Canadian freight is defined by two railways and a very long coastline. Transportation and warehousing contributed more than 96 billion Canadian dollars to the economy in 2024, and the two Class I railways between them move most of what the country exports. The Port of Vancouver had a record 2025, handling 170.4 million tonnes and 3.8 million TEU, up 9% on the year, while Prince Rupert grew 14%. The past two years have also brought real upheaval: a 2024 rail lockout settled by binding arbitration, the largest loss in Canada Post's history, and UPS buying the country's leading healthcare logistics group. This 2026 guide profiles ten providers with the strongest footprint in Canada, listed in no particular order, drawn from regulatory filings, annual reports and trade coverage.
How we chose this list
This is an editorial guide, compiled from public sources such as annual reports, company accounts, regulatory filings and trade media, rather than from paid placements or our own directory data. We weighed four things:
- Scale in Canada: revenue, sites, fleet and employees based in the country.
- Breadth of services: freight forwarding, contract logistics, haulage, parcels and terminal operations.
- Track record: years operating in Canada and publicly verifiable results.
- Network: domestic coverage plus international connections.
Figures are the most recent publicly reported at the time of writing. The companies appear in no particular order. A provider further down the page may well be the better fit for your specific lane or freight type.
The 10 companies at a glance
| Company | Type | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| Canadian National Railway | Class I railway | The only railway reaching the Pacific, Atlantic and US Gulf coasts |
| Canadian Pacific Kansas City | Class I railway | The only single-line railway linking Canada, the US and Mexico |
| Canada Post | National postal and parcel operator | The universal delivery network, currently in deep financial difficulty |
| Purolator | Courier and parcel | The largest domestic courier network outside Canada Post itself |
| TFI International | Trucking and logistics group | Canada's largest trucking group, run as a portfolio of acquired brands |
| Mullen Group | Diversified trucking and logistics | Western Canada's resource-economy freight specialist |
| Andlauer Healthcare Group | Healthcare logistics, now part of UPS | Canada's dominant pharmaceutical and cold-chain network |
| Metro Supply Chain | Contract logistics | Canada's largest domestically owned contract logistics specialist |
| DP World Canada | Marine terminal operator | Fairview Container Terminal at Prince Rupert, the shortest Asia to North America sea route |
| GCT Global Container Terminals | Marine terminal operator | The two container terminals carrying most Port of Vancouver box volume |
Canadian National Railway
CN reported revenues of 17,304 million Canadian dollars for 2025, up on 17,046 million the year before, with net income of 4,720 million and an operating ratio of 61.9%. It ended the year with 18,900 route miles across Canada and the United States and 23,839 employees, down from 24,671.
Intermodal is its largest commodity group at 22% of 2025 revenues, and 37% of revenue relates to overseas traffic. That three-coast reach is the structural advantage no other North American railway has.
Best for: bulk export flows and intermodal moving between the coasts and the US interior.
Canadian Pacific Kansas City
CPKC reported total revenues of 15,078 million Canadian dollars for 2025, up from 14,546 million, with net income attributable to controlling shareholders of 4,141 million. It runs roughly 20,000 miles of main track, 3,300 of it under trackage rights, and employed 19,479 people at the end of 2025.
The network exists because of the Kansas City Southern combination: the Surface Transportation Board approved it on 15 March 2023 and CPKC took control on 14 April 2023. Note that currency moves matter here, with the 2025 average rate at 1.40 Canadian dollars to the US dollar adding 157 million to reported revenue.
Best for: cross-border traffic to Mexico on a single railway, without an interchange.
Canada Post
Canada Post recorded a loss before tax of 1.57 billion Canadian dollars in 2025, the largest in its history, against 841 million the year before. Total revenue fell by 315 million, or 4.7%.
The parcel numbers are the story: revenue down 30.1% and volumes down 32.6%, which the corporation attributes to the 2024 labour disruption and continuing uncertainty pushing customers to other carriers. The federal government approved 1.034 billion of repayable funding in 2025 and it proved insufficient. Shippers planning Canadian delivery should factor that instability into carrier choice.
Best for: residential delivery to remote Canadian addresses, with contingency planning for labour disruption.
Purolator
Purolator is 91% owned by Canada Post, with Rainmaker Investments holding 7%. It is worth being precise about that, because the company is often wrongly described as having a UPS stake.
The most recent revenue figure Purolator publishes is 2.7 billion Canadian dollars for 2023, alongside more than 14,000 employees and 175 facilities. Treat that as a 2023 figure rather than a current one.
