Canada

Why would anyone laugh about plastic pink money?

It's good to have Canadian currency if running in Canada. Especially now as our dollar has been losing value vs. the U.S. dollar and I'm sure many places won't give you fair value.

I agree the FAST Card is worth getting.

If you run Canada and have a cell phone (who doesn't have one now) make sure you have a Canada plan or shut off roaming. Also, a Canada plan may be good for calls but not for data.

Nobody has answered the question about money. I don't know the answer but if it doesn't pay a good bit more I wouldn't think it's worth it. Crossing the border is usually painless if your load is properly cleared but that surprise secondary inspection can really mess up your trip plan.

HOS is a little different in Canada. For the most part, if you're legal in the U.S. you'll be legal in Canada but there are exceptions. Make sure you know the rules.

 

I haven't run Canada in a long time. When I did it was only to the prairie provinces. They tried to get me into Ontario many times and I turned those loads down each time.

I believe the company drivers get $25 bucks to cross the border going into Canada but not coming back. So right there if you crossed 4 times in one week you're up $100 bucks.

My runs were typically from Spokane to Calgary to Spokane Monday thru Friday's only. That's a tough lane because of he weekends are out and the mountains to cross going both ways. The guys who live up in Washington, Idaho and Montana love that lane and do quite well with the miles and hometime.

If you're interested in expanding your horizons and being a Canada eligible driver, in that way you are more valuable a driver to the planners. That could translate to more money because when others are sitting you could be getting loaded for a Canada load no one else in the area can do much like hazmat and tankers endorsements can help keep you moving.

To service those eastern provinces you will probably want to get a FAST card as well. You'll have to take an Elog class with a Canada planner before you go as well. There are paperwork requirements like filling out a pretrip sheet for all your equipment every day before you start your day. paperwork to fax to planners and brokers before you go north and fax more before you come back. There are re-entry codes you need to have on your qualcom before you try to come back across the American border.The Elogs make it very easy with the HOS, get used to looking at your Clocks tab. When you go north you send mac 19 and select border crossing/yes and change your clocks over to Canada and make sure you select kilometers instead of miles so you don't create an international incident where Canada declares war on the U.S.