A load crosses the US-Canada border cleanly when three things are in place before the truck reaches the booth: an accepted electronic manifest for the country you are entering, a travel document that proves who you are, and a driver that country will admit. The manifest has a hard deadline on each side. CBP wants ACE data one hour before you reach the first US port (30 minutes for shipments that qualify for FAST), and CBSA wants ACI data received and validated one hour before you reach the first Canadian port.

Rules and fees below are current as of September 30, 2026.

What to have before you leave the yard

  • A travel document. US citizens returning by land can use a passport, a passport card, an enhanced driver's license, or a FAST, NEXUS or SENTRI card. Enhanced licenses come from five states: Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont and Washington. Canadian citizens entering the US can use a passport, an enhanced driver's license or a trusted traveler card. US lawful permanent residents carry their green card.
  • For Canada, CBSA recommends that US citizens travel with a valid passport. A FAST card is accepted as proof of identity and citizenship for US and Canadian citizens in every highway lane entering Canada, FAST lane or not.
  • The ACE trip for US-bound loads, or the ACI lead sheet for Canada-bound loads, already accepted.
  • Your carrier's credentials: an active USDOT number, a SCAC for the US side, a CBSA carrier code for the Canadian side, and the provincial registrations covered further down if you run in Ontario or Quebec.
  • Your ELD, and for Canada it has to be a model on Transport Canada's certified list.

ACE eManifest for trucks entering the US

The rule is 19 CFR 123.92. Any truck that must report its arrival and carries commercial cargo needs its cargo data in a CBP-approved electronic system before it reaches the first US port. The regulation says 30 minutes or 1 hour depending on the system used. CBP's commercial truck manifest flyer puts it in plain terms: transmit 1 hour before arrival, and shipments that qualify for CTPAT may transmit 30 minutes before. CBP's truck FAQ describes the same 30-minute window as the one for FAST shipments.

The carrier files, unless the importer or its customs broker chooses to send part of the data, in which case the carrier sends the rest. The required data includes:

  • the truck's VIN or license plate and state, plus trailer or container numbers
  • the carrier's SCAC
  • the trip number and the freight bill or PRO number for each shipment
  • every seal number
  • the foreign place where the carrier took possession of the cargo
  • the scheduled date and time of arrival at the first US port
  • the quantity at the lowest external packaging unit (a container of 10 pallets holding 200 cartons is reported as 200 cartons)
  • the weight
  • a precise cargo description or the 6-digit HTS number
  • the hazardous material code, if any
  • the shipper's and consignee's names and addresses

Generic descriptions get flagged. The regulation names "FAK" (freight of all kinds), "general cargo" and "STC" (said to contain) as unacceptable, and CBP also lists a shipper entered as "various" among common filing errors.

Some loads are exempt from the advance filing. US domestic cargo that leaves one US port, runs through Canada and comes back in at another US port is exempt. So are certain informal entries, such as goods free of duty worth $2,500 or less eligible for entry on CBP Form 7523, and US products being returned on CBP Form 3311.

Carriers file in the Truck Manifest Trade Portal inside an ACE Portal account, or by EDI through manifest software or a service provider. When a customs broker files the entry, CBP ties it to your shipment through PAPS (the Pre-Arrival Processing System). CBP's truck FAQ describes the PAPS number as your four-character SCAC followed by a unique number such as the bill of lading or PRO number, up to 16 characters in all.

CBP's flyer is blunt about what happens when the manifest is wrong or missing: penalties, liquidated damages, holds for examination, or seizure.

ACI eManifest for trucks entering Canada

CBSA Memorandum D3-4-2 (dated November 12, 2025) sets the highway rule. The conveyance data and the cargo data must be received and validated by CBSA within 30 days before arrival and no later than one hour before the truck reaches the first port of arrival. A properly formatted message sent inside that hour is still accepted, but it comes back with an "insufficient review time" warning and an administrative penalty may apply.

At the booth the driver hands over a lead sheet with the conveyance reference number (CRN) as a barcode. A barcoded cargo control number with the CRN handwritten on it is also accepted. If the broker has filed a PARS release, the PARS paperwork with a barcoded cargo control number and handwritten CRN can serve as the lead sheet.

Empty trucks are supposed to send a conveyance report flagged as empty. CBSA says in D3-4-2 that, until further notice, a highway carrier arriving empty without that report will not get a penalty for it. Cargo data is also optional for a full load of Customs Self-Assessment (CSA) shipments.

The carrier needs a CBSA carrier code, applied for through the CARM Client Portal. The same application can request access to CBSA's eManifest Portal, a web filing option CBSA built mainly for small and mid-sized businesses.

The administrative monetary penalties (AMPS) for highway carriers, from CBSA's master penalty document:

  • C378, no pre-arrival data at all: CAN$2,000 for a first contravention, $4,000 for the second, $8,000 for the third and later ones, counted over 12 months. Cargo and conveyance reports count as separate instances.
  • C379, data sent late or in the wrong manner: CAN$250, then $375, then $750.

