Secure, Scalable 3PL Warehousing Services Across Canada

Managing a supply chain is one of the most demanding parts of running a growing business. Between fluctuating inventory levels, carrier relationships, facility overhead, and the pressure to deliver faster than ever, logistics can quickly become a drain on your time, capital, and focus.

Olympia Transportation takes that weight off your plate. With over 25 years of asset-based logistics experience, six warehouse facilities spanning more than 1,280,000 square feet, and a fleet of 105 trucks operating across Canada, we give businesses a single, reliable partner to handle storage, fulfillment, and distribution — so you can get back to growing.

Whether you are shipping through the Port of Vancouver, distributing nationally from Calgary or Toronto, or managing a high-volume e-commerce operation, our team builds a warehousing solution that fits your business — not the other way around.

What Is 3PL Warehousing?

Third-party logistics (3PL) warehousing is the practice of outsourcing your storage, inventory management, and order fulfillment operations to a dedicated external provider. Rather than leasing your own facility, hiring warehouse staff, and investing in equipment and technology, you work with a partner who already has the infrastructure in place — and you pay only for what your business actually uses.

Think of a 3PL as an extension of your own operation. When a customer places an order, your 3PL receives it, picks and packs the product from your stored inventory, and ships it on your behalf — accurately and on time. Your customer gets a seamless experience, and you never had to touch a packing box.

The model works for businesses at every stage. Small e-commerce brands use 3PL to avoid the cost of renting warehouse space they do not fully need. Mid-size companies use it to manage seasonal spikes without carrying permanent overhead. Large enterprises — including 90% of Fortune 500 companies — rely on 3PL partners to run distribution more efficiently than they could in-house.

How the Process Works at Olympia

Getting started is straightforward. Here is how inventory flows through our system:

Your inbound shipments arrive at one of our warehouse facilities — directly from a supplier, container port, or rail terminal.
We receive, inspect, and store your inventory with full lot-level tracking and real-time system updates.
When an order is placed, our team picks, packs, and ships it accurately, using the workflow we build together for your business.
You maintain complete visibility through GPS tracking, EDI, and API integrations connected to your own systems.
Returns come back to us — we process, inspect, and restock according to your instructions.

Our Warehousing and Distribution Services

Olympia offers a full range of warehousing and logistics capabilities under one roof. From the moment freight arrives at our docks to the moment it reaches your customer, every part of the process is handled by our team.

Inventory Receiving and Storage

We accept inbound shipments from domestic trucking, ocean containers, and rail terminals. Your inventory is received, counted, labeled, and stored in the appropriate facility — temperature-controlled, food-grade, or standard dry storage — based on your product requirements. Every item is tracked from the moment it enters our system.

Order Fulfillment and Pick-Pack-Ship

Accuracy and speed define our fulfillment operation. Our trained warehouse teams process orders efficiently, using barcode scanning and warehouse management software to eliminate errors. Whether you’re fulfilling direct-to-consumer e-commerce orders, wholesale purchase orders, or Amazon FBA prep requirements, we build a workflow tailored to your volume and SKU complexity.

Integrated Warehousing and Distribution

What separates Olympia from most providers is that we are an asset-based carrier. Our 3PL warehousing and distribution capabilities are genuinely connected — the same company that stores your inventory also moves it. With 105 trucks, 400+ chassis, and 60+ dry vans in our own fleet, we control the transportation side without brokering your freight to unknown carriers. That means fewer handoffs, better accountability, and consistent service standards end to end.

E-Commerce Fulfillment

High order volumes, tight delivery windows, and platform integrations require a fulfillment partner that understands the e-commerce environment. Olympia supports Shopify, WooCommerce, Amazon, and other major sales channels, managing everything from pick-and-pack through last-mile dispatch and returns handling.

Cross-Docking

Not every shipment needs to sit in storage. For businesses that require quick freight transfers, our cross-docking service moves inbound cargo directly to outbound vehicles — minimizing handling, reducing dwell time, and lowering costs for time-sensitive distribution.

Container Destuffing and Drayage

Olympia serves all major port and rail terminals in the Vancouver area, including Deltaport, Centerm, Vanterm, CP Rail, and CN Rail. We unload containers, sort cargo, and move it efficiently to our warehouse facilities — so your freight is not sitting on the dock waiting for a solution.

Temperature-Controlled and Refrigerated Warehousing

Our HACCP-certified, food-grade facilities are built for businesses that cannot compromise on storage conditions. Whether you handle fresh produce, packaged food, pharmaceuticals, or temperature-sensitive industrial products, our refrigerated and cold storage options meet Canadian food safety standards.

