Rail containers come off CN trains in Brampton, air freight lands at Toronto Pearson, and trucks move all of it along Highway 401 and Highway 407 to distribution centres in Peel, York, Halton and Durham. That makes the Greater Toronto Area the densest place in Canada to look for logistics careers in Toronto, and one of the most competitive places to hire. This guide covers where the work is, what it pays, which licences and tickets employers ask for, and how TransportationCareers.ca fits for job seekers and employers.
Key facts
- Three anchors drive GTA logistics hiring: rail intermodal (CN Brampton Intermodal Terminal and CPKC Vaughan Intermodal Terminal), air cargo around Toronto Pearson, and the Highway 401/407 distribution corridor from Milton to Whitby.
- Job Bank's Toronto Region median wage for logistics coordinators (NOC 13201) is $29.76 per hour (wages updated November 19, 2025).
- Driving roles in Ontario usually require a Class AZ or DZ licence. Class A applicants must complete Mandatory Entry-Level Training (MELT).
- Many large distribution centres sit in industrial parks in Brampton, Caledon, Mississauga, Milton and Ajax, so shift start times and transit access matter as much as pay.
Who TransportationCareers.ca Is For
TransportationCareers.ca is a Canada-focused job board for transportation and logistics. It carries only transportation and logistics roles, so a dispatcher or freight planner posting is not buried among retail and hospitality listings.
Job seekers
You can search openings in trucking, warehousing, freight forwarding, rail, air cargo and supply chain planning, then build a profile that lists your licence class, equipment tickets and systems experience. Start at TransportationCareers.ca for job seekers.
Employers
Carriers, 3PLs, shippers and brokers post roles to reach candidates who already know what a bill of lading, a CVOR audit or a cycle count is. Pricing and posting options are at TransportationCareers.ca for employers.
Where GTA Logistics Jobs Are
The GTA is several overlapping logistics hubs connected by highways and rail. Knowing which hub an employer sits in tells you a lot about the job before you read the posting.
Rail intermodal: Brampton and Vaughan
CN's Brampton Intermodal Terminal and CPKC's Vaughan Intermodal Terminal move containers between rail and truck. Around them you find drayage carriers, container yards, freight forwarders and customs brokers. Typical openings are drayage drivers (usually Class AZ), intermodal dispatchers, yard coordinators and customer service staff who track containers and free time at the terminal.
Air cargo: Pearson and Malton
Toronto Pearson is Canada's busiest airport, and the industrial areas around it in Mississauga and northwest Toronto hold cargo handlers, ground handling companies, freight forwarders and courier operations. Integrated carriers such as FedEx, UPS and DHL run cargo operations in the airport area, and Canada Post's Gateway processing facility is nearby in Mississauga. Airside roles need a restricted area pass issued through the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, which involves a Transport Canada security clearance. Dangerous goods training for air (IATA rules) comes up often in forwarder and handler postings.
The 401/407 distribution corridor
This is where most warehouse and distribution jobs are. Named examples of large operations in the corridor include:
- Canadian Tire distribution centres in Brampton and in Bolton (Caledon).
- Loblaw distribution centre in Ajax.
- Amazon fulfilment and sortation sites in Brampton, Mississauga, Bolton and other GTA municipalities.
- Walmart Canada distribution centres in Mississauga.
- Purolator, headquartered in Mississauga, with hub and terminal operations across the GTA.
Alongside these are hundreds of smaller carriers and 3PLs. A scan of Job Bank's supervisor listings (NOC 12013) for the Toronto Region shows a steady flow of dispatch supervisor and warehouse supervisor postings from small trucking companies in Brampton, Mississauga and Milton. Those firms often hire faster and with less formal screening than large shippers.
Toronto head offices and brokerages
Downtown and North York offices hold freight brokerage, procurement, demand planning and transportation analyst roles. These pay more for systems and analytical skills and less for equipment tickets.
What GTA Logistics Jobs Pay
The figures below are Job Bank's prevailing hourly wages for the Toronto Region, updated November 19, 2025 (reference period 2023-2024 or 2024 depending on the occupation). "Low" and "high" roughly mark the bottom and top of the range; the median is the middle.
| Role (NOC 2021) | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Logistics coordinator (13201) | $20.00 | $29.76 | $40.87 |
| Warehouse / supply chain supervisor (12013) | $20.14 | $27.86 | $40.58 |
| Transport truck driver (73300) | $19.78 | $25.10 | $37.78 |
| Material handler / warehouse associate (75101) | $17.60 | $21.00 | $29.00 |
How to use these numbers
Treat the median as a benchmark, not a promise. Night shifts, weekend premiums, overtime and long-haul mileage pay can move actual earnings well above the median, especially for AZ drivers. Before negotiating, look up your exact NOC code on Job Bank's wage report and compare it with the pay range in the posting.
Where pay tends to be higher
Supervisors with WMS experience, coordinators who handle cross-border or customs paperwork, and AZ drivers with a clean abstract and a FAST card generally sit in the upper half of these ranges. Entry-level material handler roles cluster near the low end.
Licences, Tickets and Designations Employers Ask For
Vague "relevant certification" language hides what hiring managers actually screen for. These are the credentials that appear most often in GTA postings.
Ontario driver's licence classes
- Class AZ: tractor-trailer combinations. Needed for highway, drayage and most intermodal driving. New Class A applicants must complete MELT at an approved training school before the road test.
- Class DZ: large straight trucks such as cube vans and roll-off trucks. Common for local delivery and some courier and municipal roles.
- Z endorsement: air brakes. Included in AZ and DZ; most employers will not consider a driver without it.
