Red Foot Haulers provides heavy equipment transport Ontario operators rely on for excavators, dozers, loaders, graders and other machines across the province. We haul on flatdeck, step-deck and RGN (removable gooseneck) trailers throughout the GTA, Southwestern Ontario, Eastern Ontario and the Near North. Pricing is quote-based and confirmed per route. To get started, send your machine's make, dimensions, weight, and the exact pickup and delivery addresses.
Heavy Equipment Transport Across Ontario
Ontario is a large, varied province, and moving heavy equipment across it means dealing with dense urban corridors, long rural stretches, and seasonal road rules that change how a load can travel. Red Foot Haulers has been hauling equipment since 2016, backed by 700+ reviews, commercial cargo insurance, and condition reports on every move. We serve the Greater Toronto Area and Golden Horseshoe, Southwestern Ontario, the Ottawa and Eastern Ontario region, and cottage country and the Near North.
The right trailer depends on the machine. A flatdeck suits lower, lighter equipment that fits within standard deck height. A step-deck lowers the deck to gain clearance for taller machines. An RGN (removable gooseneck) drops a ramp at the front so heavy, tall or track-mounted equipment can roll or be driven onto a low, load-bearing deck — the usual choice for large excavators, dozers and graders. We match the trailer to your machine's weight and dimensions before quoting. This page focuses on moves within Ontario; for coast-to-coast context, see our heavy equipment transport Canada hub.
Regions We Serve in Ontario
Ontario demand clusters into a few broad regions, each with its own access realities. We routinely handle pickups and deliveries across all of them:
- GTA & Golden Horseshoe: Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Hamilton, Oakville and the surrounding industrial belt. High-density routing, restricted truck routes, and tight yard access are the main challenges here — staging and timing matter as much as the trailer.
- Southwestern Ontario: London, Windsor, Kitchener-Waterloo, Guelph, Sarnia and the agricultural and manufacturing corridor along the 401 and 402. A mix of highway-capable routing and rural secondary roads to individual farms and jobsites.
- Ottawa & Eastern Ontario: Ottawa, Kingston, Belleville and the eastern counties. Long highway runs along the 401 and 417, with rural approaches at either end.
- Cottage Country & the Near North: Muskoka, Parry Sound, and the broader Near North including the Owen Sound area. This region sees genuine seasonal equipment demand, but road quality and site access vary widely — narrow approaches, gravel and seasonal roads are common. Regional pickups here are routine when the truck can reach the machine safely.
We do not operate a dedicated local depot in Owen Sound or any single regional centre — we route trucks to the machine wherever it sits, so send the exact address and we confirm the approach before quoting.
Jobsite Realities in Ontario
Getting a machine onto the deck is often the easy part. The harder variables are municipal and seasonal. Many Ontario municipalities publish designated truck routes, and larger loads may be restricted from certain streets or bridges — routing around these adds distance and sometimes changes the pickup approach entirely.
Spring is the season to plan around. During the spring thaw, many municipalities and counties impose half-load (reduced load) restrictions on secondary and rural roads while the roadbed is soft and vulnerable to damage. These restrictions can sharply limit how much weight a truck may carry on affected roads for several weeks. The practical fix is highway-capable routing wherever possible and flexible pickup dates — a machine that can wait a week or reach a stronger road often avoids the restriction entirely. Tell us your pickup and delivery roads when you request a quote so we can check what applies.
Soft-ground jobsites are the other recurring issue. Freshly graded lots, muddy fields and wet spring sites can strand a loaded trailer. We assess whether the truck can reach a firm loading point, and where the ground is questionable we plan a staging area on stable ground and use spotters to guide the machine on and off. A machine that runs under its own power onto the deck loads faster and cheaper than one that must be winched or craned, so knowing the machine's condition up front helps us plan.
What Your Quote Depends On
We do not publish a flat per-kilometre rate because no two equipment moves are the same. Instead, here are the real drivers that shape every Ontario quote and how each one moves the number:
| Driver | How it affects your quote |
|---|---|
| Distance | Longer hauls cost more; total kilometres and whether the route allows highway-capable roads both matter. |
| Trailer class (flatdeck / step-deck / RGN) | RGN and step-deck cost more to operate than a flatdeck; the machine's height and weight dictate which is required. |
| Weight | Heavier machines may push into overweight permit territory and limit routing, raising cost. |
| Width / height / length | Oversize dimensions trigger permits and possibly escorts, and can restrict which roads and times are usable. |
| Runs onto the deck under its own power | Self-loading machines load faster and cheaper; winching or craning adds time, equipment and cost. |
| Season | Spring half-load restrictions and winter conditions can force longer routing or date changes, affecting price. |
| Escorts & permits | Required for oversize/overweight moves; pilot vehicles and permit fees add directly to the total. |
| Distance from a highway-capable road | The farther the site sits from a road that can carry the load, the more difficult and costly the approach. |
For the large excavators, dozers and graders this page's readers most often move, weight and dimensions usually dominate — they decide the trailer class, whether permits and escorts are needed, and how much of the province's road network is even usable. Site access from a highway-capable road is the frequent runner-up, especially for rural and Near North deliveries.
Permits and Escorts
When a load exceeds standard legal dimensions or weight, it needs an oversize and/or overweight permit, and in some cases one or more pilot (escort) vehicles. The thresholds that trigger these requirements differ by province and by the specific highways used along the route — the same machine can require a permit on one road and travel legally on another.
Because those cutoffs vary, we do not guess. We confirm the exact permit and escort requirements for your specific route before quoting, so the number you receive reflects what the move actually needs. The dimensions that commonly matter when determining whether a permit or escort is required are:
| Dimension | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Overall width | Wide loads are a leading trigger for permits and pilot vehicles. |
| Overall height | Tall loads must clear bridges and overhead lines; height often decides trailer class. |
| Overall length | Long combinations can require permits and affect which roads and turns are usable. |
| Axle weights | Weight distribution across axles governs overweight permitting, not just total mass. |
Give us the machine's real numbers up front — accurate width, height, length and weight — and the pickup and delivery roads, and we handle the permit confirmation for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you transport equipment within Ontario only, or across Canada?
Both. This page covers Ontario moves; we also run interprovincial lanes. See the national heavy equipment transport Canada page for coast-to-coast context.
Can you pick up from a jobsite near Owen Sound or other regional centres?
Yes, where the truck can access safely. Regional Ontario pickups are common; send the exact address so we can confirm the approach.
Do spring load restrictions affect equipment moves in Ontario?
They can, on secondary roads during half-load season. Highway-capable routing and flexible dates usually solve it — tell us the pickup and delivery roads when you request a quote.
Do you transport heavy equipment to or from the United States?
No. Red Foot Haulers moves equipment within Canada only. Cross-border hauls involve customs and different permitting we do not handle.
Other popular routes: excavator transport Canada, tractor transport Canada, and lowboy RGN trailer transport Canada.