US carriers guide to hauling into Canada: carrier code, PARS and ACI, provincial rules, and cabotage

Crossing into Canada is not the same as crossing a state line. There is a customs system to register in, a manifest to file before every trip, drivers to clear, provincial rules to follow and a hard limit on what freight you can move. This guide covers what a US carrier needs, roughly in the order you need it, as of September 2026.

1. CBSA carrier code

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) identifies every carrier by a four-character carrier code. You cannot file a manifest or clear a shipment without one. There are two types:

• Non-bonded carrier code. For carriers whose shipments are released at the border. This covers most US carriers. Free to obtain.
• Bonded carrier code. Lets you carry goods in bond from the border to an inland customs office or a bonded warehouse without release at the crossing. Requires financial security. Needed if your customers’ brokers clear at inland offices, which is common for Toronto and Montreal deliveries.

Apply to CBSA with your company information, USDOT number, proof of business registration and a list of contacts. Allow several weeks. The code is also used to set up your eManifest access.

2. ACI eManifest

Since 2016, highway carriers must transmit Advance Commercial Information (ACI) to CBSA electronically before arriving at the border: the conveyance data (truck, trailer, driver) and the cargo data (shipper, consignee, description, quantity). For highway, the minimum is one hour before arrival. You file through the CBSA eManifest Portal, a third-party service provider, or your dispatch software.

At the border, the driver presents a lead sheet with the barcode (the cargo control number) so the officer can match the truck to the manifest. If the manifest is not on file or does not match, the truck is turned back to file or held.

Empty trucks also need to report and may need an empty manifest, depending on the crossing.

3. PARS and the customs broker

The importer’s customs entry is filed by a customs broker. The Pre-Arrival Review System (PARS) lets the broker file that entry before the truck arrives, so release can happen at the booth. The mechanics:

1. Your carrier code and a unique number form a PARS number, printed as a barcode label.
2. The driver or dispatcher puts the label on the invoice and bill of lading and sends the documents to the importer’s broker, usually by email or through the broker’s portal, several hours before arrival.
3. The broker files the entry with CBSA referencing the PARS number.
4. Your eManifest references the same cargo control number.
5. At the booth, the officer scans the barcode, sees the released entry and the manifest, and releases the truck.

Find out who the importer’s broker is before you leave the yard. A load that arrives with no broker on file waits at the border until one is engaged, at the carrier’s expense.

For the return trip, the US side uses ACE, the CBP equivalent of eManifest, with the same one-hour rule.

4. Driver admissibility

Canada admits drivers as visitors, but the driver must be admissible. The items that stop drivers at the booth:

• Identification. A valid passport, or a FAST card, or an enhanced driver’s licence from a participating state. A regular driver’s licence is not enough.
• Criminal record. A conviction, including a DUI, can make a driver inadmissible to Canada regardless of how long ago. Drivers with a record can apply in advance for criminal rehabilitation or a temporary resident permit. Do not find out at the border.
• Purpose. The driver must be moving international freight. A driver entering to move domestic Canadian freight is doing work that requires a permit, and the driver is refused.

Screen drivers before assigning them to Canadian lanes.

5. Insurance and the vehicle

Confirm with your insurer that the policy covers Canada at the Canadian minimums, generally 1,000,000 CAD liability for vehicles over 4,500 kg and 2,000,000 CAD for dangerous goods. Carry the insurance card. Ontario and Quebec police ask for it at inspections.

The truck itself enters Canada temporarily under the customs rules for conveyances. It must leave with international freight or empty. A truck that does domestic work is deemed imported, and the duties and taxes are assessed to the carrier.

6. Cabotage: what you cannot do

Cabotage rules limit what a foreign carrier can do inside Canada. For a US carrier:

• Allowed: deliver a US load to any Canadian point; pick up a load in Canada destined for the US; reposition empty between a Canadian delivery point and a Canadian pickup point; deliver a load with multiple Canadian stops if all the freight came from the US.
• Not allowed: pick up freight at one Canadian point and deliver it to another Canadian point; move an empty Canadian trailer between Canadian points for a fee; lease your truck and driver to a Canadian carrier for domestic work.

