Canada customs inspection - argh!

I have heard they look for pirated movies and copyrighted music. I guess they just seize the data.

When they searched my truck, they missed the 200 audio books in music cd holders. They also did not see the external hard drive I have that has all of my clients data for every tax return done and the backups to all of the computers. It also has backups for the audio books.

I figure if you are nice to them and all it is no problem.

I also would like to know what port he was searched at. Mine was north Portal.

 

I'm thinking I'll just slip that drive into my pocket before I pull up to the booth. The hard drive in my laptop has nothing but two operating systems, XP and Linux, some games, all of them legally purchased or open source and a couple thousand pictures of my kids and grandkids...all of them fully clothed of course!

I have most of the original DVDs at home, but a lot of those movies were transferred off of my VHS collection, and I tossed all those out after I digitized them.

 

I go into Canada about once a week and haven't been inspected yet in the 2.5 years I've been driving for this company.

We also have drivers that can't go because of previous run-ins with the law.
I had to trade loads and trailers with one about a month ago after he got detained for a few hours and denied entry for an assault charge that was 30 years old. He's been crossing longer than I have, but this one agent decided to dig deeper than any other agent he's crossed in the past.

 

I used to cross about twice a week, never had a problem, other than a few searches by Canadian Customs. They'd dig through my stuff, and toss my clothes around the bunk area. I wasn't a very good kid 30 years ago either. Heck I used to get tossed in the drunk tank every weekend after getting picked up staggering home from the bar up the street. Walking While intoxicated..lol. Back then they'd just toss you in a holding cell for 8 hours and not charge you with anything. Had a petty theft when I was 18...I was living in my car at the time and had no job, I was pretty hungry at the time so I five fingered a pack of hot dogs from Kroger's. I got no jail for that, the judge made me come in once a week and clean his courtroom and chambers, while he sat at his desk and lectured me about life and it's responsibilities. And I had I got arrested for DWI once, but it got plead down to a lesser charge, by the same judge. A disorderly conduct stemming from a bar fight, well it was supposed to be a fight, but it turned out to be nothing more than two scared drunk kids pushing each other around until the cops showed up. All this was back in the early 80's. I quit going up there after they made a passport a requirement. I said screw it, I'm not getting one so that's one less thing I have to worry about.

Now I got the stupid passport. I'd rather not go. Maybe they'll check my record and deny me. Won't break my heart. I hate going up there, My phone don't work, my air card don't work. When I was going up there, it was about 2-3 years ago, I was just going across, maybe 20 miles in, picking up a load and driving straight out. I don't mind that so much.

 

http://www.cba.org/cba/practicelink/tayp/laptopborder.aspx

 

I have no proof that it's legal. You'd need to have the original media on your person in order to prove it's legality. I don't have that on me. That was the point of putting it on the drive in the first place.

 

So, have additional backup at home in case it is seized. Otherwise, no need to worry.

 

Yeah, I think I'm going to do that this weekend when I'm home. My wife has a bunch of hard drive space on her machine she'll never use. I'm just worried about the $800 laptop. I don't want that seized. The data, especially my photos, i have back ups all over the place. I'd just be lost without my machine.

 

You can always explain to them that the reason you have these digitized format is for ease in carrying them in such a small space. Also, the elements tend to damage the originals which you keep in a secure location at home.

The last time you left a company, it is easier to bring the drive than all of the cd's like you had to the last time.