Lanes/
Montreal, QC to Chicago, IL freight

Montreal, QC to Chicago, IL freight

The Montreal to Chicago 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/montreal-qc-to-chicago-il.svg" alt="Montreal, QC to Chicago, IL 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>2 days</b></div><div class="trmi">848 mi driving</div></div><a class="lane-cta" href="https://cargado.com/brokers/get-a-demo">Get a Rate <span class="arw">&#8594;</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 Montreal market (Montreal, Rougemont, Varennes, Drummondville, Saint-Hyacinthe, Boucherville) with the Chicago market (Chicago, Elgin, Elk Grove Village, Bensenville, Bedford Park), running across the U.S.–Canada border. Over the past 12 months brokers posted this corridor to the Cargado marketplace.

What ships from Montreal

Freight out of the Montreal market leans toward food and beverage, metals and building materials and machinery and industrial equipment 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

Montreal, QC

Montreal is a major container port and rail intermodal gateway for Eastern Canada, with the Port of Montreal handling 34.3 million metric tons in 2025. The Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle crossing to the U.S. is being rebuilt through summer 2028. The region also has an all-cargo airport and an aerospace sector.

Industries: Port and container logistics, rail intermodal, aerospace, bulk cargo, air cargo

  • Seaport: Port of Montreal, handling containers, liquid bulk and dry bulk including grain. 1.52 million TEUs and 34.3 million metric tons in 2025 (operating). Source
  • Seaport: Contrecoeur container terminal expansion with integrated rail, road and marine infrastructure; construction underway since October 2025 and full operation targeted for 2030. Adds up to 1.15 million TEUs of annual capacity (about 60%), two berths (under construction). Source
  • Intermodal or rail yard: CN Montreal Intermodal Terminal in Saint-Laurent. Open 24 hours daily (operating). Source
  • Airport: Montréal-Trudeau International Airport and the all-cargo Mirabel airport. 249,403 metric tons of cargo at the two airports in 2024 (operating). Source
  • Customs bridge: Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle land port of entry, the main gateway for trade and travel between New York and Montreal; primary inspection line being rebuilt until summer 2028, with reduced lanes. Almost 300,000 commercial vehicles a year (under construction). Source

Distribution: Freight moves through the Port of Montreal, CN's Saint-Laurent intermodal terminal and the Montréal-Trudeau and Mirabel airports, with the Contrecoeur terminal expansion adding container capacity.

Destination market

Chicago, IL

Metropolitan Chicago has six Class I railroads and is the largest U.S. point of origin and termination for intermodal shipments, with about 50 percent of U.S. intermodal trains passing through. Canada and Mexico are Illinois's two largest export markets.

Industries: Intermodal and logistics, chemicals, machinery and electronics, automotive, food and beverage

  • Industrial park: CenterPoint Intermodal Center in Joliet and Elwood, anchored by the BNSF Logistics Park Chicago and the Union Pacific Joliet Intermodal Terminal. 6,400 acres (operating). Source
  • Rail: CN intermodal terminals in Harvey and Joliet; the Harvey terminal is open 24 hours daily (operating). Source
  • Rail: Union Pacific Border Direct intermodal service linking Chicago with Port Laredo and El Paso (operating). Source
  • Industrial park: Elk Grove Village Business Park. 62 million sq ft of industrial space (operating). Source
  • Airport: O'Hare International Airport cargo area, with a northeast cargo campus and three south-airfield cargo ramps. More than 2 million metric tons of cargo (operating). Source

Distribution: Warehouse and distribution space concentrated in the Will County and Greater O'Hare freight clusters, including the CenterPoint park in Joliet and Elwood.

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 Montreal to Chicago?

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 Montreal to Chicago 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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