Cross-border compliance, one desk on both sides of the line
We started in Napierville, Quebec, twenty minutes from the Champlain crossing. The same desk sets up Canadian carriers in Motus, the Clearinghouse and the weight-distance states, and US carriers with CBSA, CVOR and the Quebec registry. In English, French and Spanish.
Two rulebooks, one truck
A tractor that crosses at Lacolle is under FMCSA rules the moment it enters New York and under the SAAQ, the CTQ and Transport Canada on the way back. Nobody in either government coordinates the two. We do.
Bilingual from day one
Motus, the Clearinghouse and the roadside inspection are in English. The SAAQ, Revenu Québec and the CTQ are in French. Our desk works in both, and in Spanish, so nothing is lost in a form.
Since 1988
Cross-border filings through the docket number era, the URS era and now Motus. We have seen every version of the rules and most versions of the mistakes.
What a Quebec or Ontario carrier needs before the first US load
Your provincial credentials get you further than most carriers think and stop sooner than they hope. Here is the full list, in the order it has to happen.
Registration and authority
- USDOT number in Motus, no government fee, for any vehicle over 10,001 lb. Since May 14, 2026 an owner or employee verifies identity through Login.gov; we file as your authorized third party. Details.
- Operating authority for for-hire carriers under 49 CFR 365, 300 USD per authority type on Pay.gov. MC numbers are no longer issued.
- BOC-3 process agent under 49 CFR 366, before authority is granted, no government fee.
- Insurance filing by your insurer: 750,000 USD minimum for general freight under 49 CFR 387.9, 5,000,000 USD for most hazmat. Many Canadian insurers can file it.
- UCR in a US base state every year, since the provinces are not in the plan. Fee table.
- MCS-150 biennial update under 49 CFR 390.19, in the month set by the last digit of your USDOT number.
Drivers, vehicles and taxes
- Drug and alcohol program under 49 CFR Part 382 for every CDL-class driver: pre-employment test, random pool at 50 percent drugs and 10 percent alcohol, written policy. Consortium.
- Clearinghouse registration, C/TPA designation, full query before hiring, limited query every year. Clearinghouse.
- Driver qualification files under 49 CFR 391.51. Canadian licences and medicals are accepted under reciprocity; the non-domiciled CDL rule of March 2026 does not apply to Canadian-domiciled drivers.
- English language proficiency: out-of-service criterion since June 25, 2025.
- IFTA and IRP through your province: Revenu Québec or the Ontario Ministry of Finance for fuel, the SAAQ or Ontario MTO for the plate. IFTA.
- Weight-distance accounts the province does not cover: New York HUT over 18,000 lb, Kentucky KYU at 59,999 lb and up, New Mexico over 26,000 lb, Oregon at 26,000 lb and up.
- New-entrant safety audit within 12 months of the USDOT number. Preparation.
Authority is typically granted about 21 days after the application, BOC-3 and insurance filing are all in. Only motus.dot.gov is FMCSA's system; FMCSA flagged four fake Motus sites in September 2026 and never calls, never charges for forms and never endorses a vendor.
What a US carrier needs before the first load to Montreal or Toronto
The good news is that IFTA and IRP already cover the provinces. The rest is customs, provincial safety registration, insurance proof and a few equipment rules that catch southern carriers at the first Ontario scale.
Customs and border
- CBSA carrier code, four characters from the Canada Border Services Agency. Non-bonded is free and releases goods at the border; bonded lets you carry goods in bond inland and requires security.
- ACI eManifest: cargo and conveyance data sent to CBSA at least one hour before arrival, through the portal, your software or a service provider.
- PARS: the broker files the release request against a barcode label so the shipment is reviewed before the truck arrives.
- Driver documents: passport or enhanced licence, and a FAST card for the dedicated lanes at Lacolle, Lansdowne, Fort Erie or Windsor.
- Cabotage: no point-to-point moves within Canada by a US driver. International loads and empty repositioning only.
Provinces, insurance and equipment
- Ontario CVOR: a Commercial Vehicle Operator's Registration certificate for any carrier, US carriers included, operating a truck over 4,500 kg registered gross weight in Ontario.
- Quebec heavy vehicle registry: registration with the Commission des transports du Québec and a NIR number for operators of vehicles of 4,500 kg or more, including operators based outside Quebec.
- IFTA and IRP: your US licence and plate already cover the provinces. Report provincial miles and litres on the quarterly return. IFTA.
- Insurance: confirm the policy extends to Canada and carry the Canadian non-resident inter-province liability insurance card.
- ELD: Canada requires a device certified by a third party under its own standard. Check yours is on the list before the trip.
- Speed limiter at 105 km/h in Ontario and Quebec, and Canadian hours of service, which differ from 49 CFR Part 395.
Start with a review, credited toward the work
Cross-border compliance review (Canada and US)
Credited toward any package.
