Mississauga's Strategic Intermodal Advantage
Positioned at 5850 Shawson Drive with direct access to Highway 401, Bison's Mississauga terminal sits at the crossroads of Ontario's most critical freight corridors. For GTA shippers, that location isn't just convenient — it's a competitive advantage. Whether your freight moves east to the Atlantic provinces, west toward Alberta and British Columbia, or south across the border into the U.S. Midwest, Bison's intermodal network puts you within reach of all of it from a single terminal.
As one of Canada's largest transportation companies with over 55 years of operational experience, Bison has built the infrastructure, the rail relationships, and the dedicated intermodal team to make rail-truck shipping work seamlessly for Ontario businesses. The Mississauga terminal isn't just a pickup point — it's a full-service logistics hub backed by a 53,000 sq. ft. warehouse, a full maintenance shop, and a team of specialists focused entirely on keeping your supply chain moving.
How Intermodal Works for GTA Shippers
Intermodal shipping combines two modes of transportation — truckload and rail — to move freight efficiently across long distances. Here's how the process works from your Mississauga or GTA facility:
Bison picks up your freight via truck and loads it into one of our intermodal containers. That container is then transported to the nearest rail terminal, where it's loaded onto a railcar for the long-haul portion of its journey. At the destination rail terminal, Bison's team takes over again — placing the container back on a chassis and delivering it to your consignee's door. The result is a single, coordinated, door-to-door solution that gives you truckload-level visibility with rail-level cost efficiency.
For high-volume shippers in the GTA managing regular East-West or cross-border lanes, intermodal is often the most effective way to reduce freight spend without sacrificing reliability.
Bison operates daily intermodal service between Eastern and Western Canada, making it one of the most consistent and cost-effective options for GTA shippers with freight destined for Western Canada markets. Using partnerships with CPKC and other Class 1 railroads, we provide scheduled departures with reliable transit windows, dry and temperature-controlled container options, and real-time tracking so you always know where your freight stands.
Domestic intermodal from Mississauga includes dry van, refrigerated, and protect-from-freeze container options, plus 40' Ocean Container solutions for specialized shipping requirements. Bison also provides access to container pools in addition to our own private fleet, meaning capacity availability is rarely a constraint for our GTA shipper partners.
For GTA shippers with U.S. and Mexico freight, Bison's cross-border intermodal network offers daily 53' High Cube container service between Western Canada and the U.S. Midwest, with reach extending across 48 states through rail partnerships with NS, CSX, BNSF, and Union Pacific. Our cross-border intermodal service delivers meaningful savings on fuel surcharges and line haul rates compared to over-the-road alternatives — without sacrificing the service quality your customers expect.
Going further south? Bison's intermodal network extends into Mexico, allowing GTA shippers to bypass transloading through Laredo and move freight across the border more efficiently. Our bilingual intermodal team facilitates customs coordination and documentation, giving you experienced hands on both sides of every border your freight crosses.
Bison maintains a private fleet of over 1,300 intermodal containers, complemented by access to more than 80,000 rail-owned containers across North America. That scale means your GTA freight lanes are supported by genuine capacity — not spot market gambles. Our container fleet includes:
- 53' High Cube Dry Containers — for standard dry van freight requiring long-haul efficiency
- 53' Heated Containers — for temperature-sensitive freight that must stay above freezing
- 53' Refrigerated Containers — for perishable and cold-chain freight requiring active temperature control
- 40' Ocean Containers — for shippers with international import/export integration requirements
With equipment investments that are among the most modern in the industry, Bison intermodal containers are maintained to the same rigorous standards as our highway fleet — so your cargo arrives the way it left.
Contact the Office in Mississauga, Ontario
Location: 5840 Shawson Drive, Mississauga, ON, L4W 3W5, Canada
Phone: +1-800-363-0003
Contact the Warehouse in Mississauga, Ontario
Location: 6300 Edwards Blvd, Mississauga, ON L5T 2X3, Canada
Phone: +1-800-462-4766
Bison Intermodal Service Features — Mississauga, ON
GTA shippers trust Bison's intermodal network for its combination of proven rail relationships, modern container equipment, and a dedicated team of intermodal experts who know your lanes, your freight, and your deadlines.
