Canada border crossing

[Sabine]

I have to take a load up to the Northwest this week, and I hope someone can refresh me on what I have to have paperwork wise to get into Canada.

I have a passport and Green Card (I am German), so that is covered.

My company has no clue, first time they are doing this.

I want to specifically know about having to have an Inbound Manifest and Pars, since I have neither, and trying to explain this to them is like talking to a 2 year old who doesn't understand anything yet.

I don't know what the laws are pertaining to this, it has been years since crossing for me.

Supposedly the customer in Vancouver does this all the time, and will have it all set up with the broker, but I count on nothing.

Thanks for your help, I will leave in the morning, so I hope someone can help by then.

[cclarke1268]

I cant remember either but I do remember you have to park at customs I think and walk over to your broker and this and that to me going there is really not worth the hassle but if you dont own your rig you might not have a choice I hope you get info on this that you need, also when coming out they (shipper) has to fax some papers to your exit port b4 you get there and it cost $20 cash to get back in usa and sign said exact change only dont know if anything has changed or not

[Karnajj]

My question is why is your company relying on you to figure this all out? What kind of bottom scraping company is it anyways? I'd tell them to take the load and shove it up their a** until they got it straight. In other words it's not your responsibility!

[Sabine]

It is my business, because I take the load. We are not a trucking company, but an importer of specialty foods from Europe. We warehouse, do our own transportation and logistics. This is a new account for us (in BC) and it is a learning curve.

I work for a small company with 4 OTR trucks, and I am trying to ensure that I am having a good day when I have to cross the border. I probably know more about what needs to be done than they do.

That said, I don't appreciate the hostility. I was asking for help with this, and the comments made by the last poster sure don't help me with the task at hand. My boss is taking care of it, as much as he can, because it seems no one makes it easy to find out what exactly we have to do, and that is the the help of a company that will do all the licensing for us.

I work for a great company who takes care of me, and in turn I try to take care of them. I don't have to have a nasty attitude towards my employer when they don't know something, I try to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

[Ridge Runner]

Outstanding reply Sabine! You attitude probably has, and will continue to serve you well. I'm sure your employer will take notice of the extra effort you are putting forth. I have never crossed the border ( in a big truck ) so I can't offer any help.

[4roses]

Sabine ..

I work for a great company who takes care of me, and in turn I try to take care of them. I don't have to have a nasty attitude towards my employer when they don't know something, I try to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

Way to go Lady Driver :moose: ... I like the way You Think. :wink: ... you make me proud to be of the same gender as you.

4roses

[Sabine]

Thank you for the kind remarks. I was kinda upset at said poster's reply, but the way I see it, stooping to that level makes me just as bad, so I try not to be that way.

[Karnajj]

My reply was in no way meant to be hostile towards you personally. I'm sorry if you took it that way. When I read your post all I saw was a company trying to take advantage of a driver by making them do work they probably wouldn't be compensated for. I do however stand by my statement that it is not the drivers responsibility to figure this out. It should have been done prior to the load ever being shipped in the first place. I see all the blame being laid on you if this turns out badly and that's not right.

[Sabine]

thanks for replying to me, I guess I took it personally. My company would not hold me responsible, as it is their first time doing this. I am just trying to help.

As it turns out, I didn't even have to take it, the originally scheduled driver wound up taking it anyhow.

My bosses are cool, but they are new to trucking, they have only been doing this for a couple of years, and we are all learning together. I agree it is up to them to square me away, but since they don't have a clue, I was trying to make sure I had everything taken care off.

Just my anal personality.....everything needs to be planned to make me happy.

So thanks everyone for you comments, and thanks Karnajj forgetting back to me again.

[cclarke1268]

Sabine

Just my anal personality.....everything needs to be planned to make me happy.
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You are right on track with this statement for goin into and out of canada
one mistake could cost alot of money and time....glad you didnt have to take the load.

[malaekat]

Have your tried contacting Canada Border Services Agency I believe they have a web site with a section for sending them questions for replys by email. I believe the address is CBSA-ASFC@canada.gc.ca they should email you back however it may take up to 30 days for a reply.

[allan5oh]

First your company needs to set up a bunch of things before you can even think about crossing the border.

First the Canadian side:

Canada does not require advanced notification, and overall is easier to get across. First, you need some PARS stickers. I do not know how to get them, but it's best if your company contacts canadian border services and asks questions. I get them through my company.

You arrive at customer with your PARS stickers and load up. Most customers will allow you to fax from their site.

With the Canadian side, you need to fax the customs document as well as the BOL, unlike the US side. You will recognize the customs document because it has a value on it. You affix a PARS barcode to the front page.
Put a "number only" sticker on the remaining pages.

Make sure before you fax, that the pages are suitable for faxing. I find "carbon copy" pages to be terrible. You'll need to copy it first, make sure it shows up, and fax the copy. Also, say you have 3 pages total, make sure you make a copy of every page! Sometimes Canada customs computer system will be down, and they need a copy. Make the copies into their own seperate paper clip. Hand them both bundles.

On the top right corner, I put how many pages (1/3, 2/3, 3/3 or whatever), usually it's 2 or 3 pages.

Somewhere on the front page, you need to put which border you're crossing. It's important to remember that you do not need to fax to the specific border crossing. What you need to do is inform the broker where you're crossing, and when. I also put a callback # just in case one of the pages don't go through.

A couple hours later, give the broker a call. Some brokers use national call centers now. When they answer just simply say "I'm calling for a PARS number". They'll ask you what number, and say if it's in or not.

If it's in, you're set up for the border.


Now crossing into the US is a totally different ball of wax. I'll get into that later.

[Sabine]

well, I went to Canada and made it back alive. Thanks for all your responses.

The reason I questioned the procedures (which I do know how to do if your company is set up), but have no clue on how to do this without pars, without a Canada carrier code, since we just applied for all that.

It all went well, and if I do have to go again, we will be set up next time.