Any tips for a USA Driver crossing into Canada?

Check if your cellphone provider offers data and calls in Canada. Most do, but some severely limit the data.

Weigh stations are a breeze. Keep right if loaded, left if empty. In Quebec it will be written as "charge" and "vide". The signs also have pictures of a loaded and empty trucks to avoid confusion.

Traffic tickets are not an issue. Do the crime, pay the fine. The ticket will have instructions on paying online.

The DOT in Quebec "Control Routiere" can also write traffic tickets and regularly setup speed traps. Their tickets are a bit more involved as they have to send the info to the "prosecutor" who then decides if you will be charged. In that case you will get the ticket by mail to your home address as much as 10 weeks after. You can still pay the fine (and the extra admin fees) online.

Truck speed limit in Ontario and Quebec is 65mph and trucks are supposed to be limited to that speed so if you run faster than that you will be easy pickings and they love speeding foreign trucks as they send a fat equipment defect ticket to the company for failing to have a speed limiter installed in addition to the actual speeding ticket you get.

As for truck stops, there are a few Flying j which honor points and shower credits etc. Husky is probably the next biggest chain, there is also Irving and Petro (no relationship to US Petro). The larger ones have showers etc, but not on the scale of the typical US truckstop.

Quebec is French, but Montreal speaks English as it's a large city. I occasionally go out in sticks and encounter people that speak no English at all, but I can usually get by. We all use the same Arabic numerals so pickup numbers are easy to read. For anything more, there is Google translate on your phone... assuming you have data access (see first item).

 

Bien sûr qu'ils le font, ils sont français !

Also dog spray! Once had a Canada customs officer question my tire-beater bar.....

Roaming charges (especially data) in Canada are ridiculous. Either get a phone which takes a SIM and get a pre-paid Canadian card, or go for a 2-nation carrier plan. Either that, or turn the roaming feature on your phone off, ignore the come-on text you get near the border, and just se your phone on public wi-fi's.

Yes, Control Routiers is essentially the same as "DOT". Also, Surete Quebec is NOT a rent-a-cop company, they are the Quebec provincial police force.

 

Should I start declaring all my pocket knives, box cutters, non safety scissors? What about my cooking utensils, or tire plugging kit? They are all tools to me.

 

Just call your truck a US Embassy & then nobody can search it but a US Marine guard.

 

As a Canandian I never had a problem or questions when pulled over on either side of the border ( Canada or Usa) with a small pocket knife and scissors. However, I do keep it in my tool kit with my tools so maybe that is why. As a Owner Operator and OTR Trucker they so understand that breakdown can occurr so you need your tools.

The majority American phone plans trump Canada's because of the vast competition. I remember once a few of the larger phone companies wanted to offer Canadians better rates yet the 3 giant ones (Bell, Rogers and Telus) protested to keep them out so they monopolize & take advantage of the Canadian citizens. There are alot of Canadians now using American cell phone plans in Canada because it 30% to 60% cheaper. Canadian custom officers usually divert questions in order of throwing Truckers office. Once your legit and calm they're usually good when answering question. Be careful pf Provincial Officers because they are watching truckers speed like crazy as of late especially in Ontario in the rural areas and on the 401. And the scales/Inspection stations are also looking for issues with your truck and trailer.

 

If they are not weapons then when asked "do you have any weapons" the answer is "No". That's what I do.

 

I ditched Verizon and switched to AT&T simply because of the superior data roaming. With Verizon I got .5 gig of roaming. Barely enough to surf a few websites, forget about any kind of streaming. With ATT, I get the same unlimited data in Canada as I do in the USA. I can hammer YouTube or stream TV shows with no issues.

 

That what I’ve always done and what I’ve always trained guys to do. Never had an issue before.

 

I haven't been to Canada for five years but crossed 100+ times. The first time they'll probably search you and the truck, including your cell phone and all electronic devices. So, if you don't want them to see your gay midget porn, erase it before you get to the border.

Food. Crossing north into Alberta, I asked about declaring food and they said there were no food restrictions (because they don't grow any fruit or produce). Can't remember what BC said. Southbound into the U.S. is a different story. NO citrus whatsoever. Toss it or give it away before you get to the border. Check the CBP website for more detailed restrictions.

Cell phone. T-Mobile works great up there because they partner with Canadian cell companies. They used to be unlimited but cut it down to a certain limit that I can't remember. When you cross the border, you have to go into your phone settings to switch networks. I think Telus is the one that usually works.

Truck stops. Generally speaking, the Canadian truck stop situation sucks compared to the U.S. Flying J's are the only truck stops comparable to U.S. truck stops. A lot of them are smaller and would be Pilots in the U.S. but they don't use Pilot branding in Canada. They are only located in the bigger cities and towns of Canada. Some Huskies are just OK. Petro Pass is only available to those with a Petro Pass card. If your company doesn't fuel there, you can't use the showers or do laundry. U.S.-style rest areas are virtually non-existent except in Ontario.

Quebec. I only went to Quebec once. All border guards are required by law to speak English and French. Inside Quebec, your reactions will vary. "Parlez vous Anglais?"(Do you speak English?) will get a positive or negative response.

And definitely buy some Coffee Crisp.

 

Oh, man, I forgot about Coffee Crisps! Also (at least in eastern Ontario), the Tim's on the 401 stops always offered 18% cream for your coffee!