Freight forwarding · Abbotsford, BC
Freight Forwarding Services
Freight forwarding means one team owns your shipment from quote to delivery. At Fortress, that's one coordinator who books the right carrier, plans the route, handles permits and border paperwork, and keeps you posted across Western Canada and the USA.
For construction, farm, pipeline and energy, and restaurant businesses in Western Canada moving equipment and freight across BC, Alberta and into the USA.
- Find a carrier
- Compare trailers
- Apply for oversize permits
- Book pilot cars
- File customs paperwork
- Chase the ETA
- Confirm the delivery
What you hand over
What A Freight Forwarder Actually Does For You
You know what needs to move and where it needs to be. Everything between those two points is the forwarder's job. This is what your Fortress coordinator takes off your plate.
Want the longer version? Read our guide to what a freight forwarder does.
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Picks the carrier
From our carrier network across BC, Alberta and Saskatchewan, matched to your load and your lane.
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Matches the trailer
Flatbed, step deck, double drop, RGN, dry van or Conestoga, based on the size and weight of the freight and how it loads.
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Sorts permits and pilot cars
Oversize permits for each province on the route, and pilot cars booked when the load needs them.
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Handles the border paperwork
Customs documents for Canada-USA loads, coordinated with the broker before the truck reaches the border.
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Keeps you posted
Pickup timing confirmed, then updates while your freight is on the road. You don't have to chase anyone.
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Confirms the delivery
Signed delivery confirmation, and the paperwork sent to you for your records.
Do you handle my freight?
Freight We Forward Across Western Canada
The freight Western Canada's job sites, farms, energy crews and restaurants actually ship. If yours is on this list, one Fortress coordinator can plan it.
Heavy equipment & machinery
Excavators, loaders, cranes and industrial machinery, matched to the right lowboy or step deck.
Oversize loads
Wide, tall and heavy freight, with the permits and pilot cars arranged for you.
Agricultural equipment
Tractors, combines, seeders and specialty farm machinery, timed around planting and harvest.
Pipeline & energy equipment
Oilfield components, pipeline sections and energy infrastructure equipment.
FTL and LTL freight
A full trailer of your own, or space on a shared one when the load is smaller.
LTL shippingRestaurant equipment & dry goods
Kitchen equipment and packaged, shelf-stable dry goods on dry van and flatbed trailers.
Canada-USA cross-border
Loads headed south or coming north, with customs paperwork coordinated before the border.
What we don't move: refrigerated or temperature-controlled freight. If your load has to hold a temperature, we'll tell you on the first call.
How your shipment runs
One Coordinator, Start To Finish
The worry with any shipment is the handoffs. With Fortress you have one dedicated coordinator for the whole move, from the quote to the signed delivery.
- Stage 1
Request your quote
Send the origin, destination, dimensions and weight, and your timing. You get a clear quote within 24 hours, often much faster.
- Stage 2
Planning
Your coordinator picks the carrier and trailer, plans the route and lines up permits and pilot cars when the load needs them.
- Stage 3
Pickup & paperwork
Pickup is timed to your schedule, the bill of lading is in order, and customs documents are ready for cross-border loads.
- Stage 4
In transit
Updates from your coordinator while the freight is on the road. Questions go to the same person, not a call centre.
- Stage 5
Delivered & confirmed
Signed delivery confirmation, and the documents sent to you for your records.
Since 1992
From A Kitchen Table To 800+ Loads A Year
Fortress has never been a call centre. It started as one person on one phone, and it still works the same way: you talk to the people moving your freight.
- 1992 David Heitsman starts Fortress Forwarders with one phone at his mother’s kitchen table.
- 2016 Marcella Dauncey joins the team.
- Nov 2025 Ownership passes to Marcella and Michael Dauncey. Fortress is now woman-owned.
- Today 800+ loads a year across Canada and the USA, with the same personal approach.
- Years in business
- 33+
- Loads a year
- 800+
- Canadian operated
- 100%
Do you cover my lane?
Western Canada, Across Canada, And Into The USA
Western Canada
The core of our carrier network. Loads from the Fraser Valley to the Prairies are planned by a coordinator who knows the routes, the road bans and the permit rules in each province.
Across Canada
When freight needs to go further, we coordinate moves across Canada with the same coordinator and the same updates.
Into the USA
Cross-border loads with customs paperwork coordinated before the truck reaches the border, on corridors including these three.
How our cross border shipping worksBefore you call
Freight Forwarding Questions
Still not sure? Call (604) 853-9006 and talk to the people who would plan your load.
A freight forwarder plans and runs a shipment for you. At Fortress, a freight forwarding company based in Abbotsford, BC, that means one coordinator who picks the carrier and trailer, plans the route, arranges oversize permits and pilot cars when they are needed, coordinates customs paperwork for cross-border loads, and keeps you updated until delivery is confirmed.
Heavy equipment and machinery, oversize loads, agricultural equipment, pipeline and energy equipment, full truckload and less than truckload freight, restaurant equipment and packaged dry goods, and Canada-USA cross-border loads. We also arrange hazmat transport for regulated dangerous goods.
Yes. For cross-border loads we coordinate the customs documentation and work with the customs broker so the paperwork is ready before the truck reaches the border. Our corridors include BC to Washington, Alberta to Montana, and Saskatchewan to North Dakota.
Yes. When a load is over the legal width, height, length or weight, your coordinator arranges the oversize permits for each province on the route and books pilot cars when the permit calls for them.
Send the pickup and delivery locations, the exact dimensions and weight, what the freight is (for equipment, the make and model and whether attachments are included), your timing, and any site access issues that could affect loading. You get a clear quote within 24 hours, often much faster.
No. Fortress does not move refrigerated, frozen or temperature-controlled freight. Food loads are limited to packaged, shelf-stable dry goods and restaurant equipment. If your load has to hold a temperature, we will tell you on the first call.
Request a quote
Tell Us What You're Moving
Send the basics: what it is, where it's going and when. Your coordinator comes back with a clear quote within 24 hours, often much faster.
Call (604) 853-9006- Office
- 30799 Simpson Rd #101, Abbotsford, BC V2T 6X4
- Hours
- Mon to Fri, 7:00 am to 4:00 pm (PST)
Request A Quote
No obligation. A real person reads every request.
