Canada..

If you have problems 99% of the time it will be with the loads paperwork and the customs broker hired by the shipper for said paperwork.
AKA Livingston International.
Getting yourself and your truck across is quick and easy.
Generally if your picking up at a shipper that moves freight cross border on a regular basis it's pretty painless and trouble free.
It's the one time shipment where no-one knows the fire drill that will cause you problems.
Last year I got involved in a mess that consisted of picking up 2 old heat exchangers from 2 different papermills that were being demolished. I was faxed the customs invoice ahead of time. The only bills I could get when being loaded was a yellow carbon copy type handritten receipt. And it was made out to a 3rd party equipment broker. Not the actual buyer or his broker.
As a rule NEVER accept a yellow carbon copy. It is almost impossible to get a legible scan/fax to a customs broker.
This was a brokerd load home so I phoned him and said this ain't going to fly. I need a customs invoice and b.o.l.s that exactly match before I move the truck. He promised to get me proper paperwork but I had to get to the 2nd pickup 300 miles away by the next morning (Saturday) or sit the weekend.
Next morning I get the 2nd piece loaded and get the same runaround. Handwritten bills, a demolition Co who's name doesn't match shipper/ and it is being sold to another equipment broker altogether.
So now I've got 2 blind shipments that don't match anything for the customs bills I do have.
Hold on here boys, you can play all the blind shipment games you want but I GOTTA have something to get me across the border with.
So now it's Saturday and the broker I got the load from can't get ahold of anyone. And I'm dead in the water just like I figured would happen.
Eventually everything got straightened away but I was ready to kill everyone involved by the time it was over. The load changed hands 4 times between the shipper and the buyer. And non of them wanted the others to know.

 

-Last I checked the ON law said if truck DOM was prior to Jan 1 1995 it was exempt
-He can do his own ACI setup on the Canada Customs web portal (free)
-He can do his own ACI manifest on the Canada Customs web portal (free)
-Bar code stickers aren't even required anymore. They went away when ACE and ACI came in.
-Yes there is a annual renewal for the American SCAC but you just mail the check to the NMFTA or pay on line. No need to pay anyone to do that.
-There is no annual renewal for the Canadian CCCC (Canada Customs Carrier Code)...this is the Canadian version of the SCAC
-I need to look into the QC stuff before I comment but I can tell you I have NEVER renewed mine and I have been fined ALOT by those guys. Maybe their pens ran out of ink before they got to the NIR and NEQ. I DID HAVE TO HAVE A QC MAILING ADDRESS OR THEY WOULD NOT GIVE ME THE NIR. THIS IS WHERE THE POWER OF ATTORNEY COMES IN . I USED MY MOTHER IN LAWS ADDRESS.
-No need to pay anyone to renew your CVOR. They mail you the renewal form and you fill it out and pay. To be honest, I can't say for sure that an out of province carrier even needs a CVOR. They *might* be for Ontario based carriers only.

 

I was pretty sure a us carrier needs either a cvor or nsc depending on their closest bordering province...
The stickers make it a lot easier. I will keep using them. Cost is next to nothing. I am not familiar with how the ace and aci portals work... I don't really care to learn. My Border crossing amounts to like $50 per month... and they take care of any and all issues. Worth it for me. If I had more trucks and shipments and I worked in an office I would think differently.

 

Yes if you're not inclined to do the ACI and ACE yourself then Canadian and American bar code stickers would be needed. I was just trying to show that many of the above costs weren't mandatory. More of a convenience.

 

You have to watch those tricky devil's at 730. They do like to spend other people's money. See link for who needs a CVOR
http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/trucks/commercial-vehicle-operators-registration.shtml

 

It would appear that the only money the op NEEDS to spend is to pay for the American SCAC to get back into the US and some money for some QC lisensing. And he will need to pay his FDA user fee to US Customs when he returns to the USA.

 

Even a Dui can prevent you from entering Canada are they so self righteous over there?

 

Yes I've heard it so much I believe that's true. On the other hand the US customs officer often asks me "have you ever been arrested for anything ever?" Not convicted.... arrested. What's worse?

 

You read my mind

I made it a practise with Livingston to never head to the border on a promise of having a release number, but only once I had 100% confirmation it was done.