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.
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