FrançaisFree quote Talk to the gang

How much does it cost to move from Montreal to Thunder Bay?

Short answer

About $5,120

Dedicated truck and two movers, door to door, the truck’s return trip included. Before taxes. August 2026 diesel.

1,588 km each way · Quebec → Ontario

Delivered 2 days after loading

One thousand five hundred and eighty-eight kilometres without leaving Ontario. Thunder Bay is halfway between Montreal and Winnipeg, at the head of Lake Superior; the truck gets there two days after loading.

+1 (438) 913-8100

Why a dedicated truck

Your things leave your door and arrive at your door in Thunder Bay. On the same truck.

The price on this page is not a teaser rate. It pays for a truck that carries only your belongings, and two movers who stay with them from the first box to the last piece of furniture.

  • Door to door, one truck

    We load at your home in Montreal and unload at your home in Thunder Bay. No warehouse, no terminal, no transfer to another truck along the way.

  • The same crew start to finish

    The two movers who wrap your furniture in blankets are the ones who set it down in your new living room. Nobody else touches your things.

  • White-glove handling

    Furniture wrapped in protective blankets, beds and tables taken apart and put back together, every piece placed in the room you point to. Not left in the hallway.

  • Insurance included

    Your belongings are covered for the whole move, with no extra charge hidden in the price. Certificate of insurance for your building on request. Tell us ahead of time about high-value pieces.

  • A real delivery date

    Your belongings are delivered 2 days after loading. Not a three-week “window” while you sleep on an air mattress.

  • A written price before loading

    Every line of the calculation is on the page. The price is set in a written quote before the truck is loaded. It is not renegotiated at your door with your things on the truck.

The calculation, line by line

Montreal to Thunder Bay, truck round trip. Before taxes. Each line is rounded to $10.
ItemCalculationAmount
Truck3,176 km × $0.30/km$950
Diesel794 L (3,176 km × 25 L/100 km) × $2.35/L$1,870
Crew (2 movers)4 days × $500/day for both movers (39.7 h of round-trip driving at 10 h a day)$2,000
Lodging3 nights × $100$300
Estimated totalbefore taxes$5,120

Diesel price: average of Montreal (256.6 ¢/L) and Winnipeg (212.8 ¢/L), Statistics Canada, August 2026. Statistics Canada does not publish a series for Thunder Bay; we use Winnipeg, the nearest city it tracks.

When will your belongings arrive in Thunder Bay?

Delivered 2 days after loading

Example: loaded on a Monday, delivered on Wednesday.

  1. Loading dayWe wrap and load everything at your home in Montreal. The truck leaves loaded, with the same two movers.
  2. On the roadAbout 19.9 h of driving to Thunder Bay, 10 h a day at most. Nobody unloads or transfers your things along the way.
  3. Delivery: 2 days after loadingThe same crew unloads at your home in Thunder Bay, puts the furniture back together and sets each piece where you point.

The 4 days in the calculation are not your wait

The calculation above counts the truck’s full round trip: 3,176 km and 4 days on the road. The second half is the truck driving back to Montreal empty, after your delivery. You pay for it because it is a real cost; you don’t wait for it.

What can move the date

A winter storm or a road closure (we wait for the road to reopen rather than take a risk with your things), or a building constraint at arrival, such as an elevator booking. The delivery date is set in writing before loading; if the road changes it, you hear it directly from the crew driving your truck.

For comparison: with a broker or a shared load, delivery comes within a “window” that can stretch to 21 days. [source]

The trip

Route
Ottawa, North Bay, then Highway 11 or the 17 along Lake Superior
Distance
1,588 km one way, 3,176 km round trip
Driving
about 19.9 h one way, 39.7 h round trip
Delivery at your door
2 days after loading
Truck’s round trip (in the price)
4 days on the road, 3 hotel nights; the return is driven empty, after your delivery

What to know about this trip

Northern Ontario means long stretches without a town or a gas station, and roads that sometimes close in winter. We fill up before each remote stretch and watch conditions on Ontario 511. Those stops and precautions are built into the 80 km/h average we use.

For the price of diesel, Statistics Canada does not publish a series for Thunder Bay; we use Winnipeg’s, the nearest city it tracks. In Thunder Bay, most arrivals are houses with a driveway; unloading is rarely complicated.

The lowball quote trap

On a long route like Montreal to Thunder Bay, many “starting at” prices come from brokers. Here is how that model works, and what it really costs.

