Importing Trailers | Crossing The Border
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Importing Trailers | Crossing The Border

A pain point for any carrier, dispatcher or driver is not feeling prepared for arrival at customs. Without the proper documentation and pre-arrival preparation, clearances can take hours, and in the worst case, days. No carrier, dispatcher or driver wants to spend hours at the border, and no importer wants to wait longer for their goods.

Pacific Customs Brokers has put together a how to guide on how the arrival and Customs clearance process works for the carrier when importing trailers.

The main problem carriers, dispatchers and drivers run into, is that trailers often require a hard copy paper Transport Canada Form 1 to be submitted with the declaration of the goods. With most declarations being submitted to Customs electronically, the inclusion of a paper document requiring a paper declaration submission does change the dynamics of the entry.

Importing Trailers Under The Transport Canada Pre-Clearance Program

When notified in advance, the paper declaration is submitted to Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) before the goods and the driver arrive at the border. This action is often performed by the importer/agent physically located at the port.

To find out if the paper package has been delivered to Customs you are welcome to call us and we can inform you. Unlike electronic submissions, our online PARS check will not be able to advise the status beyond being received in our office.

When the carrier arrives at the border they approach the Customs booth, and present their PARS barcode to the officer. The Customs officer will process the clearance into Canada, complete any inspections necessary, and advise the release status of the shipment.

The processed Form 1 will be returned to the importer or their agent for record keeping.

Create Form 1

Importing Trailers Under Standard Transport Canada Regulations

Although notified in advance, the paper declaration is submitted to CBSA at the time the carrier arrives at the border.

Upon arrival, the driver should advise the CBSA officer at the booth they are required to see a Customs Broker. CBSA will allow the driver to pull over and report to Pacific Customs Brokers or their agent and allow them to walk over to the Pacific Customs Brokers office to pick up their paper declaration package.

Once they pick up the paper package, the driver will return to Customs commercial building and present the package to the Customs officer. The Customs officer will process the clearance into Canada, complete any inspections necessary, and advise the release status of the shipment.

The processed Form 1 will be returned to the importer or their agent for record keeping. If the importer requires a copy of the Form 1 to be delivered with the goods, we can request CBSA release the document directly to the driver rather than returned to the broker.

How Does The Carrier Know If The Goods Are Pre-Clearance Or Standard?

Please contact the importer to confirm if their goods are part of the Transport Canada Pre-Clearance program. If not, goods would be subject to standard Transport Canada regulations.

What If Pacific Customs Brokers Is Closed?

Our office at Pacific Highway is open 24/7.

The hours of our Huntingdon office is 8:00 am - 4:30 pm. The best practice is to cross during business hours. If advance notification is provided, you will find the paper package in a yellow envelope with the PARS number and name of the carrier in the after hours bin located in the main Customs building.

For all other ports please contact Pacific Customs Brokers 24/7 for agent information.

Customs Broker Quote
Disclaimer: While reading, kindly note the date of this blog. At PCB we do our due diligence to write on the most relevant topic every week and naturally content may become dated as developments in a certain program/topic occur. For this reason, we greatly appreciate your readership and hope you continue reading with the posting date in mind. For the latest information on this topic please use our website's search function, or better yet, subscribe to our "Trading Post" newsletter to receive these updates directly to your inbox.
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About the Author
Taryn Hannah
CCS, CTCS

Taryn Hannah is General Manager for PCB Canadian Operations, directly overseeing the Release, Trade Compliance, and Office Administration teams. Taryn has been a trade professional since 2005, specializing in strategic and operational process building and management. She began her career with PCB in release operations, which built a strong foundation in many entry modes. In 2010 Taryn became the Supervisor of our Trade Compliance Group, working with staff and clients to understand regulatory documentation, labeling, data, and timing requirements for all imports into Canada. Over the years, she has become an expert in Participating in Government Agency dealings and has been called upon to speak at events such as Vancouver Fashion Week and various customized courses for industry and associations. Taryn has been recognized for her expert knowledge by receiving the designations of Customs Compliance Specialist (CCS) and Certified Trade Compliance Specialist (CTCS) from the Canadian Society of Customs Brokers.

While we strive for accuracy in all our communications, as the Importer of Record it is incumbent upon your company to ensure that you are aware of the requirements under the new regulations so that you maintain compliance as always.