Reverse Logistics

Customer returns are an unavoidable part of modern commerce. Olympia manages the entire reverse logistics process — receiving returned goods, inspecting condition, restocking viable inventory, and processing disposals — according to a workflow designed around your return policy.

Rail Siding

Several of our Western Canada facilities offer direct rail siding access. For businesses moving large volumes via CP or CN Rail, this eliminates an additional transload step and reduces both transit time and cost per unit.

What Makes Olympia Different

There is no shortage of warehousing providers in Canada. What separates the right partner from the rest comes down to infrastructure, accountability, and depth of service. Here is how Olympia compares:

What You Get	Why It Matters
Asset-Based Carrier	We own our trucks, chassis, and facilities. You get one accountable partner — not a broker coordinating multiple vendors.
1.28M+ sq ft of Warehouse Space	Six facilities across BC, Alberta, and Ontario provide genuine national coverage for Canadian distribution.
HACCP & Food-Safe Certified	Compliance-ready storage for food, beverage, and pharmaceutical products.
CIFFA Certified	Our team holds formal freight forwarding certification — ocean, air, and cross-border logistics expertise is built in.
25+ Years in Operation	Olympia has been part of the Canadian logistics landscape since the late 2000s, growing from 5 trucks to a national fleet.
GPS & Real-Time Visibility	EDI, API, and GPS integrations give you live tracking across your inventory and shipments.
Dedicated Account Management	You deal with experienced logistics professionals, not a rotating support queue.

Many businesses spend months evaluating top 3PL companies only to find that most providers outsource the trucking side to brokers. With Olympia, your freight stays under the control of a single team from the time it leaves the port to the moment it reaches your customer.

The Real Cost of Managing Warehousing In-House

Many businesses assume that running their own storage operation gives them more control and saves money. In practice, the opposite is usually true. When you account for every cost involved, outsourcing to a professional warehousing provider almost always works out cheaper — and significantly less complicated.

Here is what businesses typically underestimate when running fulfillment in-house:

Cost Area	In-House Reality vs. Partnering with Olympia
Facility Costs	In-house: Fixed lease, utilities, and insurance regardless of how full the warehouse is. With Olympia: You pay for the space your inventory actually occupies.
Labor	In-house: Full-time warehouse staff, supervisors, HR administration, and seasonal hiring. With Olympia: Labor scales with your volume — no hiring, no layoffs.
Equipment	In-house: Forklifts, pallet racking, scanners, and dock equipment require upfront capital and ongoing maintenance. With Olympia: Fully equipped from day one.
Technology	In-house: Warehouse management software (WMS) licensing, implementation, and IT support are expensive and ongoing. With Olympia: Enterprise-grade technology is part of your service agreement.
Carrier Rates	In-house: You ship at retail rates unless you negotiate volume discounts yourself. With Olympia: Our fleet volume secures better carrier pricing than most individual businesses can achieve.
Scalability	In-house: Scaling up means new leases and new hires. Scaling down means paying for space and staff you no longer need. With Olympia: Adjust in weeks, not months.

For most growing businesses, a quality 3PL warehouse in Canada is not just a convenience — it is a smarter financial model than building and running your own logistics operation.

Our Warehouse Locations Across Canada

Olympia operates six warehouse facilities strategically positioned across Canada’s most important distribution corridors. This national footprint means your inventory is always close to where it needs to go next — whether that is a port terminal, a retail distribution center, or a customer’s front door.

Vancouver — Adjacent to the Port of Vancouver and major import/export hubs. Ideal for businesses with ocean freight and container drayage requirements.
Burnaby (Fraser Reach & Meadow) — Two facilities offering food-grade, industrial, and general dry storage with full transportation access.
Delta (Hopcott) — Positioned near Deltaport for efficient container turnaround and port-side distribution.
Calgary — A central distribution hub for Alberta and the Prairie provinces with highway and rail connectivity.
Edmonton — Western Canada distribution support with direct access to CN and CP Rail networks.
Toronto — Eastern Canada and cross-border distribution capability for nationwide and US-bound shipments.

This coverage positions Olympia as the 3PL company in Canada of choice for businesses that need reliable warehousing and distribution beyond a single market — without setting up separate contracts with multiple regional providers.

