Freight Guides & Resources
Practical, in-depth guides for Canadian shippers — covering cannabis logistics, temperature-controlled freight, cross-border documentation, freight pricing, and more.
Cannabis Logistics
Transportation for licensed producers, processors, and provincial distributors across Canada.
How to Ship Cannabis Across Canada
Cannabis transportation in Canada is a carefully coordinated operation. This guide covers what licensed producers need to know about booking, documentation, carrier selection, and chain-of-custody from dispatch to delivery.
Shipping Cannabis to OCS and Provincial Distributors
The Ontario Cannabis Store and other provincial distributors have specific, non-negotiable receiving requirements. Here's what licensed producers need to know before booking their next delivery.
Cannabis Packaging and Labelling Requirements for Transport
Packaging failures are one of the most common — and most avoidable — causes of cannabis shipment rejection. Here's what licensed producers need to know before the truck arrives.
Security Requirements for Cannabis Transportation in Canada
Security is not optional in cannabis transportation — it is a regulatory expectation built into the Cannabis Act. Here's what licensed producers need to know about transport security obligations.
Shipping Cannabis to the OCS: A Guide for Ontario Licensed Producers
The Ontario Cannabis Store is Canada's largest cannabis distributor, supplying more than 1,700 private retailers. Getting product into the OCS requires appointment-driven delivery, precise documentation, and carriers who understand the chain-of-custody expectations at every stage.
Shipping Cannabis to AGLC: Alberta Distribution Guide for Licensed Producers
Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis operates Canada's largest and most active private retail cannabis market. Getting product into the AGLC distribution centre requires reliable interprovincial transportation, experienced carriers, and precise delivery coordination into the Edmonton area.
Shipping Cannabis to the BCLDB: BC Distribution Guide for Licensed Producers
The BC Liquor Distribution Branch distributes cannabis to both government-operated BC Cannabis Stores and authorized private retailers across British Columbia. This guide covers what licensed producers need to know about shipping into the BCLDB's Delta distribution centre.
Shipping Cannabis to Open Fields Distribution: Saskatchewan and Manitoba Guide
Open Fields Distribution manages cannabis wholesale for both Saskatchewan and Manitoba — two provinces with distinct retail models and regulatory frameworks. Here's what licensed producers need to know about shipping into the Open Fields network.
Shipping Cannabis to the SQDC: A Guide for Licensed Producers Entering Quebec
The Société québécoise du cannabis is Quebec's sole cannabis retailer and distributor. All LP supply to Quebec's consumer market flows through the SQDC. This guide covers what licensed producers need to know about shipping into the SQDC's Saint-Hubert distribution network.
Shipping Cannabis to the NSLC: Atlantic Canada Distribution Guide
The Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation manages cannabis distribution across Nova Scotia. For licensed producers shipping into Atlantic Canada, the NSLC's Dartmouth distribution facility is the gateway to the Maritime market. This guide covers what you need to know.
Shipping Cannabis to Cannabis NB: New Brunswick Distribution Guide
Cannabis NB manages cannabis distribution across New Brunswick. As an Atlantic Canada market, NB shipping requires carriers experienced with Maritime routes and regulated cannabis freight. This guide covers what licensed producers need to know.
Shipping Cannabis to Cannabis NL: Newfoundland and Labrador Distribution Guide
Newfoundland and Labrador presents unique logistics challenges for cannabis transportation — as an island province, all road freight must cross on the Marine Atlantic ferry from Nova Scotia. This guide covers what licensed producers need to know about shipping to Cannabis NL.
Shipping Cannabis to the Yukon Liquor Corporation: Northern Canada Guide
The Yukon Liquor Corporation manages cannabis distribution across Canada's Yukon Territory. Shipping to the Yukon requires carriers experienced with the Alaska Highway corridor and northern Canada conditions. Here's what licensed producers need to know.
Temperature-Controlled Freight
Cold chain best practices, equipment selection, and reefer carrier standards for temperature-sensitive goods.
Temperature-Controlled Freight: What It Is and How It Works
Cold chain logistics is not just about refrigerated trucks — it's an unbroken series of steps that protect product integrity from pickup to delivery. Here's the complete picture.
Reefer vs. Dry Van: Which Trailer Does Your Freight Need?
Over-specifying adds unnecessary cost. Under-specifying risks product loss. Here's a practical framework for matching your freight to the right equipment — and avoiding both mistakes.
How to Read a Temperature Log and Spot Excursions
A temperature log is only useful if you know what you're looking at. Here's how to interpret reefer transport logs, identify excursions, and determine whether product integrity was compromised.
Reefer Carrier Vetting: What to Look For Before You Book
Not all refrigerated carriers are equal. Here's a practical checklist for evaluating reefer carriers before committing your temperature-sensitive freight to them.
What Is Cold Chain Logistics?
Cold chain logistics is the end-to-end management of temperature-sensitive goods from origin to destination. Here's what it means, why it matters, and how it works in Canadian freight.
Freight Brokerage
How freight brokerage works, pricing, FTL vs. LTL, and how to choose the right broker.