Best for: premium domestic express and B2B parcel across Canada.
TFI International
TFI reported total revenue of 7.9 billion US dollars for 2025, and note the currency: TFI reports in US dollars while CN, CPKC and Mullen report in Canadian. It employs roughly 24,900 people across Canada and the United States and has acquired more than 214 companies since 1996, including UPS Ground Freight in 2021 and Daseke in 2024.
It announced in February 2025 that it would move its domicile to the United States, then reversed within days after shareholder objections led by the Caisse de depot. TFI remains a Canadian corporation headquartered in Saint-Laurent, Quebec.
Best for: less-than-truckload and truckload across Canada and cross-border, through one of its many operating brands.
Mullen Group
Mullen reported revenue of 2,133.6 million Canadian dollars for 2025, up 7.3%, with net income of 91.1 million, down 18.9%. It employs more than 8,500 people.
Growth came entirely from acquisitions, by management's own account: it bought Cole International and Pacific Northwest Moving during 2025. The group runs as a portfolio of independently managed business units rather than a single integrated carrier.
Best for: Western Canadian trucking, specialised services and freight tied to the resource sector.
Andlauer Healthcare Group
UPS completed its acquisition of Andlauer effective 1 November 2025, paying 55.00 Canadian dollars per share for a total of roughly 2.2 billion, and the company was delisted from the TSX.
Founder Michael Andlauer now leads UPS Canada Healthcare. The business runs third-party logistics and specialised transport across Canada plus specialised ground transport across the contiguous United States, and remains the reference point for temperature-controlled pharmaceutical distribution in the country.
Best for: pharmaceutical, cold-chain and healthcare distribution requiring validated handling.
Metro Supply Chain
Metro Supply Chain, headquartered in Montreal, acquired SCI Group from Canada Post and Purolator in a deal announced in January 2024 and completed that year. Note the direction of that transaction, which is frequently reported backwards: Canada Post was the seller, not the buyer.
The company does not publish revenue or headcount figures, so it is judged here on the position the SCI acquisition gave it rather than on financial scale.
Best for: outsourced warehousing, fulfilment and returns for Canadian retail and e-commerce.
DP World Canada
DP World's Fairview Container Terminal handled 885,797 TEU in 2025, up 20% on the year, on the back of strong second-half demand.
The wider Port of Prince Rupert moved 26.3 million tonnes, up 14%, with gateway trade valued at more than 60 billion dollars annually. For shippers from Asia, Prince Rupert plus CN rail is often the fastest routing into the North American interior.
Best for: Asia to North America container traffic wanting the shortest ocean leg and direct rail inland.
GCT Global Container Terminals
GCT operates Vanterm and Deltaport, which together have provided over 3.5 million TEU of capacity through Canada's Pacific Gateway. It sold its US terminal assets in New York and New Jersey to CMA CGM in 2023 and retained the Canadian terminals.
Capacity on the west coast is the binding constraint on Canadian container trade. Roberts Bank Terminal 2 would add 2.4 million TEU, but a preferred proponent for the landmass and wharf package was only selected in July 2026, with construction expected from 2028.
Best for: container volumes through Vancouver, where terminal capacity rather than rate is the real limit.
How to choose between them
The right provider depends less on overall size than on fit with your freight and lane:
- Rail and bulk export: CN for three-coast reach, CPKC for single-line service into Mexico.
- Domestic parcels: Purolator for premium express, Canada Post for universal reach with labour-disruption contingency.
- Truckload and LTL: TFI International across Canada and cross-border, Mullen Group in the west.
- Healthcare and cold chain: Andlauer, now part of UPS, for validated pharmaceutical handling.
- Containers and terminals: DP World at Prince Rupert for the shortest Asia routing, GCT for Vancouver volume.
Whoever you shortlist, get more than one quote, because rates for the same lane can vary widely, and confirm licences, insurance coverage and references for your specific freight type. Our guide to the best websites to find a freight forwarder covers how to run that comparison, and the credentials you can check yourself covers verifying them.
Compare Canada logistics providers in one place
The ten companies above are the biggest names, but they are not always the best-priced option for a specific shipment, and independent forwarders often handle SME import and export work more attentively than the majors. CargoLinked's directory lists 511 logistics companies and freight forwarders based in Canada, which you can browse by service and location. If you have cargo to move, you can also post your shipment for free and collect quotes from interested forwarders instead of contacting providers one by one.
