Montreal, QC to Detroit, MI freight

Lanes/

The Montreal to Detroit corridor runs south across the U.S.–Canada border.

Direction

Canada to U.S.

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-detroit-mi.svg" alt="Montreal, QC to Detroit, MI 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>1 day</b></div><div class="trmi">560 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 Montreal market (Montreal, Rougemont, Varennes, Laval, Boucherville, and Mirabel) with the Detroit market (Detroit, Auburn Hills, Romulus, Wyandotte, Warren, and Flint), running south across the U.S.–Canada border. Brokers post 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 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.

Where this lane picks up

Carriers on this lane pick up across the Montreal area: Montreal, Rougemont, Varennes, Laval, Boucherville, Mirabel, Saint-Hyacinthe, and Drummondville. Nearby markets that feed it include Plattsburgh, Cornwall, Burlington, Sherbrooke, Montpelier, and Tupper Lake.

Where this lane delivers

Carriers on this lane deliver across the Detroit area: Detroit, Auburn Hills, Romulus, Wyandotte, Warren, Flint, Canton Township, and Madison Heights. It also reaches nearby markets like Windsor, Port Huron, Toledo, Sarnia, Lansing, and Saginaw.

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.

Brokers post corridors like this to Cargado's marketplace, where vetted Mexico and Canada carriers bid and every counterparty is vetted before the first load moves.

More lanes from these markets

Every lane guide for Montreal, QC is listed on its lane hub, by direction and destination country.

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 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

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

Detroit, MI

Detroit is the busiest truck gateway on the U.S.-Canada border, across the river from Windsor, Ontario. Auto parts are the top commodity crossing at Detroit. The region also has a steel and bulk river port, a major air cargo airport and development land near the airport.

Industries: Automotive parts, steel and metals, air cargo, warehousing and distribution

Seaport: Port of Detroit, 29 terminals on the Detroit and Rouge rivers. Steel is the most valuable cargo; ore is the largest by tonnage (operating). Source
Airport: Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport cargo. 354.6 million lb of cargo in 2025 (operating). Source

Distribution: About 6,000 acres of development-ready land near Detroit Metropolitan Airport, and a foreign-trade zone serving six counties and part of Lenawee County.

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 Detroit?

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 Detroit corridor?

Postings here are mostly dry van, with some reefer. If you need a type you do not see, post the load anyway. Carriers with matching equipment get notified automatically.

How does freight on this lane clear the border?

Entries are pre-filed and cleared before arrival; carriers bid with customs and the cross-border leg already priced in.

Moving freight on this lane?

Post it to 2,400+ vetted Mexico and Canada carriers, or check market rates built from real carrier bids before you quote.

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