FAST card: who qualifies and what it does

FAST (Free and Secure Trade) is a CBP and CBSA program for known low-risk commercial shipments. The card belongs to the driver, but the FAST lane depends on the whole shipment. CBP says participation requires every link in the supply chain, from manufacturer to carrier to driver to importer, to be certified under CTPAT. On the Canadian side, CBSA approves carriers and importers for FAST automatically once they are members of its Customs Self-Assessment (CSA) and Partners in Protection (PIP) programs. A FAST driver hauling for a carrier or importer outside those programs still has a FAST card for identity purposes, but the load does not qualify for the FAST lane.

CBP lists who can apply: US citizens and lawful permanent residents, Canadian citizens and permanent residents, and Mexican nationals. You must be 18 or older with a valid driver's license. Both Canada and the US have to approve a northern border application, and CBSA adds that you must live in Canada or the US and be admissible to both countries.

The disqualifiers matter more than the eligibility list. CBP says you may be ineligible if you have been convicted of any criminal offense or have pending charges or outstanding warrants, and it names driving under the influence. A conviction you were pardoned for can also disqualify you, as can a past customs, immigration or agriculture violation in any country.

The non-refundable fee is US$50 and the membership runs five years, according to CBSA's FAST pages (checked September 2026). You apply online through the Trusted Traveler Programs system, CBP and CBSA both run background checks, and if you are conditionally approved you book an interview at an enrollment center. CBSA puts the eligibility review at six to eight weeks, not counting the wait for an interview slot. Replacing a lost or stolen card costs $25 through the same system, and CBP replaces a card that will not read at the lane for free.

CBSA closed its separate Commercial Driver Registration Program on September 1, 2026 and told those drivers to apply for FAST if they want to keep trusted trader benefits.

Admissibility: impaired driving, cannabis, firearms and cash

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) says a conviction for driving while impaired by alcohol, drugs or cannabis can make you inadmissible for serious criminality, wherever the conviction happened. For a conviction outside Canada, you can apply for criminal rehabilitation once at least five years have passed since you finished the sentence. Older convictions, from before December 18, 2018, are judged under the penalties in force then and may qualify for deemed rehabilitation after 10 years. Short of that, a temporary resident permit is possible but discretionary, and IRCC says there is no guarantee one will be issued. Settle the question with IRCC before dispatch puts you on a Canadian load.

Cannabis cannot cross in either direction. CBSA says taking cannabis across the border in any form, including oils containing THC or CBD, without a Health Canada permit is a serious criminal offense. That holds regardless of the amount, a medical document, or whether you are coming from a place where cannabis is legal. CBP says marijuana is a controlled substance under US federal law and bringing it to a US port can mean seizure, fines or arrest, and can affect admissibility.

Declare every firearm to CBSA. A visitor without a Canadian firearms licence fills out form RCMP 5589 (the Non-Resident Firearm Declaration) and pays CAN$25, and it works as a temporary licence for up to 60 days. Restricted firearms also need an authorization to transport from the province's Chief Firearms Officer, and prohibited firearms cannot be brought in at all. An undeclared firearm can be seized and lead to criminal charges.

Pepper spray made for use on people is a prohibited weapon in Canada. CBSA allows dog or bear repellent only when the label says it is for use against animals.

Cash has a reporting line on each side. The US requires a FinCEN Form 105 for more than US$10,000 in currency or monetary instruments, entering or leaving. Canada requires a report for CAN$10,000 or more. In both countries unreported money can be seized.

Cabotage: what a foreign truck and driver may haul domestically

Each country has two sets of rules, one for the equipment (customs) and one for the driver (immigration). On the US side the driver rule is the tighter of the two.

In the US, 19 CFR 123.14 lets a foreign-based truck carry domestic freight only when the move is incidental to its international trip just before or just after. A move in the general direction of an export load, or on the way home, counts as incidental. The driver side is in 8 CFR 214.2(b)(4)(i)(E)(1): a Canadian or Mexican driver may deliver in the US only goods loaded outside the US, and may load in the US only goods that will be delivered outside the US. Purely domestic service is not allowed. When the two rules seem to point different ways on a specific load, ask CBP at the port before you dispatch it.

In Canada, CBSA Memorandum D3-1-5 (August 26, 2024) allows a foreign-based truck or trailer one point-to-point move inside Canada, immediately before or after its international trip. It has to be heading toward the delivery point of the international load, or it has to have entered Canada empty to pick up an export load already scheduled, or it has to be picking up an export load after delivering, or it has to be part of the return home. The route has to be consistent with the international move. A truck admitted this way must leave Canada within 30 days. A Canadian load routed Canada to US to Canada, or a US load routed US to Canada to US, gets no incidental domestic use. A carrier moving US domestic goods through Canada must be a CBSA bonded carrier or get a single trip authorization first. For the driver's immigration status in Canada, CBSA refers carriers to IRCC.

