Freight Forwarding
Ocean, air, rail and truck — one desk.
Door-to-door forwarding routed for landed cost, not just freight cost. One operations team owns the shipment from pickup to delivered duty paid, across every mode that matters to Canadian trade.
What's included
- FCL and LCL ocean via Vancouver, Prince Rupert, Montréal and Halifax
- Consolidated air freight into YYZ, YVR and YUL
- Intermodal rail from US Midwest and West Coast ports
- Canada/US cross-border trucking, LTL and FTL
- Real-time milestone tracking and exception alerts
Landed cost, not just freight cost
The cheapest ocean rate is rarely the cheapest total. We route shipments based on duty exposure, demurrage risk, transshipment reliability and your inventory turnover — not just dollars per container.
Mode selection as a discipline
- Ocean when volume and lead time allow. FCL for full loads, LCL when consolidation beats paying for air.
- Air for high-value, time-sensitive or perishable cargo. We bias toward consolidators who hit YYZ three times a week.
- Rail intermodal for coast-to-coast moves where 4 days beats 7 days of trucking.
- Truck for cross-border and last-mile, with bonded and in-transit options.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a freight forwarder and a customs broker in Canada?
A freight forwarder arranges the physical movement of your goods from origin to destination, booking ocean, air, rail, or truck space, consolidating cargo, and issuing bills of lading. A customs broker handles the regulatory side at the Canadian border, filing the CARM entry, calculating duty, and communicating with CBSA. CanFlow Global provides both functions under one desk so there is no handoff gap between forwarder and broker and accountability stays in one place.
Which Canadian ports does CanFlow Global use for ocean imports?
CanFlow Global handles ocean imports through all of Canada's major container ports. Vancouver and Prince Rupert on the west coast are the primary gateways for Asian cargo. Montreal is the main eastern gateway for European shipments from Rotterdam, Antwerp, Hamburg, and Le Havre. Halifax serves as a secondary east coast port for larger vessels or direct services. We choose the right port based on origin, destination, carrier schedule, and landed cost optimization.
What is the transit time for ocean freight from Asia to Canada?
Direct ocean transit from major Asian ports like Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Ningbo to Vancouver typically runs 12 to 16 days. Prince Rupert is one to two days faster thanks to a more direct great-circle route. Transit via the Panama Canal to Montreal or Halifax can take 30 to 40 days. Add one to three business days for customs release and local delivery after arrival. CanFlow Global quotes door-to-door transit estimates for specific origin and destination pairs.
Does CanFlow Global handle LCL (less than container load) shipments?
Yes. CanFlow Global consolidates LCL ocean shipments from Asia, Europe, and other overseas origins into all major Canadian gateways. LCL lets shippers pay only for the cubic space their goods occupy in a shared container, which is ideal for small to mid-volume importers who cannot fill a full 20 or 40 foot box. We deconsolidate at destination, clear each shipment individually through CBSA, and arrange final delivery.
Can CanFlow Global arrange cross-border trucking between the US and Canada?
Yes. CanFlow Global operates a Canada/US cross-border trucking desk handling both less-than-truckload and full-truckload shipments. Common routes include the Ontario corridor through Detroit-Windsor and Sarnia-Port Huron, the Quebec corridor through Champlain-Lacolle, and the western route through Pacific Highway into British Columbia. We coordinate ACI manifests, PARS pre-arrival review, and carrier bond requirements so trucks clear the border without waiting for paperwork.
Does CanFlow Global offer DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) service into Canada?
CanFlow Global offers an end-to-end landed cost service that functions like DDP for your Canadian end customer. We arrange transport, clear customs through our licensed brokerage team, pay duty and GST on behalf of the importer of record, and deliver the shipment to the final consignee. Because CBSA requires each importer to be named directly in the CARM portal, we typically structure this as a Non-Resident Importer setup rather than a formal DDP Incoterm, but the operational experience for the buyer is the same.