- Daily pick-up and delivery from Mississauga and GTA facilities
- Access to Bison's private fleet of 1,300+ intermodal containers
- 53' High Cube Dry, Heated, and Refrigerated container options
- 40' Ocean Container solutions for import/export integration
- Rail partnerships with CPKC, NS, CSX, BNSF, and Union Pacific
- Daily domestic rail service — Eastern to Western Canada
- Cross-border service to 48 U.S. states
- Mexico intermodal — bypass transloading in Laredo
- Real-time shipment tracking via Bison's i-Tools platform
- Dedicated intermodal experts with bilingual capabilities
- Door-to-door service including trans-loading coordination
- SmartWay certified — reduce your GHG footprint with every shipment
- Rail is 4x more fuel-efficient than over-the-road alternatives
- Consistent capacity and reliable service for your supply chain
The Greater Toronto Area is one of the most industrially diverse freight markets in Canada. Bison's Mississauga intermodal service is built to handle the wide variety of commodities, compliance requirements, and supply chain timelines that GTA shippers deal with daily.
- Manufacturing — Move raw materials and finished goods on reliable, scheduled rail lanes that align with production cycles and just-in-time inventory requirements.
- Automotive — Support parts and component lanes between Ontario plants and cross-border partners with consistent capacity and transit times.
- Retail — Scale your import and domestic distribution efficiently with intermodal options built for high-volume, cost-sensitive retail supply chains.
- Food & Beverage — Refrigerated and protect-from-freeze containers ensure your product integrity is maintained across every mile of the journey.
- Healthcare — Temperature-controlled intermodal options support pharmaceutical and medical supply shipping with the oversight your products require.
- Aerospace — Precise, coordinated door-to-door service for high-value aerospace components requiring careful handling and documentation.
- Agriculture — Leverage seasonal and year-round intermodal capacity for bulk agricultural goods moving between Ontario and Western Canada.
- Technology — Consistent, trackable intermodal freight solutions for high-value electronics and tech hardware requiring reliable transit windows.
How does intermodal shipping work from Mississauga? Bison picks up your freight at your GTA facility and loads it into an intermodal container. The container is transported by truck to the nearest rail terminal, transferred to a railcar for the long-haul portion of the transit, then delivered to your consignee by truck at the destination. You get a single point of contact, one coordinated plan, and door-to-door service — all managed by Bison's intermodal team.
What are the benefits of intermodal shipping for GTA shippers? Intermodal offers GTA shippers a compelling combination of cost savings, capacity reliability, and reduced carbon emissions. Rail is approximately four times more fuel-efficient than over-the-road transport, which means lower fuel surcharges and a smaller GHG footprint. For shippers with predictable long-haul lanes — especially to Western Canada or into the U.S. — intermodal often delivers the best value-per-mile of any freight mode available.
Which rail lines does Bison use out of Mississauga? Bison partners with the majority of Class 1 North American railroads, including CPKC, NS (Norfolk Southern), CSX, BNSF, and Union Pacific. This multi-railroad approach gives our Mississauga customers access to a broad range of routing options, transit windows, and pricing across Canada, the U.S., and into Mexico.
Does Bison offer temperature-controlled intermodal from the GTA? Yes. Bison's intermodal container fleet includes 53' Heated Containers (protect-from-freeze) and 53' Refrigerated Containers in addition to standard dry van options. If you're shipping food, beverage, pharmaceutical, or any other temperature-sensitive product from Mississauga, our team can match you to the right equipment and routing.
Can I ship cross-border intermodal from Mississauga to the U.S.? Absolutely. Bison offers daily cross-border intermodal service from Western Canada into the U.S. Midwest, with access to 48 U.S. states through our Class 1 rail partnerships. Our team handles customs documentation and border coordination, and our bilingual staff supports Mexico-bound cross-border freight as well — including bypass of transloading in Laredo.
How much does intermodal shipping from Mississauga cost compared to truckload? Intermodal is typically more cost-effective than over-the-road truckload on lanes of 500 miles or more, with savings coming from reduced fuel surcharges and lower line haul rates. The exact savings depend on your specific lanes, freight profile, and transit time flexibility. Contact our Mississauga intermodal team or request a quote online and we'll put together a comparison for your lanes.
How do I get started with Bison intermodal from Mississauga? The fastest way to get started is to request a quote online or contact our Mississauga terminal directly at (905) 364-4401. Our dedicated intermodal team will assess your freight lanes, recommend the right container and service options, and provide a detailed quote — usually within one business day.