Employers also ask for a recent driver's abstract, and many carriers require a clean Commercial Vehicle Operator's Registration (CVOR) record on the company side, which is why they check your driving history closely.
Warehouse and safety tickets
- Lift truck training: Ontario does not issue a government forklift licence. Under the province's industrial establishments regulation, operators must be competent, so employers ask for a training card for counterbalance, reach truck or order picker equipment.
- WHMIS: required for anyone working with hazardous products.
- Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG): required when you handle, offer or transport regulated dangerous goods. The employer issues the certificate after training, and it must be renewed.
Cross-border and professional designations
- FAST card: a trusted-trader card that speeds Canada-US border crossings for commercial drivers.
- CCLP from the Canadian Institute of Traffic and Transportation (CITT): respected for coordinator, broker and planner roles.
- SCMP from Supply Chain Canada: aimed at procurement and supply chain management.
- College programs in supply chain management at Humber, Seneca and Sheridan are common entry routes for planner and analyst roles.
Getting There: Commute and Shift Planning
Many large distribution centres are in industrial parks far from subway lines, and shifts often start at 5 a.m. or run overnight. A job that looks good on paper can fail on the commute.
Transit coverage by hub
Inside Toronto, TTC buses reach industrial areas in Etobicoke, North York and Scarborough. The Pearson area is served by MiWay and TTC routes. Brampton Transit, York Region Transit and Durham Region Transit serve the corridor sites, and GO Transit's Kitchener and Milton lines link Brampton, Malton, Mississauga and Milton to Union Station. Check the schedule for the exact time your shift starts and ends; late-night and early-morning frequency is often much lower than daytime service.
Questions to ask before accepting
Ask whether the site runs a shuttle from a GO station or bus terminal, whether there is free parking, and whether shift times are fixed or rotating. If you drive, Highway 407 is a toll road, and daily 407 trips can take a meaningful share of an hourly wage.
A Practical Job Search Plan for This Week
Generic advice will not set you apart in the GTA. These steps will.
Pick one hub and one role family
Choose based on where you can reliably get to by your shift start: intermodal (Brampton/Vaughan), airport (Mississauga/Malton) or corridor warehousing (Brampton, Caledon, Milton, Ajax). Then target one role family, such as coordinator or warehouse supervisor, so your applications use consistent language.
Put credentials in the first three lines of your resume
Recruiters screening high-volume roles look for licence class, tickets and systems. Lead with lines like "Class AZ with Z endorsement, clean abstract, FAST card" or "Reach truck and counterbalance trained, WHMIS current, SAP WM experience". Name the actual systems you have used, such as SAP, Manhattan, Oracle or a specific TMS, rather than "WMS software".
Prepare two GTA-specific examples
Have one story about a delay you managed (a missed container cut-off, a late linehaul, a 401 closure) and one about accuracy (a cycle count discrepancy, a customs hold you cleared). Say what you did, who you told and what changed.
Close the gap if you are missing a credential
If you want to drive, contact an approved MELT school and ask about AZ program length and cost. Laid-off workers can ask Employment Ontario whether Better Jobs Ontario funding applies to them. For office roles, the CITT and Supply Chain Canada websites list course options you can start part-time.
Notes for GTA Employers
HR teams and operations managers in the GTA compete for the same drivers, coordinators and supervisors. A few specifics reduce churn and wasted screening time.
Put the answers candidates need in the posting
State the pay range, exact site location (for example, "Airport Road and Derry Road, Mississauga"), shift pattern, transit or shuttle access and parking. Candidates filter on these first.
Separate hard requirements from preferences
List the licence class, tickets and systems that are non-negotiable, and mark everything else as an asset. "Class AZ with 2 years of verifiable experience, clean abstract" screens better than "valid licence required".
Price against published benchmarks
Compare your offer with Job Bank's Toronto Region wage data for the relevant NOC code. If you post below the median, expect longer time-to-fill unless shift premiums, benefits or schedule stability make up the difference.
Train and promote from inside
Paying for lift truck, TDG or CCLP training creates a visible path from associate to lead to supervisor. The Canada-Ontario Job Grant can help employers cover part of eligible third-party training costs.
FAQ
What do logistics coordinators earn in Toronto?
Job Bank lists a Toronto Region median of $29.76 per hour for production and transportation logistics coordinators (NOC 13201), with a range of about $20.00 to $40.87 per hour (wages updated November 19, 2025).
Do I need a licence to drive a forklift in Ontario?
There is no government-issued forklift licence. Employers must ensure operators are trained and competent, so they ask for a training card for the specific equipment, such as a reach truck or counterbalance lift.
What is the difference between an AZ and a DZ licence?
AZ covers tractor-trailer combinations used for highway and drayage work. DZ covers large straight trucks used mainly for local delivery. Both include the Z air brake endorsement.
Which GTA areas have the most warehouse jobs?
Brampton, Caledon (Bolton), Mississauga, Milton, Vaughan and Ajax, mostly along the Highway 401 and 407 corridor, plus the industrial areas around Toronto Pearson.
Can I reach GTA logistics jobs without a car?
Often yes, using TTC, MiWay, Brampton Transit, York Region Transit, Durham Region Transit and GO Transit, but check service at your actual shift times and ask employers about shuttles.
Is TransportationCareers.ca only for job seekers?
No. It serves job seekers looking for transportation and logistics work in Canada and employers hiring for those roles.
Your Next Step in GTA Logistics
Pick your hub, check the wage benchmark for your NOC code, and make sure your licence class and tickets are the first thing a recruiter sees. Whether you are hiring or job hunting, TransportationCareers.ca serves both sides of the market. Employers can review pricing and post a role at TransportationCareers.ca for employers. Job seekers can browse openings and create a profile at TransportationCareers.ca for job seekers.