A commercial truck doesn't have to be nervous about Canada border crossing, meaning, as long as the customer and driver review the steps, paperwork, and rules things can go quite smoothly. Billions of dollars of goods cross the Canadian border everyday and for commercial trucks this means a lot of revenue possibilities. Following, is an outline of some of the critical paperwork and rules required for a successful border crossing.
In order for the shipment to cross the US/Canada border it is necessary that the truck and customer have coordinated together, which will expedite the border crossing and allow for quick delivery. The customer is required to have the necessary documents completed upon the loading of the shipment. The customer will also likely have a customs broker ready to handle the border crossing paperwork. The driver will assign a PARS label to the documents and work with the customs broker to pre-authorize the shipment prior to port of entry arrival.
The customs broker is generally selected by the customer and is there to help facilitate the paperwork at the border. The custom broker's information should be available to the driver when the driver is contracted to pick up the shipment. The driver can make contact with the customs broker as soon as possible to be sure the process has been started.
All US carriers have a SCAC code which stands for Standard Carrier Alpha Code. This is typically a four digit alpha code, which generally is an abbreviation of the trucking company name. You will need this code when crossing the Canadian border.
The A8A(B) form is a manifest document providing the shipment information.
Sample PDFThe commercial invoice will identify the seller and buyer of the goods. It will list other items like port of entry, payment terms, and prices of goods, etc.
Sample PDFThese labels are the US and Canadian versions and allow for the driver to prearrange the required paperwork with the customs broker. The barcode is applied to the documents and when the driver arrives at the border the customs broker can scan the barcode allowing for expedited release of cargo.
Important Point To Keep In MindUsed Equipment - A title is required and can take up to 4 days to process before a border crossing can take place.
It is recommended that a customer, driver, and dispatcher review the above documents and steps listed above to ensure that the shipments goes smoothly and arrives on time without delays at the border. When everyone understands their roll in the process, then you can expect a quick and painless border crossing.