What happens to your things with a broker

  1. A salesperson takes your deposit with a low price, often without a walkthrough or video inventory.
  2. They sell the job to the cheapest carrier they can find, often a crew you will never meet.
  3. Your things are unloaded into a warehouse, then reloaded with other customers’ shipments heading the same way. Every stop is one more handling.
  4. Delivery in Thunder Bay becomes a window of several weeks, and the price can climb when it is time to deliver.

What the industry’s own bodies say

  • A broker arranges the transport of your goods using subcontractors. A broker is not the mover. [source]
  • Brokers, even the good ones, have no liability for what happens during your move. [source]
  • On long-distance moves, goods may be unloaded into temporary storage, then reloaded onto another truck with other people’s belongings. Contracts often give a 21-day delivery window, and it is sometimes missed. [source]
  • Minimum protection pays 60 cents per pound per item: a 10-pound stereo worth $1,000 pays out $6 if it is lost or broken. [source]

Five red flags before you sign

  • A large deposit demanded up front, before any walkthrough.
  • No in-home or video survey to confirm what is moving.
  • No business address, or a name that changes between the website, the contract and the receipt.
  • The salesperson cannot tell you who will drive the truck or where your things will sleep.
  • No written delivery date, only a “window”.

Every way to move from Montreal to Thunder Bay

Each option has a price and a hidden cost. The table compares what matters on the day your things leave your door.

Every way to move from Montreal to Thunder Bay
OptionWho loads and unloadsTransfers of your thingsDelivery dateCover for your goodsYour work
La Belle Gang: dedicated truckOur two movers, at both endsNoneSet in advance: delivered 2 days after loadingInsurance includedShow us where each piece goes
Broker or multi-stop tripSubcontractors, often different at each endOne or more (warehouse, another truck)A window, often 21 daysThe broker has no liability; often 60¢/lbChase updates and hope
Shared load (van line)The carrierOften, depending on the runA window of several daysPer contract; check the declared valueStay available for the whole window
Portable containerYou. The company only moves the boxThe container is stored, then shippedDepends on the container’s freight networkNo liability for loading you did yourselfPack, load, unload, tie down
Rent a truck and driveYou and your friendsNoneYours, if all goes wellOnly if you buy cargo coverEverything: load, drive (about 20 hours of driving one way), unload, get back
Ship boxes, sell the furnitureThe parcel carrierSeveral sorting centresVaries by parcelLimited per parcelSell, then buy and assemble a whole home again

What this price does not include

The calculation covers the transport. These are priced at the walkthrough and added to the written quote:

  • Packing and materials (boxes, paper, covers).
  • Stairs, long carries and elevator waits beyond the usual.
  • A piano, a safe or any item over 300 lb.
  • Storage before or after delivery.
  • Taxes (GST/HST, QST).

Questions

How much does it cost to move from Montreal to Thunder Bay?

About $5,120 before taxes for a dedicated truck and two movers, the truck’s return included: $950 of truck, $1,870 of diesel, $2,000 of crew (two movers) and $300 of lodging. The final price is confirmed in a written quote.

How long does a move from Montreal to Thunder Bay take, and when will my belongings arrive?

Your belongings are delivered to your home in Thunder Bay 2 days after loading. The road is 1,588 km, about 19.9 hours of driving for the loaded truck, at 10 hours of driving a day. The delivery date is confirmed in writing before loading.

Why is the truck’s return trip in the price, and does it delay my delivery?

The price counts the truck’s full round trip (4 days on the road and 3 hotel nights) because a dedicated truck has to come back to Montreal, even empty: the kilometres, diesel and crew days of the return are real costs, shown instead of hidden in a flat rate. But it does not delay your delivery: the truck only drives back, empty, after unloading at your home in Thunder Bay. Your wait is the one-way trip only: delivery 2 days after loading.

What is not included?

Packing and materials, unusual stairs or long carries, items over 300 lb such as a piano, storage, and taxes. They are priced at the walkthrough and added to the written quote.

Why not go through the United States, it is shorter?

A move that enters the United States and comes back out clears customs twice, with a detailed inventory and a carrier authorized on both sides. For a move between two Canadian cities, the Canadian road stays the simplest and safest, and it is the one priced here.

Is insurance included in the price?

Yes. Your belongings are covered for the whole move from Montreal to Thunder Bay, with no hidden line in the price. We provide a certificate of insurance if your building asks for one. Tell us before moving day if a piece has a particular value.

Do you subcontract the trip or transfer my things?