Book my reviewNew carrier start-up package
- USDOT number and operating authority filed in Motus
- BOC-3 process agent
- UCR registration
- Clearinghouse registration and C/TPA designation
- Consortium enrollment, first year
- Drug and alcohol policy
- Your 12-month new-entrant compliance calendar
Consortium enrollment, owner-operator
- Random pool membership (50% drug, 10% alcohol, the FMCSA minimum and nothing more)
- C/TPA designation in the FMCSA Clearinghouse
- Same-day enrollment certificate
- Written drug and alcohol policy
- Supervisor and driver education materials
- Audit-ready records
Cross-border price list
| Service | Our fee | Billing |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-border compliance review (Canada and US) Credited toward any package. | $149 | one-time |
| USDOT number filing (Motus) | $99 | one-time |
| Operating authority filing (for-hire) | $199 | one-time |
| BOC-3 process agent filing | $49 | one-time |
| UCR registration filing | $49 | per year |
| MCS-150 biennial update | $79 | one-time |
| Consortium enrollment, owner-operator | $99 | per year |
| Quarterly IFTA return, 1 to 3 trucks Each additional truck: 20 USD per quarter. | $75 | per quarter |
| New York HUT certificate and decal | $99 | one-time |
| Kentucky KYU number | $79 | one-time |
Government fees are listed separately on each line and paid to the agency. Canadian-side registrations (CBSA carrier code, CVOR, NIR) are quoted after the review, since the provincial fees depend on fleet size and the CBSA bond depends on what you carry.
How it works
- Review
A $149 review of what you have and what you need, on both sides of the line: registrations, filings, drivers, vehicles and the routes you actually run. Credited toward any package.
- File
We file the US registrations for a Canadian carrier, or the Canadian registrations for a US carrier, in the right order so nothing waits on something else. Insurance filings, process agents and provincial accounts included.
- Keep it current
One calendar for both countries: quarterly IFTA and weight-distance returns, annual UCR, the biennial update, CVOR and NIR renewals, random testing and Clearinghouse queries. One contact who answers in your language.
Why carriers on both sides call the same number
A Quebec carrier with a US problem usually has a broker who does not know Motus and a US vendor who does not know the SAAQ. A US carrier with an Ontario problem has the mirror image. We have sat in the middle of that since 1988, in a town where half the trucks on Route 15 are heading for the Champlain line.
Our desk holds your USDOT and your NIR in the same file. When FMCSA moves everything into Motus or the CTQ changes a renewal date, the person who filed the original tells you what to do, in English or French.
Tell us where you run
Online requests open soon. Call or email us and we answer the same business day.
Frequently asked questions
Does a Canadian carrier need a USDOT number to enter the United States?
Yes. Any commercial vehicle over 10,001 lb, or carrying placarded hazardous materials, that operates in the US needs a USDOT number, whether for one delivery to Plattsburgh or a daily run to New Jersey. For-hire carriers also need operating authority under 49 CFR 365, a BOC-3 process agent and an insurance filing. Both are filed in FMCSA's Motus system, where the company official verifying identity must be an owner or employee; we work as the authorized third-party filer inside your account.
Do my Canadian drivers need to be in a US drug and alcohol program?
Yes. Every driver operating a CDL-class vehicle in the US falls under 49 CFR Part 382, including drivers with a Quebec class 1 or Ontario class A licence: pre-employment test, random pool at 50 percent drugs and 10 percent alcohol under 49 CFR 382.305, and Clearinghouse queries before hire and annually. A Canadian program does not count unless it follows 49 CFR Part 40. Our consortium was built for this case.
What is the English language proficiency rule?
49 CFR 391.11(b)(2) has always required drivers to read and speak English well enough to converse with the public, understand traffic signs and respond to officials. Since June 25, 2025, a driver who cannot is placed out of service at the roadside, and FMCSA published a proposed rule on August 10, 2026 to tighten it further. For French-speaking drivers from Quebec this is now the most common roadside problem in New York and Vermont. We tell you plainly what the inspection looks like and which drivers are at risk before you send them south.
Do I need a separate IFTA licence or IRP plate for the US?
No. Quebec and Ontario are members of both IFTA and IRP, so your Revenu Québec or Ontario Ministry of Finance fuel licence and your SAAQ or Ontario MTO apportioned plate cover the states. What they do not cover are the weight-distance taxes in New York, Kentucky, New Mexico and Oregon, each of which needs its own account. See IFTA and New York HUT.
What does a US carrier need to haul into Canada?
A CBSA carrier code, an ACI eManifest before arrival, PARS labels for release, insurance valid in Canada, a CVOR certificate for Ontario and a NIR number from Quebec's heavy vehicle registry. IFTA and IRP already cover the provinces. Your ELD must be certified for Canada, and Ontario and Quebec require a speed limiter at 105 km/h.
Can my US driver pick up a load in Toronto and deliver it in Montreal?
No. That is cabotage: a foreign driver moving domestic freight between two points in Canada. The same rule stops a Canadian driver from moving a load from Buffalo to Albany. International moves in either direction are fine, as is repositioning an empty trailer. Both countries enforce this through customs and immigration, not through the transportation ministries, and the penalties fall on the driver as well as the carrier.
Crossing the line for the first time, or the thousandth?
Tell us which direction, what you haul and which crossings you use. We tell you what is missing on each side, what the governments charge and what we charge.