How Freight Pricing Works in Canada
Freight rates are dynamic — they change by lane, season, equipment type, and market conditions. Understanding the components of a quote helps shippers avoid surprises and budget accurately.
How to Write a Proper Bill of Lading: A Shipper's Guide
Learn what a bill of lading is, how to complete every required field, and how shippers should handle signatures, freight class, cannabis details, PRO numbers, eBOLs, and proof of delivery.
Freight Insurance and Cargo Liability: What Shippers Need to Know
Carrier liability and freight insurance are not the same thing. Most shippers discover this difference only after a claim. Here's what actually covers your freight — and what doesn't.
What Is a 3PL Provider?
A third-party logistics provider (3PL) manages freight, warehousing, and distribution on behalf of shippers. Here's what 3PL means in Canada, what services are included, and when it makes sense to use one.
Freight Brokers: What They Do and Why Shippers Use Them
Learn what a freight broker does from quote to delivery, why shippers use brokers for carrier access and accountability, and when a direct carrier relationship may make more sense.
How to Choose a Freight Broker
The right freight broker protects your freight, your compliance, and your time. The wrong one costs you all three. Here's exactly what to evaluate before committing your freight program.
Freight Broker vs Carrier: Differences, Pros and Cons
A carrier owns and operates trucks; a broker arranges transportation through qualified carriers. Compare accountability, cost, capacity, control, and the situations where each model works best.
How Freight Class Is Calculated (and Why It Changes Your Rate)
Freight class is one of the most misunderstood cost drivers in LTL shipping. Getting it wrong means higher invoices, reclassification charges, or both. Here is how it actually works and what shippers can do about it.
How Fuel Surcharges Work - and How Carriers Calculate Them
Fuel surcharges can add 20-40% to a base freight rate, yet most shippers have never seen the formula behind them. Here is what the charge actually represents, how it is calculated, and how to use current diesel prices to verify what you are paying.
LTL vs. FTL: How to Choose the Right Option for Each Shipment
The decision between LTL and FTL is not just about shipment size. Transit time, freight damage exposure, commodity type, and lane characteristics all factor into the right choice. Here is a practical framework for getting it right on every load.
Carbon Emissions in Freight: What Canadian Shippers Need to Know
Freight carbon calculations have moved from a sustainability reporting exercise to a real operational and procurement input. Here is how emissions are measured in trucking, what drives the numbers, and how to interpret the output from a freight carbon calculator.
What Is Detention in Trucking and How Is It Charged?
Detention charges are one of the most common unexpected costs in trucking, and one of the most preventable. Here is what the fee represents, how it is calculated, and what shippers can do to reduce it.
How to Estimate Transit Time for Canadian Freight Shipments
Transit time estimates that turn out to be wrong are a reliable way to create receiver frustration, missed production windows, and strained carrier relationships. Here is how transit time is calculated in Canadian trucking and what actually drives variability in the real number.
Cross-Border Freight
Canada-US customs, documentation, border crossing procedures, and trade compliance.
Canada-US Cross-Border Freight: A Complete Shipper's Guide
Every Canada-US shipment crosses an international border — which means customs clearance, bilateral documentation, and regulatory compliance on both sides. Here's what every shipper needs to know.
USMCA Rules of Origin: A Practical Guide for Canadian Exporters
USMCA preferential tariffs are not automatic. Your goods must qualify — and proving that requires understanding rules of origin. Here's what Canadian exporters need to know.
How Canada-US Customs Duties Are Calculated
Customs duties are one of the more opaque costs in cross-border freight - shippers often discover the amount on an invoice rather than before the shipment departs. Here is how duty is actually calculated and what you can do to manage the cost before the goods move.
Expedited Freight
When speed is non-negotiable — how expedited freight works and when to use it.
What Is Expedited Freight and When Do You Need It?
Expedited freight is not just faster standard service — it's a different product entirely. Here's how it works, what it costs, and how to decide when the premium is justified.
How to Build an Emergency Freight Response Plan
Freight emergencies happen. Production shutdowns, missed pickups, last-minute order changes — the businesses that handle them best have a plan before the call comes. Here's how to build one.
Produce Transportation
Best practices for moving fresh produce — temperature, timing, carrier selection, and documentation.
Fresh Produce Transportation: Best Practices for Shippers
Fresh produce is one of the most demanding freight categories. Temperature, timing, palletization, and carrier selection all affect whether your product arrives in sellable condition. Here's the full playbook.
Cross-Border Produce Imports: CFIA, FDA, and What Canadian Importers Need to Know
Fresh produce crossing the Canada-US border faces regulatory requirements from both sides. Here's how CFIA and FDA clearance works — and what importers must do before the truck arrives.
Reefer Capacity Planning for Harvest Season
Ontario and BC harvest season hits every August through October — and reefer capacity tightens fast. Shippers who plan ahead secure equipment and rates. Those who don't pay peak premiums for whatever is left.
Open Deck & Flatbed Freight
Equipment options, securement requirements, weight limits, oversize permits, and cross-border considerations for open deck freight.