Greater Montréal works best as four same-day delivery zones: the island of Montréal, Laval, the North Shore and the South Shore. Rivers separate them, and every crossing is a bridge or a tunnel. Plan one route per zone, group your stops by zone, and set your order cutoff by the farthest zone you promise.
The short version
- Think of the region as four zones, not one big city. The rivers between them are where delivery plans succeed or fail.
- Group orders by zone before dispatch. A route that crosses a river once is easier to keep on time than one that crosses several times.
- Cutoffs tend to be earlier for zones that need a crossing. Set yours by the farthest zone you promise.
- Start your same-day offer in the zone where most of your customers already are, then add a neighbouring zone.
- Check the list of routes before you promise a zone. recourier.ca adds routes as demand grows.
What are the four zones?
| Zone | Places | What separates it | What to plan for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Island of Montréal | Downtown, the boroughs and the West Island | Rivière des Prairies to the north, the Saint Lawrence to the south | Dense stops, building access, parking and buzzers |
| Laval | The city of Laval | Rivière des Prairies and Rivière des Mille Îles | Crossings to the island and to the North Shore |
| North Shore | Terrebonne, Repentigny, Saint-Jérôme and neighbours | Rivière des Mille Îles | Longer distances between stops |
| South Shore | Longueuil, Brossard and neighbours | The Saint Lawrence | Crossings by bridge or bridge-tunnel |
The island of Montréal is connected to the South Shore by the Jacques-Cartier, Champlain, Victoria and Honoré-Mercier bridges and the La Fontaine bridge-tunnel. Laval and the North Shore are linked to the island and to each other by their own crossings. A delivery plan that treats these as one flat map will underestimate the work.
Why rivers matter more than distance
Two addresses can be close on a map and far apart by road, because the only way across is a bridge or a tunnel. A crossing concentrates traffic into one place, so a delay there delays every stop after it. That is why a good plan counts crossings, not just kilometres.
- Cross once. Build routes so that a vehicle crosses a river at most once on the way out and once on the way back.
- Group before dispatch. Sort the day's orders by zone, then by neighbourhood.
- Do not mix zones on a single route unless the volume is too low to justify a route per zone.
- Give the crossing a margin. When you set a window for a stop on the far side, allow for the crossing.
Multi-stop delivery routes explains how stops are sequenced within a zone. For street-level detail on the island, see delivering on Montréal's streets.
How to set your same-day area
- Map your orders by zoneTake your last few months of orders and count them by zone: island, Laval, North Shore, South Shore.
- Start where the orders areChoose the zone with the most orders. That is your first same-day zone.
- Set the cutoff for the farthest promiseWork backwards from the last pickup that still lets the courier reach the zone. How to set a cutoff has the method.
- Add a neighbouring zoneAfter a few weeks of good on-time results, extend to the next zone. You may need an earlier cutoff for it.
- Review each zone separatelyTrack on-time rate and cost per delivery by zone. Zones behave differently.
How cutoffs differ by zone
| Zone | Cutoff tends to be | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Island of Montréal | Latest | No river crossing from a central pickup |
| Laval | Earlier | One crossing from the island |
| South Shore | Earlier | A bridge or bridge-tunnel crossing |
| North Shore | Earliest | Longest distances between stops, and one or more crossings |
These are tendencies, not fixed times. Where your goods are picked up matters a great deal. A warehouse on the South Shore reverses the picture for South Shore orders. Your courier will set cutoffs from the pickup point and the route.
Winter and busy periods
Crossings and long routes are the first places winter and peak weeks show up. Read winter delivery and peak season planning before you promise tight windows in December.
Beyond Greater Montréal
recourier.ca currently lists twelve city routes: Montréal, Laval, Longueuil, Brossard, Terrebonne, Repentigny, Saint-Jérôme, Gatineau, Québec City, Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières and Drummondville. It adds routes as demand grows. The coverage page has the current list, and if your delivery area is not on it you can ask.
Frequently asked questions
Which areas does same-day delivery cover in Greater Montréal?
It depends on the courier's routes. recourier.ca lists Montréal, Laval, Longueuil, Brossard, Terrebonne, Repentigny and Saint-Jérôme among its current routes. Check the coverage page, or ask about your area.
Why is the South Shore harder to serve same-day?
Because every trip from the island crosses a river by bridge or bridge-tunnel. A delay at the crossing affects every later stop, so cutoffs are usually earlier.
Can one route serve both the island and the South Shore?
It can, but it adds crossings and makes the day harder to keep on time. Most plans use a route per zone unless the volume is low.
What cutoff should I use for Laval and the North Shore?
Work backwards from the last pickup that lets the courier reach the zone, then subtract your packing time. Expect an earlier cutoff than for the island.
What if my customers are outside Greater Montréal?
The same logic applies: group by zone and set the cutoff by the farthest one. recourier.ca also has routes in other cities, and you can ask about your area.
Tell us which part of Greater Montréal your customers are in and we will tell you what a same-day route would look like.