Snackbar's new adventure at Moore Freight Services

What will happen the first time you cross the border is this, they will scan your passport, ask you when the last time you were in Canada. Your answer will of course be “first time” they will direct you to a staging area to park. You will be instructed to go inside and speak with a friendly customs agent who will take your passport and run a background check on you. The whole process takes anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour. Once you get cleared you’re good to go. They will on occasion pull you in for a spot background check. In the last 10 years of running up there, it’s only happened once, late at night when they must have been bored. During the day they’re too busy. From that point forward, it’s easier going into Canada then paying the toll on the GW Bridge. One other thing, coming back into the US you get to deal with the US side, those folks make it very apparent they hate their job and their life.

 

Always found the Canadian folks to be extremely pleasant and the US side some of the biggest dick heads you could ever deal with.

 

I got lost once in Montreal, asked two cops for directions and was told "Just stay right behind us". Off we went, right past a couple of no trucks signs. They led me right to my receiver.

 

Crossing over in Buffalo is fine. Plattsburgh also. Right now I’m in Minnesota shut down in a snowstorm trying to cross over in Pembina ND to deliver in Winnipeg. They’re fine there also, as is Sweetgrass MT. It’s always the US side that hates the world.

 

Gotta agree with you on the US attitude! Never had a problem with Canada.

 

Used to run to Montreal frequently about a decade ago when I drove for Schneider. Ask any Ontarian a question about Montreal and you will usually get no help. Most of them know more about any random US city than they do about Montreal.

You’ll quickly learn what it feels like to be illiterate. I always enjoyed the challenge. Most of the customers I dealt with spoke English, or at least enough. About half of the people in Montreal speak English fluently. Overall though, they aren’t very fond of the non francophone world. They are way more helpful with a truck driver trying to do a job than they would be with a non French speaker moving there. It’s an interesting place that’s for sure.

 

Instructions are great until there is road construction and the sign with the detour is in French.

 

Ahhh Winnepeg,,, Can you still find prostitutes in the Yellow Pages up there?

 

Really interesting, I lived in Canada for 3+ years and crossed the border all the time.
As a German I never had any problems entering the U.S. with the truck. Most of the U.S. officers were very friendly, I never had a dick head
It was a bit different when I went back into Canada, seems they hate their job too!
Same was in Europe, crossing into other countries never was a problem, but coming back to Germany...
They hated the world too

SSB, try to learn a few words in French, bonjeaur, au revoir, s'il vous plait.

Even if you could talk in French, you won't understand most people in Quebec. I can speak French, and they could understand me, but it was a pain to understand them.
Quebec French is completely different from the "real" French.

Here's a link to the Quebec driver's handbook in English, check for the road signs in French.
https://www.dl.icdst.org/pdfs/files/96e028e31b77c9008377c049f18abb1c.pdf

For me it wasn't a big deal because I was used to drive in France for many years, the road signs are similar there. It;s important to know a few signs in French, it can save you some trouble.
And be aware of the spring weight restriction, this was my first ticket in Canada on my second trip