Industries We Support

Our warehousing and distribution facilities are equipped to handle a wide range of product types and business models. We currently work with companies across the following sectors:

E-commerce and online retail — high-SKU fulfillment with multi-channel integration
Food and beverage — HACCP-certified, food-safe storage for ambient, refrigerated, and frozen products
Paper, pulp, and industrial manufacturing — high-volume, bulk storage with rail and container access
Health, wellness, and pharmaceutical products — controlled storage environments with strict compliance
Retail and wholesale distribution — palletized and case-pick fulfillment for national retail accounts
Amazon FBA sellers — prep, labeling, and shipment coordination for marketplace vendors
Import/export businesses — integrated drayage, transloading, and customs support

How to Choose the Right 3PL Partner

Selecting a logistics partner is one of the more consequential decisions a growing business makes. The wrong choice creates delays, damaged goods, lost inventory visibility, and frustrated customers. The right one becomes an asset that helps your business scale faster.

Here are the criteria that matter most:

1. Do They Own Their Assets?

There is a meaningful difference between a provider who owns their trucks and facilities and one who brokers everything to third parties. Asset ownership means accountability. When something goes wrong — and in logistics, things occasionally do — you need a partner who controls the resolution, not one who has to chase down a subcontractor.

2. Do Their Locations Match Your Distribution Needs?

A provider with a single facility cannot serve a national business efficiently. Look for a network that covers your primary markets — and think about where your customer base is growing, not just where it is today.

3. Are They Certified for Your Product Type?

Food-grade certification, HACCP compliance, and pharmaceutical storage standards are not optional if your products require them. Verify that a provider holds the relevant certifications before you commit, not after your first shipment arrives.

4. What Technology Do They Offer?

Real-time inventory visibility is the standard expectation now. Your 3PL partner should offer WMS-driven tracking, EDI and API integrations with your platforms, and transparent shipment reporting. If a provider cannot answer basic questions about their technology stack, that is a warning sign.

5. Can They Grow With You?

The best 3PL company in Canada for your business right now should also be able to handle what your business looks like in two or three years. Ask about capacity, seasonal peak handling, and how long it takes to add new services or locations as your needs evolve.

Frequently Asked Questions

What exactly does a 3PL do?

A third-party logistics provider manages the physical side of your supply chain on your behalf. This includes receiving inventory, storing it in a secure facility, picking and packing orders, coordinating shipping, and handling returns. The goal is to let your business focus on sales, marketing, and product development while your 3PL handles the operational complexity of getting products to customers.

How does 3PL pricing work in Canada?

Pricing for 3PL Canada services is typically based on a combination of storage fees (per pallet, per sq ft, or per bin), inbound and outbound handling fees, pick-and-pack charges per order line, and transportation costs. At Olympia, we build customized pricing based on your actual inventory volume, order frequency, and service requirements — so you are not paying for capacity you do not use.

What is the difference between a 3PL and a freight forwarder?

A freight forwarder arranges the movement of goods between locations — handling carrier bookings, documentation, and customs. They do not typically manage physical storage or order fulfillment. A 3PL goes further, providing warehouse space, inventory management, pick-and-pack, and distribution. Olympia holds CIFFA certification, which means we can do both — combining freight forwarding and full warehousing under one relationship.

What makes Olympia stand out among other providers?

The defining difference is that Olympia is an asset-based carrier. Unlike many top 3PL companies that outsource transportation to brokers, we own our fleet and facilities. This gives clients a single point of accountability across warehousing, distribution, and freight — with no finger-pointing between subcontractors when issues arise.

Can warehousing and distribution be managed together?

Yes, and at Olympia that integration is built into how we operate. Our 3PL warehousing and distribution service is designed so that the same team that stores your inventory also manages its movement — via our own fleet, intermodal connections, or cross-border trucking. You do not need to coordinate between separate warehousing and transportation vendors.

Where are Olympia’s warehouses located?

Our 3PL warehouse in Canada network includes facilities in Vancouver, Burnaby, Delta, Calgary, Edmonton, and Toronto. Combined, these locations cover all major Canadian distribution corridors, with cross-border access to the United States.

Do you offer flexible storage terms?

Yes. We work with businesses that need short-term seasonal storage as well as those requiring long-term warehousing commitments. Our model is designed to scale with your inventory — you pay for what you use, and adjust as your business grows or contracts.

Are your facilities certified for food and pharmaceutical storage?

Several of our facilities are HACCP-certified and food-grade compliant, making Olympia a trusted 3PL company in Canada for businesses in the food, beverage, and health sectors. We maintain strict hygiene and temperature control standards and can provide documentation to support regulatory requirements.

Ready to Streamline Your Warehousing and Distribution?

If your business is outgrowing its current logistics setup — or if you are tired of managing warehouse overhead that does not scale with your growth — Olympia is ready to help.

Our team will assess your current supply chain, understand your volume and distribution requirements, and design a warehousing solution built around your business — not a generic template.