Canada

Canada

Seamless Canada Shipping 

Estes delivers cross-border freight shipping to and from even the most remote areas of Canada. We’ve been doing it for decades, and our international shipping experience shows

Choose Estes to ship your Canadian freight, and you’ll need just one PRO and one point of contact from pickup to delivery. Your international freight will ship securely – typically in trailers with captive beams and Webb walls. And as a result, you’ll enjoy single-carrier accountability, reduced risk of damage, and faster transit times.

Our 37 freight terminals are strategically located from British Columbia to Atlantic Canada. Our cross-border gateways are placed near major Canadian metro areas, and support next-day shipping from 13 states. Our optimized routes reduce re-handling and further streamline shipping. And we offer a full range of solutions, including LTL, Time Critical, and Volume and Truckload.

Whether your freight is headed north or south, you can count on our knowledgeable, bilingual shipping professionals to help simplify your cross-border shipping experience. At Estes, we have three strategically-located PARS/PAPS offices that send documentation to importer-designated customs brokers, helping to facilitate prompt customs clearances. We also make it easy to find all your international shipping documents in our convenient My Estes application.

Certifications

Estes Canada gateway terminals are Canadian bonded, and we are a U.S. Customs-bonded carrier. Our line-haul and delivery agents are C-TPAT, PIP, FAST, ACE and ACI certified, and pre-approved for Customs Self-Assessment (CSA).

To get Canada shipments moving, you can:

We’re available on both sides of the border to help get you started, and we have experienced, dedicated border personnel to facilitate border clearance.

  • A border-crossing fee is added at the time of the rate request.
  • Beyond Charges apply to some more remote destinations, primarily in Northwest Canada. For points that require special arrangements, call 1-866-ESTES4U (378-3748) and press 43

Get transit times for your shipment.

Cross-border Canada freight requires:

Northbound Southbound
Bill of Lading Bill of Lading
Canada Customs Invoice (CCI) (required for CAD $2,500 or more) Commercial Invoice (if less than CAD $2,500)
Commercial Invoice (if less than CAD $2,500) Certificate of Origin (CTO) or USMCA CTO
Certificate of Origin (CTO) or USMCA CTO

Submitting Documentation

Email is the fastest way to get your Canada shipping documentation to us. Send it to us no later than the day of pickup, and no later than 2 p.m. for next-day freight delivery.

See submission guidelines for PARS and PAPS to help ensure that your shipments are processed smoothly.

We’ll route the documents before shipments arrive at the border to facilitate timely passage through customs:

U.S.-to-Canada

Canada-to-U.S.

Email requirements:

  • Limit one PRO per email
  • Subject line: PRO number only, no spaces, dashes, or words
  • One attachment only: All documents must be in a single attachment (PDF or TIF)
  • On the BOL, include PRO and barcodes: The online BOL application in My Estes will automatically generate a barcode when you check the “Assign PRO Number” box or enter a pre-assigned PRO. You can also ask your account manager for PRO/barcode stickers. Barcodes help ensure freight is processed immediately.

Time Critical Guaranteed Service

Our Time Critical Guarantee is the best in the LTL industry, and includes guaranteed on-time pickups, on-time delivery, on-time appointments, and damage-free shipments to and from Canada. We offer robust Guaranteed by 5:00p.m. coverage throughout the country, with options for Guaranteed delivery by noon, and 10:00a.m. in many areas.

Many Canadian terminals offer Time Critical solutions, including:

  • Alberta - Calgary, Edmonton, Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie
  • British Columbia - Fort Saint John, Kamloops, Prince George, Vancouver, Victoria
  • Manitoba - Winnipeg
  • New Brunswick - Bathurst, Edmundston, Fredericton, Miramichi, Moncton, Saint John
  • Newfoundland & Labrador - Corner Brook, Grand Falls, St. John's
  • Northwest Territories - Yellowknife
  • Nova Scotia - Bridgewater, Dartmouth (Halifax), Kentville, Sydney, Truro, Yarmouth
  • Ontario - Brockville (Ottawa), London, Pickering, Toronto (Hamilton), Windsor
  • Prince Edward Island - Charlottetown
  • Quebec - Montreal, Quebec City
  • Saskatchewan - Regina, Saskatoon
  • Yukon - Whitehorse

Estes also offers some of the best Customer Care in the industry, with a dedicated team of Time Critical representatives available to help you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Need a Time Critical Guaranteed rate quote for your cross-border Canada shipment? Simply visit My Estes, email us at timecritical@estes-express.com, or call 1-800-645-3952.

Truckload

Rates for full, flat-rack, and flatbed loads can be obtained through:

  • Our Rate Quote application (select Volume and Truckload option; requires My Estes login)
  • Calling 1-866-ESTES4U (378-3748) and pressing 432

Protection From Freezing (PFF)

Protect your freight shipment from the Canadian cold. If temperature matters, Protection From Freezing is an accessorial service that can be selected when filling out the online BOL in My Estes. Estes has dedicated 53' and/or 28' heated captive beam Webb wall trailers moving between Canada and the United States. PFF is available November 1 through March 31.

Visit our Services page to explore the additional modes of shipping Estes offers, as well as our Accessorials sheet to see a list of our optional non-standard, add-on services.

Customs Brokerage

The importer (either the consignee or a non-resident importer) usually chooses the broker. If you require assistance finding brokerage, please contact your Estes Account Manager.

Track Canada shipments on our Shipment Tracker (no login required) or by calling 1-866-ESTES4U (378-3748) and press 43 (for Time-Critical, press 2).