canadian trip
- Thread starter cj6350
- Start date
bluejaybee
Veteran Expediter
never have try a trip to canada with a load what the big difference, other then border crossing.
the border crossing was the big difference for me. My fellow country men made me feel like a second rate citizen when I wanted to come back across to U.S. I am glad to never go there again. Then there is the check point north of Laredo that sorta makes you ill also.
Fuel $5 a gallon, speed limiters on big trucks, food is expensive, signs are in metric for speed and distance...
MissKat
Expert Expediter
1. You have to be prepared to cross. All drivers in front seats. All interior lights on. No tobAcco, alcohol, weapons, answer random questions - if there is a felony on your record don't even try to cross. 2. All documents in order. You must have the load precleared with a paps sticker. Even so you may get called in for inspection. Both truck and trailer sometimes. Hours. If its not in order you will have to return to USA or be impounded. 3. If its meat you have to go to USA fish and wildlife before you pull up to the border hootch. If they aren't happy look at #2. To get back in the USA presuming you were let in.....have a handwritten ace manifest with truck and trailer license plate numbers, load number you brought in, drivers license numbers of all in truck. Only if empty. Oh and $10.75 in cash. Passports, ace and money. At both booths turn engine and reefer off but not set the brake. No small talk, no jokes. Answer questions asked. Usa worse than Canada. If loaded in Canada must have pars cleared and clearance number in system and you should have it. If not, impounded til you do. The USA keeps your passport til you get it right. Make sure you look halfway decent and what they can see of your truck is clean. Do not speed in Canada. Very bad. Whatever the speed sign is multiply by 6. That equals mph. Make sure you have fuel stops in mind. Payphones average $6 a local call. If you give American dollars you get Canadian back. If you use debit or credit you will be charged a fee after the fact for foreign Exchange. Change your Canadian back at the duty free shop at the border. Make sure you know which borders are commercial and which are 24 hours. Also which your company has permits to use. Otherwise tons of out of route miles. Prepare to come back. You might have to have trailer doors open like in blaine wa. Or go through xray the entire truck. Unless the pay is really worth it or you want to try the sausage just say no.
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Posted with my Droid EO Forum App
$6 a local call?
2 details stick out there Miss Kat....
if one has a FAST Card...a passport is NOT required...
if you plan on doing border crossings why would you bother changing your money back and forth? There is a service charge every time...you lose twice.
if one has a FAST Card...a passport is NOT required...
if you plan on doing border crossings why would you bother changing your money back and forth? There is a service charge every time...you lose twice.
$6 a local call?
I know sounds absurd....for 10 bucks Verizon will sell you 100 minutes of Canada calls...I have it on my phone...
greg334
Veteran Expediter
Sorry can't seem to get a grip on this. I do a lot of border work and ... well let me say that I am not disputing your experiences Misskat but ...
I don't have these problems. I do a lot of cross broder work and find that if I act professional, not argue with the guy/gal asking the question and have my paper work in order, I fly through the border.
I have had problems with FedEx processing the paper work and that has held me up at the border. The longest I spent at the Canadian Border for processing was 1 hour and a half - the broker processed the paper work in less than 4 minutes. The longest I spent at the US border was 14 hours because the broker refused to accept the customer's paper work and it was up to me to fix it. Either way, I wasn't harassed, I didn't have my truck impounded or anything like that. The worst would have been I would have returned the loads to where they came from and went home but paid for the work.
I have a phone that works in Canada, it gets loaded with minutes every quarter and it is cheap to use - not any $6 a call.
I understand the frustration but doing things by the book and demanding of yourself not to just take the companies work for the paper work is the best thing to do.
I don't have these problems. I do a lot of cross broder work and find that if I act professional, not argue with the guy/gal asking the question and have my paper work in order, I fly through the border.
I have had problems with FedEx processing the paper work and that has held me up at the border. The longest I spent at the Canadian Border for processing was 1 hour and a half - the broker processed the paper work in less than 4 minutes. The longest I spent at the US border was 14 hours because the broker refused to accept the customer's paper work and it was up to me to fix it. Either way, I wasn't harassed, I didn't have my truck impounded or anything like that. The worst would have been I would have returned the loads to where they came from and went home but paid for the work.
I have a phone that works in Canada, it gets loaded with minutes every quarter and it is cheap to use - not any $6 a call.
I understand the frustration but doing things by the book and demanding of yourself not to just take the companies work for the paper work is the best thing to do.
MissKat
Expert Expediter
Totally agree. $6 for Payphones . I add Canada to my Verizon acct. My company has no one border agent and that is an issue big time. Every time we get dispatched to Canada we say its the last time LOL. I always use my credit card there. And yes truck locked in their,fence blaine and sweet grass. I cross monthly. Live Canada hate incompetence
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Posted with my Droid EO Forum App
tenntrucker
Expert Expediter
1.Be sure your tanks are full going in.
2.Speed limiters are a pain, but there are ways around it.
3. Stock fridge or cooler before entry.
4. Switch GPS over to metric.
I make my best money crossing the border. Most weeks 2 to 3 times a week, and ( knock on wood) have not been checked by customs this year. I don't have the fast card yet. I find its best to be nice and keep your mouth shut. Use basic answers to there questions. AND HAVE YOUR PAPERWORK IN ORDER!
Sent from my DROID X2
jansiemoo
Seasoned Expediter
Big, big, new one: if you have a cell phone that does anything more than make calls- TURN OFF DATA ROAMING. With my iPhone, I get a nice little text message when I cross that says data will be charged at a rate of $15.38/mb. So make sure data roaming is disabled, even if you plan on turning it off- if you decide to turn it back on and make a call, all the data will load/update (emails, notifications, etc).
Neither of us has a passport, just a FAST card. But don't use the FAST lane unless you have a transponder, I've been told.
My experience with using plastic to pay has been varied. One card charges a $3 cross border fee, another charges a small fee plus percentage of transaction, still another- my debit card- was blocked from use.
Just FYI
Neither of us has a passport, just a FAST card. But don't use the FAST lane unless you have a transponder, I've been told.
My experience with using plastic to pay has been varied. One card charges a $3 cross border fee, another charges a small fee plus percentage of transaction, still another- my debit card- was blocked from use.
Just FYI
Wow, I can go 600 mph?
You'll have different brokers because it's either the shipper or consignee that have the broker, not the carrier.
Not nitpicking Miss Kat...Facts...real facts... every load we take across the border has the possibility of being a different broker...
And 100 km/h is 62 mph. And a local call from a payphone is 50 cents. Since we're nitpicking
Not when its long distance...nitpicking again...And 100 km/h is 62 mph. And a local call from a payphone is 50 cents. Since we're nitpicking
Not when its long distance...nitpicking again...
How can a local call be long distance. That's a long distance call lol.
I assumed the 6 buck reference was to a long distance call...doh...LOL it is only .50 for a local call...oh wait you said that already...
I'm going back to sleep