Car shipping on our own truck
When a family moves from Montreal to Toronto or Calgary, the car is often the last thing on the list and the first thing that goes wrong. Most car shipping websites are brokers: they take a deposit, post your car on a load board and wait for a carrier to pick it up, sometimes days later than promised. With us there is no load board. The car travels on our own truck, with our own driver, on the date we agree with you in writing.
We ship cars between Montreal and the rest of Canada in both directions — to and from Toronto, Ottawa, Quebec City, Gatineau, Sherbrooke, the Maritimes, the Prairies, Alberta and British Columbia.
Ship it with your move, or on its own
There are two ways to book:
- With your household move. The car goes on the same trip as your furniture, with one pickup day, one delivery and one fixed price. On a long-distance move this is usually the least complicated option — nobody has to drive 541 km to Toronto or 3,700 km to Calgary, and the car arrives with everything else.
- On its own. If you have already moved, are buying a car in another city, or only need the car brought to Montreal, we quote the car trip by itself.
Either way the price is fixed in writing before the trip, based on the route, the size of the vehicle and the pickup and delivery addresses. See how routes are priced on the long-distance moving page, and the distance and transit time of the main routes on the routes page.
Routes and transit times
| Route | Distance | Transit with a dedicated truck |
|---|---|---|
| Montreal ↔ Toronto | 541 km | 1–2 days |
| Montreal ↔ Ottawa | 199 km | 1 day |
| Montreal ↔ Quebec City | 253 km | 1 day |
| Montreal ↔ Halifax | 1,244 km | 2–3 days |
| Montreal ↔ Calgary | 3,743 km | 5–7 days |
| Montreal ↔ Vancouver | 4,534 km | 6–8 days |
A car that travels with your move arrives with the rest of your belongings. Other destinations in Quebec and across Canada are quoted the same way; the delivery window is written on your quote.
Condition report at both ends
Before the car is loaded, we walk around it with you, photograph it from every side and note existing scratches, dents and chips on the condition report. You sign it, and you get a copy. At delivery we do the same walk-around at your new address before the keys go back to you. If there is a question about a mark, the photos answer it — not anyone’s memory.
How to prepare your car
- Wash it a day or two before pickup so existing marks are visible on the condition report.
- Leave about a quarter of a tank of fuel — enough to drive on and off the truck, without extra weight.
- Empty the car. Personal belongings are not covered inside a vehicle in transit. If you are moving, those things go in boxes with the rest of your belongings.
- Remove toll transponders and parking passes, so they are not charged on the road.
- Turn off the alarm, or tell us how to, and give us one set of keys.
- Check the battery and the tire pressure. For an electric car, a partial charge is enough to load and unload.
- Tell us about anything unusual — a car that does not run, a lowered or modified car, a very long or tall vehicle.
When the car arrives in another province
Moving to another province means registering your car there, and the rules are provincial. In most provinces, a vehicle registered elsewhere has to pass a safety inspection before it can be plated, and there is a deadline after you settle. Your insurance has to follow you too. Check the rules of your new province before the car leaves Montreal, so the paperwork is ready when it arrives. Coming to Quebec, registration is done with the SAAQ.
Car shipping and winter
Cars ship all year round. In winter, the condition report matters even more — salt and slush hide marks — so we photograph the car in good light and recheck it at delivery. On routes through Northern Ontario or the mountains, the delivery window allows for weather, as it does for every long-distance move.
Cars to the United States or overseas
Crossing a border is a different job, with customs and safety paperwork on both sides. See Canada–USA car shipping for moves between Montreal and the United States, and overseas car shipping for cars leaving Canada by sea.
