Further to shipping from Canada

Kind of puts a new spin on trading across the border, I think. Personally, I could have done without the surety bond- just who was being bonded, anyhow? Themselves, for handling the deal? If they screw up several times, and their bonding rate goes up, do we get to pay them even more?

If we truly had free trade there would be no duties or tarrifs. Both countries should have a law banning tax collectors from blocking transportation links. If governments would show some resemblence of responsibility in their use of revenues, tax collection would not be a problem.

On the subject of crime and the criminal element, if police forces across our two great nations, had a few lessons in cooperation, would go a long way in fighting crime. Too much of this,"I want the feather in my hat." You don't fight crime by lining up on the red line. It is an investigative process. Don't ask that Customs Officer to decide which, of the thousands of people that cross every day, is a criminal. Criminals can be pulled over anywhere, and law enforcment know who they are.

But with that said, I used to cross on a weekly basis trucking produce from Fl to Sask and return empty. I can most assurably say that the most hassles were RETURNING to the US. Canada welcomed to me to come in... the US made me pay to come back home. Crossings I have done since that time were for vacation (weekends only). Again, it was returning home rather than going in that produced the most headaches.

Further to several of the comments below- many things are changing at the border these days with many new proceedures which means that what we have come to expect at the border no longer applies and we'll have to learn the new ropes. Many on this board may not know it but Canada and the US are each others largest trading partners, and the largest trading partners in the world- more than 1.5 billion dollars of goods go back and forth over the border each day. It's unlikely that the new border procedures are intended to make this more difficult as business on both sides of the border would not be pleased. However, that is not to say that those in the brokerage business want it simplified. I do believe we will go through some transition difficulties which will be alleviated in due course as proceedures normalize. Hopefully they won't forget about us little guys that just want to have some fun.

As I said, I cross weekly. Going to the US it is a full trailer load, thus all paper work is handled by the shipper, with a broker on standby should there be a problem. Probably about 3% of the crossings I have to go to a broker at US Customs. Usual problems are someone forgot to fill in a blank, sign, or fax in advance the impending arrival of shipment. About once a month I get sent for an X-ray of trailer. None of these have ever held me up more than 1/2 hour, with one exception. That being when US Customs officers were working to rule as of their labor negotiations. They had a compound full of angry truckers that day.

The product I bring back to Canada is relatively small and usually less than $1,000. in value. For that one I just go to Canada Customs and process it myself. You enter all information about shipment in a computer, hit P for a print out, attach copies of shipment invoices and put it in their bin. You go to a waiting room and in few min. they call you to counter, pay any fees and leave. They do give me a few digs about where I got my computer training. I just tell them YT.

Customs Officers are human, sometimes in better mood than others. I think they get their share of nasty people to deal with. I will almost garentee you, (based on what I've seen and heard) if you get nasty at US or Canadian Customs, you are going to be there for awhile. I have run across guys that have been there 24 hours. Customs officers also enjoy a good laugh, in fact that is where I heard the story about the tatoos.

We suposedly have free trade, and if that were truly the case, there is no money to collect. Having said that, the technology does exist to electronically monitor all crossings and who they are. We could have a completely unmaned border for a fraction of the cost. Then we wouldn't have that long line up of trucks emiting fumes into such places as Sarnia, Port Huron, Detroit, Windsor, etc. You cant expect those truckers to sit out there and fry at 34C or freeze at -25C.

Canada is a prime example of why the Electoral College is so valuable. There are plenty of good Canadians, unfortunately most of them live in the rural western parts of the country and are outvoted by the libs in the eastern cities. Without an Electoral College to protect their votes, the rural folks are outnumbered and essentially voiceless.

If you look at the make up of the US, we are very similar. We can all thank God for our founding fathers and their foresight or we would be in the same boat.

With that said, we still need to look out for #1 and I certainly would not be opposed to "cutting off" any country that would not stand with us.

Dug

Please don't take offense when I say Canada is sitting on the sidelines. It's not your fault your country has no military to speak of. Besides, you really don't need it. Your are neighboring the worlds only Super Power, so who's gonna mess with you? And with all the money you save you can implement grand social programs and take care of everyone.

The mindset that made certain individuals carry out unprovoked attacks on my country on 9/11 are in no way, shape or form similar to mine. It is certainly sad to see you stoop to such levels, I was rather enjoying our "dabate".

Dug

And I did not mean to insinuate that your ideas are the same as the terrorists, what I meant was that they feel that their way of life and their ideals are the only way to live and that anything different is wrong and must be destroyed. The feeling I get from you, right or wrong, is that your way is the only way and that what we have come up with here is wrong just because it is different. A narrow mind, regardless of the focus, is not a good thing and until people are willing to admit that they are not perfect nothing will change

There are also good reasons to dislike a few Canadians and Americans but darn few. They anounce themselves quite well.

However, I've bought stuff out of Canada on ebay and I've never received any kind of bill from Purolator or any other third party for shipping costs outside of the deal I had with the seller. If that kind of thing is included in the sale I would call it out of the ordinary based on my limited experience and should therefore be included in the auction description somewhere.

I guess this Purolator is the same company that makes filters and has F350 money delivery vehicles for small businesses.

Mark

While I was in Detroit Attending my cousins wedding, my father and I went over into Canada to see some friends cockshutt tractors. It was no problem driving into Cannada. When we tried to return from the expedition we were told we wouldnt be allowed back into the US. NO one at the boarder told us you had to have a US birth certificate to get back; and that we needed papers filled out (this was not bringing anything back across either)

It was my good friend Mark, his brothers Mike and Bob, their father, another friend Jimmie, and some other guy they all know that I don't. When those big fishermen got back, I ran into them at Mark's unpacking, and all were about as frumpy as I've ever seen anyone, and their wives were all laughing their tail ends off. And the more the wives laughed, the frumpier they got. I had no clue what was going on, so asked what's going on, and Mark told me, and as he told me, the others got even frumpier. The father got so frumpy that he demanded that his wife take him home, and just left his stuff at Mark's. I asked why they got stopped in the first place. "Routine random check?", no clue. Then I asked "Why did they stop you on the way back? Just tracking you in general by vehical plate number, or what", no clue.

Hugh, I have to admit that I figured must've done something, or thought to have done something, or something. As I understand it, when the father muttered or mumbled "We killed him and buried him in the woods", it just made it worse, much worse. The guy that didn't come back with them is the guy that I didn't know, whom apparently knew someone up there and stayed there longer, but he did make it back eventually, because even though I don't know who he is, I've seen him at Mark's since.

Honestly wasn't me. I don't fish, never been to Canada. They still fish, but don't think have been back to Canada since. You've got me, I wasn't there, but think it's hillarious because it wasn't me.

Customs are geared for one or two guys in a commercial vehicle, lone business guy on trip or family with mom and pop, maybe kids. All others should try to act like a clergyman on his way to a convention, don't laugh and never appear to be having fun.

Have a good weekend.

Customs officer said," If there is anyway you can prove you are a Canadian I will let you in." Our friend replied," Well I have tatoos of two Prime Ministers, one on each hip." Customs Officer responds, " Let me take a look." Sure enough tatoos of two former Prime Ministers, and he responds," You can go home to Ontario." Our friend replies, " How did you know I was from Ontario, as I never did say where I live." Customs Officer replies, " It was the tatoo of Premier Mc Ginty in the middle.