Quick answer: Breakaway is the Gordie Howe International Bridge's prepaid account program. It drops the truck toll from $12.00 CAD ($8.75 USD) per axle to $9.60 CAD ($6.90 USD) per axle — a 20% discount that applies to every crossing. For a five-axle tractor-trailer that is $48.00 CAD ($34.50 USD) per crossing instead of $60.00 CAD ($43.75 USD).
See your own number both ways in the Gordie Howe Bridge toll calculator — just toggle between Standard and Breakaway.
What the discount is worth
The Breakaway saving is $2.40 CAD ($1.85 USD) per axle. Because trucks are charged per axle, the saving scales with the truck:
| Vehicle | Standard (CAD) | Breakaway (CAD) | Saved per crossing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-axle straight truck | $24.00 | $19.20 | $4.80 |
| 3-axle | $36.00 | $28.80 | $7.20 |
| 4-axle | $48.00 | $38.40 | $9.60 |
| 5-axle tractor-trailer | $60.00 | $48.00 | $12.00 |
| 6-axle | $72.00 | $57.60 | $14.40 |
For the common five-axle configuration, Breakaway saves $12 CAD per crossing. A truck making roughly 500 crossings a year on a Windsor–Detroit lane saves about $6,000 CAD per truck per year — purely from the account discount, before you count the larger saving versus the Ambassador Bridge.
Why prepaid accounts almost always win for fleets
Unlike a highway transponder that carries a monthly lease, a prepaid bridge account's economics are simple: the discount applies from the first crossing and there is no per-kilometre component to model. If a truck crosses the Gordie Howe Bridge even occasionally, the account rate beats paying standard. For a dedicated cross-border fleet, enrolling every unit is a straightforward procurement decision.
Practical steps for a fleet:
- Enroll the fleet, not just a truck. The per-axle discount applies to every crossing on every enrolled vehicle.
- Fund the account to match volume. A prepaid balance avoids a truck getting stopped or defaulting to the standard rate at the booth.
- Reconcile crossings to loads. Match each crossing back to the load it served so the toll flows into per-load profitability and driver settlements — not a lump-sum expense nobody can attribute.
Fold it into your rate card
Once you are on Breakaway, put $9.60 CAD ($6.90 USD) per axle in your Windsor–Detroit rate card as the default crossing cost, and quote every cross-border lane with the round-trip toll already included. TruckerPro rolls the Gordie Howe toll into route-level load costing automatically, so the discounted rate shows up in profitability and driver pay without a spreadsheet.
Don't forget the eManifest
The Breakaway discount covers the toll only. Every commercial truck still files a CBP ACE eManifest into the US and a CBSA ACI eManifest into Canada on every crossing — see Windsor–Detroit crossing costs and eManifest requirements. A cheap toll on a truck that gets held at secondary for a manifest problem is a false economy.
Breakaway rates reflect the Gordie Howe International Bridge published 2026 schedule and are subject to change. Confirm current rates and enrollment details on the official toll rates page.