No. One truck and the same two-mover crew, from your door to your door. Your things never go through a warehouse or onto another truck. That is the difference with a broker, who sells the job to subcontractors.

How we calculate

  • Distance: the one-way road distance is multiplied by 2, because the truck comes back to Montreal.
  • Truck: $0.30 per kilometre driven (wear, tires, maintenance, rental).
  • Diesel: 25 L per 100 km for a 26-foot truck on the highway (our assumption), at the average diesel price in Montreal and the destination city according to Statistics Canada.
  • Time: an average of 80 km/h including stops, 10 hours of driving per day, then 14 hours of rest and sleep.
  • Crew: 2 movers, one of them the driver, at $500 a day for both of them, every day of the round trip.
  • Lodging: $100 per night on the road.
  • Amounts are before GST/HST and QST, and each line is rounded to $10.

Other destinations from Montreal

Every route across Canada · Moving prices · Long-distance moving · Long-distance moving — Montreal

Sources

The figures on this page come from these public sources and from our assumptions, named above.

  1. Table 18-10-0001-01: Monthly average retail prices for gasoline and fuel oil, by geography — Statistics Canada. Diesel price at self-service stations, taxes included, by city and month.
  2. Commercial Vehicle Drivers Hours of Service Regulations (SOR/2005-313) — Government of Canada, Justice Laws Website. Legal cap of 13 driving hours per day; we plan 10.
  3. OpenStreetMap and the OSRM routing engine — OpenStreetMap contributors. Road distances from city centre to city centre, on Canadian roads only.
  4. Consumer advice: before the move — Office de la protection du consommateur (Quebec). For a long-distance move: get an on-site evaluation and a written estimate.
  5. Moving advice — Office of Consumer Affairs, ISED Canada. Broker or mover, inventory, insurance and claims for a move between provinces.
  6. Asking for an Estimate — Canadian Association of Movers. What a detailed written estimate should contain.
  7. Movers vs Brokers — Canadian Association of Movers. Brokers have no liability; a mover is liable for at least 60¢ per pound per item; portable container companies do not load for you.
  8. Moving Scams — Canadian Association of Movers. 21-day delivery windows, temporary storage and reloading, 60¢-per-pound protection, red flags.
  9. Line 21900 – Moving expenses — Canada Revenue Agency. Deducting moving costs when the new home is at least 40 km closer to work or school.

Diesel prices updated 2026-10-15 (August 2026 data).

La Belle Gang

A quote for Montreal to Thunder Bay

Give us the two addresses, the size of the home and the date. We come back with a written price, at no cost.

+1 (438) 913-8100

Talk to the gangGet my quote

The gang’s notebook

Preparing the move

Straightforward advice, written to be read at your pace.

What changes the price

There is no single rate on this site, because a studio and a suburban house do not need the same crew or the same time. The price follows the volume, the distance, the stairs, the elevator, the packing, and, if needed, holding the goods. A long carry from the street, a third floor with no elevator, or two buildings that each require a booking, make the day longer. One heavy item is still a real job: the price then follows the weight, the steps, and the distance, not the size of a whole house.

What does not change the price is a question asked beforehand. Call to ask if a date is open, or whether a piece will fit through a door. What changes it is a new fact on the morning. We would rather have a ten-minute call the week before than a discussion on the sidewalk. The accepted quote is the one that governs. If a page on the site and that text differ, the accepted text is the one that counts.

A small job or a full house

You do not need a full house to call. A few boxes, a bed, a washing machine, or a piano are welcome. The care does not shrink because the list is short. A condo may still require a certificate and an elevator time for a single piece. Tell us the name of the item, the floor it leaves, and the floor it goes to. A photo helps for an armoire or a piano whose width we do not know.

At the other end, a full house needs a calmer inventory: basement, garage, shed, balcony. Tools and paint are not handled like picture frames. If part of the contents is staying, say so. We do not empty a home for you, and we do not choose what is given away or thrown out. Family can take a piece before truck day. What stays behind does not go into the quote.

Three La Belle Gang movers move a wrapped upright piano on a dolly toward the truck.
One piano, three people, and straps.

A short drive or a longer one

A local move is often done in a day: load, drive, unload. Kilometres do not say everything. Two elevators, a bridge, and a narrow street can take longer than a suburban drive with two driveways. Laval, Longueuil, the North Shore, and the island do not share the same timing even when the addresses look close on a map. We count that time in the quote instead of discovering it at rush hour.

