Loads that weigh out fast
Scrap metal reaches legal weight long before the trailer is full. Overweight loads are fined at the scale and have to be reloaded.
Recycling & Scrap
Scrap and recycling freight, to the mill or the port
Scrap metal, cardboard bales and baled plastics moved from yards and plants to mills, processors and export ports, on equipment built for heavy, loose and baled loads.
24/7
Dispatch
<1 hr
Quote response
Overview
Heavy, messy freight that has to reach the buyer clean
Recycled materials are commodities, and the buyer pays for what arrives, after deductions for contamination and moisture. Scrap metal is dense and often loose, so it moves in end dumps, roll-off containers or flatbeds with sides. Cardboard and plastic bales are lighter and stack in dry vans and containers. A large share of North American scrap is exported, which turns the move into a drayage and port problem. We book the right equipment from yards and plants, cover loose loads as the rules require, and arrange containers, drayage and export paperwork for overseas buyers.
- End dumps and walking floors
- OCC and plastic bales
- Export containers on tri-axle chassis
- Scale tickets back same day
Challenges we solve
What makes recycling freight hard
Loose material on the road
Loose scrap must be contained and covered so nothing falls on the road. Provinces and states fine uncovered loads and hold carriers responsible for debris.
Contamination and grading
Buyers grade loads on arrival and deduct for contamination, moisture or material that does not match the agreed specification.
Export rules
Some recyclable materials, especially mixed plastics, need prior consent from the importing country under international rules before they can ship.
Container weight limits
Export containers of scrap can be loaded heavier than the road allows. They need the right chassis and careful weighing before they leave the yard.
How we work
How we run scrap and recycling loads
Material and grade
What the material is, how it is prepared (loose, sheared, baled) and the buyer's specification.
Match the equipment
End dumps, walking floors or flatbeds with sides for loose metal; dry vans and containers for bales.
Load to legal weight
We plan loads to stay under legal weight and confirm covering and containment for loose material.
Export
Container bookings, drayage to the yard and back to the port, and the documents the export requires.
Scale tickets back
We send the weight tickets and delivery paperwork back the same day so the sale can be settled.
Rules and regulations
Covering, grading and export rules
Load covering and containment
Provincial and state rules require loads to be secured and covered so material cannot fall or blow off. Loose scrap and debris loads need tarps or enclosed equipment.
Material specifications
Buyers grade scrap and recovered paper against industry specifications, such as those published by ReMA (formerly ISRI). Loads that do not match are downgraded.
Cross-border movement of hazardous recyclables
Canada's Cross-border Movement of Hazardous Waste and Hazardous Recyclable Material Regulations, and the Basel Convention for overseas destinations, require notice and consent for some materials, including mixed plastic waste.
Legal weight limits
Axle and gross weight limits apply to every load. Heavy export containers may need tri-axle chassis to stay legal on the road.
Equipment
The right trailer for loose, sheared and baled material
Loose heavy scrap usually moves in end dumps, which tip the load out at the mill, or walking floor trailers, which push it out from inside. Both handle material that cannot be loaded or unloaded by forklift.
Prepared scrap, such as sheared plate or bundled sheet, can travel on flatbeds with sides or in roll-off containers. Higher-value non-ferrous metals often move in enclosed vans to reduce theft risk.
Baled cardboard, paper and plastics stack like pallets and move in dry vans or containers. They are lighter than metal, so trailers fill by space, not weight.
Whatever the equipment, the load has to be covered or contained if anything can fall out. Uncovered loads are fined, and carriers are increasingly unwilling to haul them without tarps.
Export
Getting recyclables to overseas buyers
Much of North America's scrap metal and recovered paper is sold overseas. It ships in containers loaded at the yard, trucked or railed to Vancouver, Montreal, Halifax or a US port.
Scrap containers are often loaded heavier than the road allows on a standard chassis. Tri-axle chassis carry more weight legally, but they are in limited supply, so they have to be booked with the drayage.
Some materials need more than a commercial invoice. Mixed plastic waste and some other recyclables require notice to and consent from the importing country under international rules, and Canada's cross-border regulations add their own permits.
The buyer's grading is the final step. Contamination, moisture and off-spec material all reduce the price, so clean loading at origin protects the sale as much as the freight.
Frequently asked questions
Recycling & Scrap: common questions
Do you haul scrap metal?
Yes. Ferrous and non-ferrous scrap moves in end dumps, walking floors, roll-off containers or flatbeds with sides, loaded to legal weight and covered as required.
Can you ship cardboard and plastic bales?
Yes. OCC and plastic bales move in dry vans and containers, to mills in North America or to export ports.
Do you handle scrap export?
Yes. We book containers, run drayage to your yard and back to the port, and coordinate the export paperwork with your freight forwarder or ours.
What if the container is overweight?
Heavy containers need tri-axle chassis or lighter loading to stay legal. We confirm the target weight before the container is loaded.
Do you move non-ferrous metals like copper and aluminum?
Yes. Higher-value scrap moves in secure, enclosed equipment, and we confirm the carrier's cargo coverage against the load value.
Can you move scrap across the border?
Yes. Most metal scrap moves freely between Canada and the US with standard customs paperwork. Some materials need notice under hazardous recyclable rules, which we check first.
Related industries
Other industries we ship for
Metals & Steel
Coils, plate, beams, pipe and rebar on flatbed and step deck, with coil securement, tarping and border paperwork.
Paper & Packaging
Paper rolls, corrugated, packaging materials — high-density, high-volume freight specialists.
Plastics & Resin
Resin in bulk trucks, railcars, gaylords and bags, plus finished plastic parts and film, in clean equipment.
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