nation's largest port by waterborne tonnage, and Port Houston's two container terminals handled a record 4.3 million TEUs in 2025. Freight moves on to Texas and the U.S. interior by Union Pacific, BNSF and CPKC rail and by truck, and toward Mexico on US 59 to Laredo.

Industries: Refined fuels, petrochemicals and plastics, containerized imports and exports, steel and project cargo, warehousing and distribution

Seaport: Two public container terminals on the Houston Ship Channel (Barbours Cut and Bayport), including a Bayport berth completed in late 2025. 4.3 million TEUs in 2025, a record (operating). Source
Seaport: Multi-purpose terminals for breakbulk, steel, grain and heavy-lift project cargo. Described by the port as the area's largest breakbulk, steel and project cargo complex in North America (operating). Source
Intermodal or rail yard: Union Pacific Settegast intermodal terminal. Container and trailer lifts, open 24 hours (operating). Source
Free-trade zone: Foreign-Trade Zone 84, managed by Port Houston, serving Harris, Waller and Wharton counties. 1,708.58 acres activated; 40 active sites (operating). Source
Airport: George Bush Intercontinental Airport cargo centers. Two cargo centers on 120 acres; more than 564,000 metric tons of air cargo handled by Houston Airports in 2025 (operating). Source
Plant: Oil refining and chemical production in the Houston region. Oil and refined petroleum products are the region's dominant export, followed by organic chemicals. Source

Distribution: Foreign-trade-zone sites in Harris, Waller and Wharton counties, and intermodal lifts at the Union Pacific Settegast terminal.

Destination market

Calgary, AB

Calgary is an inland freight hub for Western Canada, with two Class I railroads, a 24-hour cargo airport and a large distribution-center cluster in Balzac and Conrich just outside the city. Industries present in the region include energy and oilfield equipment, food and beverage processing, and fabricated metal and machinery. The CN logistics park includes a container intermodal terminal and a rail-to-truck transload operation. The QEII highway is part of the CANAMEX corridor linking Alberta to the U.S. and Mexico, and the Coutts crossing leads into Montana.

Industries: Energy and oilfield equipment, food and beverage processing, fabricated metal and machinery, retail and e-commerce distribution, rail transload

Intermodal terminal: CN rail-served logistics park in Conrich, Rocky View County, with an intermodal terminal for containerized goods and a rail-to-truck transload operation. 680-acre park with space for more than 2.5M sq ft of warehouse and distribution facilities (opened January 2013). Source
Rail ramp: CPKC Calgary intermodal ramp. Listed as Calgary, AB in CPKC's ramp-to-ramp intermodal schedule (operating). Source
Airport cargo: YYC Calgary International Airport cargo and the YYC Global Logistics Park. 24 hours a day, no curfew; park of 330+ acres (operating). Source
Industrial park: High Plains Industrial Park in Balzac, with retail, grocery and foodservice distribution centers. 1,500-acre park (operating). Source
Distribution cluster: Distribution centers, fulfillment centers and third-party logistics operations in Rocky View County. More than 25 new distribution centers and over 9 million sq ft of warehousing added since 2021 (operating). Source
Planned inland port: Prairie Economic Gateway, a rail-served industrial development area in the Calgary region. 1,287 acres in the southern portion; conceptual scheme approved July 2025 (planned). Source

Distribution: Retail, grocery and foodservice distribution centers, e-commerce fulfillment centers and rail-to-truck transload, concentrated in Balzac, Conrich and the airport corridor.

Market profiles describe industries and facility types from public government, industry, port, railroad and industrial-park sources. They name no shippers, manufacturers, retailers or logistics companies.

Common questions about this lane

How do I find carriers for Houston to Calgary?

On Cargado, brokers post the corridor and vetted carriers bid on it. Every carrier is verified before it can bid, which replaces cold-calling unknown carriers.

What equipment is available on the Houston to Calgary corridor?

Postings here lean dry van-led, with reefer demand. If you need a type you do not see, post the load anyway. Carriers with matching equipment get notified automatically.

Do carriers on this corridor handle customs paperwork?

Carriers handle the transport side and customs brokers clear the freight. Have your customs broker's entry filed before the truck reaches the border, and look for carriers with the right border credentials.

Moving freight on this lane?

Post it to 2,350+ vetted Mexico and Canada carriers, or check market rates built from real carrier bids before you quote.

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