A longer distance, for example between Montreal and Quebec City, adds road and a delivery window said in advance. Packing matters more there, because the boxes stay in motion longer. Our main work is in Quebec. For a trip that starts or ends outside the province, call. We say whether the date is possible. We do not promise a map of the whole country. We promise a clear answer.

What the quote actually looks at

A fair quote starts with two addresses, not a price given on the phone with no detail. We ask for the floor you are leaving, the floor you are going to, whether there is an elevator, and how many steps there are if there is not. A house with a basement is not the same volume as a small apartment. A piano, a built-in fridge, or a very heavy bed has to be named at the start, or the first number will not hold on truck day. Distance counts too, especially when a bridge sits between the two doors. Where the truck parks is part of the time: a driveway, a dock, or a street that needs a permit is not the same half hour.

The quote is written, and it is free. It says whether packing, unpacking, or holding goods between two dates is included. It books nothing until you accept it. If a floor was left out, or twenty boxes appear in the morning that were not in the story, the work changes and we say so before going on. The aim is not a surprise at the end. The aim is that the text you read stays the text of the day, as long as the home you described is the home we find.

A La Belle Gang mover wraps furniture in a living room, with the company truck outside.
Pad first, wrap second. The truck waits outside.

How the day actually goes

We arrive in the window we agreed. Someone on the crew says where we start: often the fullest room, or the one whose doorway blocks the others. You do not have to carry. You can sit, answer the phone, or simply point to the corner for the bed and the wall for the sideboard. A family member can be there for the decisions. One person confirms whether a piece goes or stays. Too many instructions at once slow everyone down and scuff the door frames.

Medication, papers, the charger, and a change of clothes stay with you, not at the back of the truck. So do the keys to both homes. If the building has an end time for the elevator, we keep it. A finished room and boxes grouped together is better than running past the hour and leaving everything in the lobby. At the end of the load, we do a last walk of the closets, the balcony, and the garage if you told us they are part of the trip.

Buildings, stairs, and parking

In Montreal and nearby, many moves are decided by the building’s rules more than by the road. The elevator is often booked days ahead, especially at the start of the month. Management sometimes wants a certificate of insurance before they release the time. Ask them the exact name to print and the deadline. We prepare the document. Then tell us the start and the end, and whether it is the service elevator or the one in the lobby. A narrow hall or a low ceiling changes how a sofa turns.

Without an elevator, the number of steps is the detail people forget most often. A third floor in a walk-up is nothing like a ground floor. Turning stairs in a duplex sometimes mean taking a piece apart on the landing. The truck does not always park at the door. Some streets need a permit, some buildings have the dock at the back, and in Old Quebec a large vehicle stops farther away. The longer the carry, the more it needs to be said beforehand, not on arrival.

Two La Belle Gang movers wrap a sofa in a living room; the truck is parked out front.
The pads go on one piece at a time.

Packing without losing track

Packing often takes longer than loading. If you do it yourself, start with the kitchen and with what breaks: dishes, lamps, mirrors, frames. Fill the empty space. A half-empty box gets crushed under the others. Write the room on two sides, not only on the top, because the top disappears in the stack. “Fragile” alone does not say whether the box belongs in the bedroom or the living room. If we pack, we use paper and pads, and the boxes carry the same kind of label.

Unpacking can be added to the quote, or left for the next day. Nothing requires every box to be opened that night. Open the essentials first: sheets, the coffee pot, one pot, toiletries. The rest can wait. What is not coming should not sit in a box “just in case”. A quote based on the whole house will be too high if half the furniture is staying with family. Decide before the truck, not while the ramp is already out.

Inside the truck

The order in the truck is not random. Heavy, flat pieces go against the walls, strapped, so nothing walks when the brakes come on. Mattresses often stay upright, away from furniture corners. Heavy boxes go low, light boxes go high. A piano or an armoire is not braced like a carton of books. If the drive crosses a bridge or lasts more than an hour, the straps matter more. We do not fill the floor at random just so it fits.

You can look before the doors close if you want to see that the bed and the sideboard are actually there. Then the truck rolls. On a local job, unloading often follows the same day. On a longer distance, the delivery window is said ahead of time. You do not have to guess where the boxes are. If the two addresses are not ready on the same day, holding the goods between those dates can be planned. The place and the length of time belong in the quote, not as a surprise at the dock.

A La Belle Gang mover tapes a “fragile – cuisine” box shut in front of the truck.
The handwriting names the room, not only “fragile”.
CallFree quote