A comprehensive guide to exporting and importing construction equipment in Canada.

With over three decades of experience, our team at Canaan Group has the expertise to handle all phases of transporting heavy equipment and construction machinery, from project initiation to close. We have the capacity to both import and export heavy and oversized equipment, acting as your general contractor for the entire process. We will complete everything in-house within our capability (e.g. customs clearance), utilize our expertise to select the most qualified vendors for your project, and coordinate between all the vendors. Whether your items need to be moved domestically or internationally, we will work with you to develop an individualized plan to transport items that exceed ocean freight container or truck trailer limits (otherwise known as project cargo).

Canaan Group is proud to be part of Project Cargo Network, the prestigious leading international network of the world's top project cargo specialists. The network also has ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certification.

Watch this video about the project cargo services we offer, and the value of being a part of the Project Cargo Network.

For importing equipment, our overseas offices manage the logistics from factory to port, and we will manage from port to your door. For exports, we will manage from door (Canadian factory) to the overseas port. If your equipment is going to locations with minimal infrastructure, we will help you with customs work and ensuring that infrastructure is there to receive your cargo. We work with our offices in countries all over the world with staff who understand the local environment and regulations. We will also make sure that pickups occur in a timely manner so that your cost is minimized.

Canaan Group is mindful of the fact that construction projects are time-sensitive and that any delays in shipping have a ripple effect on the entire project. We take project planning seriously, accounting for compliance needs, certifications, and building codes to mitigate any potential bottlenecks before the shipping occurs. We also know that construction projects may require shipments from multiple countries and our extensive experience, along with global offices, work together to provide you with seamless, efficient shipping so that you have what you need when you need it.

Solutions We Provide

• Development of transportation solution
• Door to door delivery
• Arrangement of multi-modes of transport, including ocean, air, truck, or rail
• Chartering of full vessel(s)
• Custom-built transportation equipment and packaging
• Application of necessary permits for the oversize and/or overweight cargo
• Police transport and necessary vehicle escorts
• Engineering and road surveys
• Machine 360 washing for phytosanitary destination compliances

How It Works

1. Request Quote
You provide us with necessary information about your project, such as drawings or diagrams of the equipment, including technical details like lifting points, center of gravity, dimensions, and weight. You also inform us of details such as origin and destination, timeline, and terms of sale. Depending on the shipping season, there may be restrictions in place due to snow or frozen road concerns.

2. Research Solutions
Our team will then research which vendors to use, transportation options and routes, permits required, escorts needed, and insurance. If transporting within Canada, we will do a road survey, checking with municipalities, provincial, and federal regulations. We will take into account the height and width of the equipment being transported, as well as the limits of roads, bridges, underpasses and tunnels, and submit a route proposal to Transport Canada for approval. For remote places where roads currently do not exist (such as mining sites or specific oil refinery fields), we would propose partnering with a contractor to build temporary roads or bridges for transportation. Along with the contractor, we would enlist the help of engineers, Geotech, and environmental scientists to ensure that the habitat is not damaged and that survey work is appropriately completed.

Possible transport options that our team will consider include:

• Ocean Freight - for anything that fits in a container
• Vessel Chartering – either slot chartering or entire vessel chartering; for anything that does not fit into a container
• Trucks – either our own fleet or specialized heavy haul trucking companies
• Rail – depending on the size and length of your equipment
• Air Freight – for any time sensitive parts or equipment so there are no delays to the project

3. Proposed Solution
We present a proposal to you, outlining a detailed plan for how to ship your cargo from origin to destination, the timeline, and the budget.

4. Project Planning
If the proposal is accepted, we move into a project planning phase where all necessary preparations are made. Our goal is that your cargo will be delivered safely and smoothly with no surprises along the way. We will submit permit applications and deposits and get confirmation from Transport Canada. Permits can take 1-6 months to acquire and once we have those, we will secure contracts with our vendors.

As part of our due diligence, we will also check that cargo that arrives is compliant with building codes and meet city and provincial requirements. We will also ensure that any materials being brought in are allowed (for example, certain materials coming in from specific countries might be banned.) Additionally, we will ensure that all relevant forms and certificates are filled in and obtained prior to shipment.

5. Project Implementation
Once the planning is complete, the project plan is implemented and cargo is moved from origin to destination. Our team provides you with updates and photos throughout the process. Oftentimes, we can have onside staff 24/7 if requested to attend all the loading and check points. We also offer Purchase Order management where we enter all the PO numbers into our Canaan Group Global Logistics Tracking System so that clients can search by PO number and know which container a specific part is in and when it will arrive.