Canada Runs

Purely my opinion but I see no reason to go into Canada.Been there a few times and had my fill.

 

That is another reason I retired. When the U.S. Customs started requiring passports the drivers that didn't already have them refused to get them. My terminal had 3 or 4 loads to Canada every month and for a while I was the only driver with a passport. The Canada loads paid the lowest.
I never was delayed crossing though. I crossed at Port Huron , usually going in around 5 a.m. and out around 3 p.m. . I delivered about an hour North of Toronto off the 400. Westbound traffic in Toronto wasn't bad between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m..
In 4 years I only saw the Supercoops on the 402 open 3 times. I've been Level 3 inspected at Putnam West once and Trafalgar East once. A Level 2 at Trafalgar East took over an hour , most of it with them checking my e-logs. I have had my speed limiter checked at Trafalgar East , on the 400 North , and Putnam West.
There are no good reasons to go to Canada. Highway shutdowns are frequent in bad weather. A few years ago I sat in the Sarnia Customs parking lot 3 days because the 402 was shut down.

 

If you're not making money, then reconsider taking the loads. When I was doing regular work into Canada, I had to make 20% more than I would make if I was doing a run in the states to justify the expenses and time. I had a regular runs to St Thomas, St Jerome and "Three Rivers".

The paper work should be all done before the load hits the truck and take the time to call the broker right there at the shipper to make sure they got it, then call back to get a confirmation that they have the confirmation number from the customs site. If the shipper is a regular customer and has paid their bills on time, normally it is a 15 minute turnaround time unless it is an escorted hazmat load.

If you are getting searched, then remember what you say to them may trigger the search. Out of all the crossings I've done, I've been searched four times, three were random and one was because I was getting a cold and could not answer the customs officer's questions to his liking.

The worst place to come back into the states in my opinion is Detroit, they stage the booths in the commercial lanes to hold up the flow of traffic. This I think is done to justify the need for a second bridge. Blue Water entry (port huron) can go by quickly but there are sometimes getting into Canada is slow, usually late afternoon.

 

I know a guy that went up there with no problem until the time he got arrested at home in a fight with his wife. Canada refused him into the country because of the arrest.

 

Canada is extremely strict about who they let into the country, even with people who have going in and out of the country for years, perhaps decades.

Perhaps the United States of America could learn a thing or two from Canada about who to let in or not let in.

God bless every American and their families! God bless the U.S.A.!

 

Going to Canada is the same as anything else your employer wants you to do. If you feel that you should be paid more to do it then talk to your employer about more money, get a different job, or just suck it up and do it.

 

Smack your wife. Problem solved.

 

Notice I said arrested. Not convicted.

I have no problem going to Canada. I would not work for a forced dispatch that sends me there without choice. It is a foreign country and it cost more.