Hours of service on each side of the line

You run under the rules of the country you are driving in.

In the US, 49 CFR 395.3 allows 11 hours of driving inside a 14-hour window that starts after 10 consecutive hours off. You need a 30-minute break after 8 hours of driving. The weekly limit is 60 hours in 7 days or 70 in 8, and 34 consecutive hours off restarts it.

Canada's federal Commercial Vehicle Drivers Hours of Service Regulations (SOR/2005-313) work differently south of latitude 60°N. You stop driving at 13 hours of driving or 14 hours on duty, and you cannot drive once 16 hours have passed since your last 8 or more consecutive hours off. You need 10 hours off in each day. You pick a cycle:

  • Cycle 1: 70 hours on duty in any 7 days. A 36-hour break resets it.
  • Cycle 2: 120 hours in any 14 days, and no more than 70 hours before you take 24 consecutive hours off. A 72-hour break resets it.

Whichever cycle you run, you must have had at least 24 consecutive hours off in the preceding 14 days. Canada also expects you to carry the previous 14 days of logs.

Transport Canada made ELDs mandatory for federally regulated drivers on June 12, 2021, and the provinces ran education-only enforcement until January 1, 2023. Canada accepts only devices tested and certified by an accredited body, and Transport Canada says US drivers operating in Canada must use one from its certified list. If your fleet bought its ELDs for the US market, check that your model also appears on Transport Canada's list. Enforcement of the hours of service rules is a provincial and territorial job, so check the rules of each province you run in. The federal regulations and the ELD requirement do not apply in Nunavut.

Operating authority, IFTA and IRP

FMCSA's definition of interstate commerce includes trips to and from places outside the US, so a truck running across the border needs an active USDOT number (49 CFR 392.9b), and a for-hire carrier also needs FMCSA operating authority through the same registration under 49 CFR 390.201.

Ontario requires a CVOR certificate for trucks plated in the US or Mexico with a registered or actual gross weight over 4,500 kg. Trucks plated in another Canadian province or territory use their home jurisdiction's safety certificate instead. Quebec's Commission des transports requires owners of heavy vehicles registered in the US and operated in Quebec to register in its owners and operators registry.

For fuel tax, IFTA covers the 48 contiguous states and the 10 Canadian provinces, so provincial miles go on the quarterly return you file with your base jurisdiction, the same as any state's. IRP covers the 48 contiguous states, the District of Columbia and the provinces (Yukon and the Northwest Territories are not members). Michigan's IRP office notes that the apportioned plate and cab card let you operate in all member jurisdictions, with fees split by the distance you report in each one.

US arrival fees and bridge tolls

CBP charges commercial trucks entering the US an arrival fee and collects, along with it, the USDA agricultural inspection (AQI) fee. The AQI fee applies to all commercial trucks, loaded or empty, under 7 CFR 354.3. For fiscal year 2027, which starts October 1, 2026, CBP's Federal Register notice sets:

  • a single crossing at $22.10 ($7.60 CBP fee plus $14.50 AQI fee)
  • an annual transponder at $1,008.92 ($138.32 CBP plus $870.60 AQI), good for the calendar year

After 18 single crossings for the same vehicle in a DTOPS account in a calendar year, later crossings that year cost only the $14.50 AQI fee. CBP tracks transponders and prepaid crossings by VIN in its DTOPS system (dtops.cbp.dhs.gov).

Bridge tolls are separate. On the Gordie Howe International Bridge, large commercial vehicles pay US$8.75 or CAN$12 per axle, or US$6.90 / CAN$9.60 per axle with a Breakaway account (official toll rates, September 2026). Specialized loads need a permit and a call to 1-800-204-3616 at least 24 hours before crossing.

Where the trucks cross

CBP counted about 5.27 million truck crossings into the US from Canada in 2025, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. The busiest US ports for trucks that year:

  • Detroit, 1.13 million: the Ambassador Bridge and, since July 27, 2026, the Gordie Howe International Bridge
  • Port Huron, 1.06 million: the Blue Water Bridge to Point Edward and Sarnia
  • Buffalo Niagara Falls, 865,000: the Peace Bridge to Fort Erie and the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge (the Rainbow Bridge takes no commercial traffic)
  • Blaine, 331,000: Pacific Highway to Surrey
  • Champlain-Rouses Point, 270,000
  • Pembina, 240,000: across from Emerson, Manitoba

The Gordie Howe bridge connects Ontario's Highway 401 directly to Michigan's I-75, with 60 Canadian and US inspection lanes at its two ports of entry. It is the first new Ontario-Michigan crossing in more than 60 years, and the second bridge for trucks between Detroit and Windsor.

CBSA's FAST page lists dedicated FAST lanes at Sarnia/Port Huron, Pacific Highway/Blaine, Fort Erie, Emerson and Windsor/Detroit. Before you commit to a bridge, check live commercial wait times on CBP's border wait times site for the US side and CBSA's border wait times page for Canada, which lists commercial delays separately for each crossing.