Another authority question
 

I found a US firm in Oregon that can make both Canadian and American permits/authorities for a good price. My question is this: do you have to get all the permits at once, even though you know the chance of going into a particular state/province is slim? For example, I don't want to go into Quebec and California, and I'm based in Ontario, Canada. I also read somewhere that insurance is cheaper when you stay closer to home ... Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks.

You need authority to haul freight in the U.S. Once you obtain federal authority you can go into as many or few states as you wish. If there are states in which you don't want to go then you can simply leave them off your cab card. In reality, it won't save you much money. There are a few states that require additional permits, such as Kentucky and New Mexico. Again, if you don't go into those states then you don't add them to your cab card or get the permits. There is no charge for the Kentucky KYU or permit. New Mexico has a minimal charge.

It has been several years since I have run in Canada, but I seem to recall that Ontario has their own permit or authority. I don't remember about any of the other provinces. Perhaps someone who runs there regularly can offer more up to date information.

You can do the permits yourself and save the money for a permit service.

If, by permits, you mean jurisdictions on your cab card then no. You can get them as you need them by "ammending" you cab card. Word of caution though: to ammend your cab card, you need to pick up the new one and hand in the old one...in person...at your not so local IRP office. This is a time waster and it can be tough to park a big truck at some offices. Also, there is a cost every time you ammend.......something like $50 IIRC. My opinion is get all the ones you think you may need the first time.

-You will need a CVOR from Ontario.
-I assume you will be running stateside so you will need a USDOT # and and MC#.
-You will need to get a US Federal ID number (some brokers require it, not sure why...this is stupid)
-Unless you are running ON only, you will need IRP plates.
-You will need an IFTA account and a IFTA sticker on your truck.
-You will need to get a New York Heavy Use Tax permit, or NYHUT.
-You will need to pay your Unified Carrier Registration, or UCR.
-As you are probably aware, you will need to present an ACE manifest to US customs every time you cross. I imagine you might be able to pay a customs broker to do this, but if I were you I would get and ACE account and do you own (requires a laptop, printer and internet connection). If you trust this to someone else, they will inevitably screw it up.
-You will also need a Canada Customs Carrier Code (Canada Customs web site)
-You need to buy a bunch of PARS stickers to bring shipments into Canada.
-Going south, you need a Standard Carrier Alpha Code (SCAC), which is the US equivalent of the CCCC.

Fun huh?

Once you apply for authority you should be contacted by any state in which you need to have permits. OOIDA can be helpful if you are a member. It isn't all that complicated, but does take a bit of time to get everything done. By the way, once you obtain your authority you will need to pay your 2290 (Heavy Highway Use Tax) to the IRS before you can do anything. You will need proof of payment for your IRP, etc.,

Hmmm. I wonder if Canadian companies are exempt from that? That form number doesn't ring a bell. How much is it?

Wow ... that's quite a list. Thanks, rank. I'm going to save it into my "trucking" file :)

Speaking of hauling freight south of the border ... Just got paid for this short local trip I did a couple of weeks ago.

Load: steel coils
Origin: Guelph, ON, Canada
Destination: Woodstock, ON, Canada
Mileage: 41 miles
Freight rate: $400
To the truck: $328 + $114 FSC

That's $10.78 per mile :) I sent an email to Dispatch asking them to give me more loads like this. Maybe it's possible to make money WITHOUT crossing the border? Rank, you ever tried to stay on the Canadian side?

I always keep my eyes open for local loads, but they are few and far between and the dead miles kill me anyway.

$550 for the 2290 yearly per truck

and don't be late with the payment................... :o