Responsibilities Vary for Canadian Customs Compliance

When shipping to Canada, the shipper/exporter and the carrier have different responsibilities, and it’s important to understand the role of each one.

In the most simplistic terms, the carrier is responsible for the safe and efficient movement of goods from the shipper to the consignee.

Canadian Customs Compliance Shipper Responsibility

To ensure Canadian customs compliance, the shipper is responsible for providing:

Sometimes solving a logistics problem for a customer involves a creative approach that includes several terminals.

One of the largest ABF Freight accounts for the Toledo, Ohio, service area operates specific production lines that rely on just-in-time shipments.

There’s nothing more frustrating than a disappointing customer service experience. Jennifer Jolin experienced just that with another company when they were given her item for delivery.

The first sign of a potential problem happened when Jennifer couldn’t track her item with the carrier because the shipping information was incorrect. Then, when the driver finally arrived at her home in an “unmarked, poorly kept box truck,” he simply “laid on the horn.” To top it off, her large package was handled carelessly and damaged.

ABF Freight employees are trained to handle various and sometimes unique circumstances. For drivers who work near the U.S. borders, they know the protocol and necessary actions to get shipments moved across the border.

Canadian customs compliance in a nutshell

Canadian customs compliance is a highly involved and resource-intensive operation because of customs-related mandates. Canadian customs compliance involves documentation handling, security practices, interaction with customs brokers and data/information exchange to multiple government agencies.

For the trucking industry, it always has been a major undertaking. Numerous regulations — from the extremely specific to the incredibly vague — allow for vast interpretation. 

South Chicago, Illinois, Road Driver Chad Miller began his careerin the freight industry in 1983. Since that time, he's driver over three million miles accident free.

When asked to describe his involvement in the ABF Freight Quality Process, he said, "I not only driver every mile safely and professionally, but I also treat my job as if I had all the responsbility of owning the company."

After almost 30 years in the industry, Kirk Weis is proud to have worked as an Albuquerque, New Mexico, Road Driver for ABF Freight for the past 15 years. "What I like best about my job is that other professional drivers look at me when I'm driving and wish they were in my spot."

Kirk believes projecting a safe image is one of the things that makes him a professional. "At the end of the day, I want to be as safe as possible. I want to show the best image that I can to my peers and to the motoring public."

Bill West never really planned on becoming a truck driver. After his first driving job, he realized he enjoyed the freedom of being out in the open and not working in an office environment.

Bill believes that a professional is a cut above the rest. And that can certainly be said about him. He's proven it by his outstanding safety record that includes a One Million Mile Safe Driving Award, a 10-year Safety Performance Plaque and a 23-year Safe Driving Certificate.

Following in his dad’s footsteps, Charlotte, North Carolina, Utility Employee Don Biggerstaff first got a job working on the dock. After almost 30 years, he’s still in the freight business, but now he works the dock as well as drives a truck.

Don believes that being a professional driver starts on the inside. “You have to start with the desire to do the right thing. It’s an attitude you have to carry with you every day.”

Little Rock, Arkansas, Road Driver Loren Hatfield believes that driving is not a race. His best piece of advice to drivers is to just slow down and enjoy the ride.

Loren has been enjoying the ride for almost 15 years, and during that time, he has earned a 10-year Safety Performance Plaque and an 11-year Safe Driving Certificate. He has competed in the National Truck Driving Championships three times. He has received the highest written score in the Arkansas Truck Driving Championships twice.