San Francisco, CA to Toronto, ON freight

Lanes/

The San Francisco to Toronto corridor runs north across the U.S.–Canada border.

Direction

U.S. to Canada

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/san-francisco-ca-to-toronto-on.svg" alt="San Francisco, CA to Toronto, ON 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>5 days</b></div><div class="trmi">2638 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 San Francisco market (Oakland, Newark, San Jose, San Francisco, Fremont, and Livermore) with the Toronto market (Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan, Hamilton, and Cambridge), running north across the U.S.–Canada border. Brokers post this corridor to the Cargado marketplace.

What ships from San Francisco

Freight out of the San Francisco market leans toward machinery and industrial equipment, food and beverage and fresh produce 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 San Francisco area: Oakland, Newark, San Jose, San Francisco, Fremont, Livermore, Hayward, and San Leandro. Nearby markets that feed it include Stockton, Sacramento, Chico, Fresno, Reno, and Mammoth Lakes.

Where this lane delivers

Carriers on this lane deliver across the Toronto area: Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan, Hamilton, Cambridge, Brantford, and Milton. It also reaches nearby markets like Buffalo, Fredonia, Rochester, Owen Sound, London, and Erie.

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 San Francisco, CA and Toronto, ON is listed on their lane hubs, by direction and destination country.

The markets on this lane

Origin market

San Francisco, CA

The Bay Area is a West Coast gateway built on the Port of Oakland, which handled about 2.25 million TEUs in 2025. San Francisco International Airport moved 541,998 metric tons of cargo and mail in fiscal 2025, and Fremont's advanced-manufacturing cluster and San Joaquin County's logistics sector generate inland freight. Union Pacific and BNSF intermodal rail facilities sit at the port.

Industries: Containerized trade, advanced manufacturing, air cargo, warehousing and distribution

Container terminals: Four active container terminals at the Port of Oakland, plus two more terminals listed as available for lease. Active terminals range from 60 to 290 acres; 18 deep-water berths (operating). Source
Seaport: Port of Oakland container volume. 2,253,976 TEUs in 2025, a 50/50 import and export split (operating). Source
Intermodal rail yards: Union Pacific and BNSF intermodal rail facilities at the port. 110 acres and 87 acres (operating). Source
Seaport logistics district: Gateway Industrial District on the former Oakland Army Base, with public infrastructure completed in 2019 and existing rail crossings, plus planned new rail lines to the port's adjacent rail yard. Source
Airport cargo: San Francisco International Airport. 541,998 metric tons of cargo and mail in fiscal 2025 (operating). Source
Advanced manufacturing: Fremont's advanced-manufacturing cluster, the largest concentration of advanced manufacturers in the Bay Area. Over 900 advanced manufacturing companies; one in every four jobs in the city. Source
Inland logistics: San Joaquin County, where transportation and logistics is the fastest growing industry, with a multi-modal transportation hub. 2nd in the U.S. for concentration of transportation and warehousing employment. Source

Distribution: Distribution is anchored at the port's intermodal rail yards and the Gateway Industrial District on the former Army Base, with inland logistics in San Joaquin County.

Destination market

Toronto, ON

The Toronto area is a major manufacturing and distribution market in Canada, with vehicle assembly, food and beverage plants and an airport that processes over 45 percent of Canada's air cargo.

Industries: Auto and parts, food and beverage, aerospace and pharma, retail and grocery distribution, air cargo and parcels

Vehicle assembly: Automotive assembly plants in Ontario. Five automakers with assembly plants in Ontario. Source
Plant: Food and beverage processing cluster in Brampton. About 8,500 jobs across 300 companies; more than $1.3 billion a year to Canada's GDP. Source
Rail: CN Milton Logistics Hub, an intermodal facility in Milton; expected to be operational by 2027. Up to four intermodal trains per day (under construction). Source
Airport: Toronto Pearson cargo complex. Over 45% of Canada's air cargo (operating). Source

Distribution: Parcel sorting hubs, grocery and foodservice distribution centers, and e-commerce fulfillment centers in the Greater Toronto Area.

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 San Francisco to Toronto?

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 San Francisco to Toronto 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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