UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): November 4, 2013

VITRAN CORPORATION INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

(416) 596-7664

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

N/A

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

Vitran Corporation Inc. (“Vitran”) and Computershare Trust Company of Canada entered into a Shareholder Rights Plan Agreement on November 4, 2013 (the “Rights Plan”).

Subject to the terms of the Rights Plan, the rights (“Rights”) will become exercisable in the event any person, together with any party related to it or acting jointly with it, beneficially owns or announces its intention to acquire or beneficially own 20 percent or more of Vitran’s outstanding shares without complying with the “Permitted Bid” provisions of the Rights Plan. Should a non-Permitted Bid be launched, each Right would entitle each holder of Vitran shares (other than the acquiring person and persons related to it or acting jointly with it) to purchase additional shares of Vitran at a 50% discount to the prevailing market price. Under the Rights Plan, a bid that, among other things, is made to all shareholders for all of their shares on identical terms and conditions and that is open for at least 90 days may constitute a “Permitted Bid”.

Based on its public disclosure, TransForce Inc. and its affiliates are a “Grandfathered Person” under the Rights Plan for purposes of the definition of “Acquiring Person”, being a Beneficial Owner of 20 percent or more of the outstanding common shares of Vitran, but will cease to be a Grandfathered Person if it becomes the Beneficial Owner of additional common shares constituting more than 0.25% of the outstanding number of common shares of Vitran. As a result, TransForce’s current beneficial ownership of Vitran common shares will not trigger the Rights Plan.

Capitalized terms not defined herein have the meaning set forth in the Rights Plan.

The foregoing description of the Rights Plan is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full-text of the agreement, a copy of which is filed as Exhibit 10.1.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.