Enforcement comes from two directions: CBSA (the truck and trailer were not imported) and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (the driver worked without authorization). Penalties include duty and tax on the equipment, fines and the driver being barred. The rule mirrors the US cabotage rule that stops Canadian carriers from moving domestic US freight.

7. Hours of service and ELDs

Canada’s federal hours-of-service rules apply once you cross: 13 hours driving and 14 hours on duty in a 16-hour window, 10 hours off duty per day, and 70-hour or 120-hour cycles. Federally regulated carriers must use an ELD certified by a Transport Canada accredited third-party body; that mandate has been enforced since January 1, 2023. Most US ELDs from the major vendors have Canadian certification and let the driver switch rule sets at the border. Check yours before the first trip, and carry the Canadian instruction sheet.

Inspectors in Ontario and Quebec check the ELD, the previous 14 days of records and the rule set in use.

8. Provincial rules that catch US carriers

Canada regulates trucking mostly at the provincial level. Two provinces matter to most US carriers.

Ontario. Ontario-based operators hold a Commercial Vehicle Operator’s Registration (CVOR). Out-of-province carriers, including US carriers with a USDOT number, are generally recognized under their home jurisdiction’s safety rating and are not required to hold a CVOR, but the vehicle must display its USDOT number and the driver must produce the safety fitness evidence. Ontario also enforces a 105 km/h speed limiter on trucks over 11,794 kg, annual and semi-annual inspection stickers, and specific weights and dimensions rules for trailers (SPIF). Buffalo, Windsor and Sarnia crossings feed into Ontario.

Quebec. Quebec’s heavy vehicle regime is run by the Commission des transports du Québec and the SAAQ. Out-of-province carriers registered in their home jurisdiction are covered by reciprocity for the operator registry, but Quebec enforces its own speed limiter rule (105 km/h), its own inspection and weight rules, and language on some documents. French is the working language of inspectors; the driver’s documents can be in English, but a driver who speaks no French should keep the paperwork organized. Champlain and Lacolle, and the crossings on I-91 and I-89 into Vermont and the Eastern Townships, feed into Quebec.

Other provinces. British Columbia requires chains or winter tires on designated highways from October 1 to April 30. Alberta and Saskatchewan have their own weight and dimension regimes and permit systems for overweight loads.

9. Fuel tax and plates

Quebec and Ontario are IFTA members, so your US IFTA licence covers them; report kilometres and litres converted to miles and gallons on your quarterly return. Your IRP cab card must list the provinces you enter; add them at your base state before the trip. A truck entering a province not on its cab card needs a trip permit at the border.

10. Dangerous goods

Hazmat becomes dangerous goods under Transport Canada’s TDG regulations. The US placards and shipping papers are accepted for the most part under reciprocity, but the driver needs TDG training documentation and the carrier needs to confirm the classification and the emergency response plan requirements for the specific product. Do not assume a US hazmat endorsement covers it.

Pre-trip checklist

Item	Have it before the first trip
CBSA carrier code	Yes
eManifest access (portal or provider)	Yes
Importer’s broker contact	Per load
Driver passport or FAST card, admissibility checked	Per driver
Insurance confirmed for Canada, card in truck	Yes
ELD with Canadian certification and rule switch	Yes
IRP cab card listing Ontario and Quebec	Yes
IFTA decals	Yes
Speed limiter set at 105 km/h	Yes
TDG training if hauling dangerous goods	Per driver

What Profirm does for you

Profirm sits on the Quebec side of the border and has handled both directions since 1988. For a US carrier adding Canadian lanes we review the whole list above, help with the CBSA carrier code application and eManifest setup, check your IRP and IFTA coverage, and make sure your drivers and equipment will not be turned around at Champlain or Buffalo. At the time of writing the cross-border compliance review is 149 USD, credited toward any package. We also handle the US-side items on the same file: consortium at 99 USD a year, UCR filing at 49 USD plus the government fee, and IFTA returns at 75 USD a quarter for one to three trucks. Profirm is a private firm, not CBSA, Transport Canada or FMCSA.