Customs Brokers

First of all let me tell you what a Broker is or should i say, what they do. They are the entity that helps you get your load from one country to the next. The shipper prepares the paperwork, does the relevant product inspections then gives this to the driver. The driver produces customs packages and faxes a copy to the broker. The broker then communicates with the respective country' s customs control and if all goes well to turn up at the border, barcodes are scanned or numbers taken and then they let you in, job done.

Okay back to the real world................

They are a pain in the butt, you fax paperwork thru and they say you havent, you send the wrong paperwork and they dont tell you. They expect you to know all and they explain nothing.

And every broker and shipper and border crossing are different.

Here is my story and yes i doo take some f the blame coz of inexperience.

Yesterday afternoon left the shipper after faxing paperwork.

Scaled off

Parked up for the night

Recieved message saying they needed more info.

Sent what i thought they needed.

Next morning recieved message saying they needed more info.

Told them that was all the paperwork i had.

They said they wanted an origional meat inspection certificate.

I said they had it.

They said okay, call them half hour from the border.

I called them.

They said they needed the origional meat inspection certificate.

i said, ithought you said you had it.

Well we dont, do you have a copy without the stamp on it.

Why couldnt you just have said that this morning save us this hastle i said.

you have to fax it to us they said.

Okay then i said, put the phone down and screamed "Aaaaaagh" at no one in particular but it felt better.

Eventually found a gas station in rural Michigan with a fax machine.

By this time i was at the border and parked up waiting to go thru.

I phoned again (ninth time) and asked if i was good to go.

No, they said, report to the branch.

Wheres the branch?

dunno

Is it in the border complex

dunno

Can i cross immigration

Report to the branch

Where is it

Dunno

Luckily i got the branch phone number in my red folder, i called them and the girl told me to clear immigration,park up and the office was above the Canadian customs, i went up and was sorted out in less than half an hour.

My destination for tonight was Flying J London, should have been easy enough to find but TomTom threw a wobbly, took me off the freeway too early and sent me through "downtown".

Oh how I laughed...................................

Anyway tomorrow is another day, i will tip into Kitchener, trailer switch in Toronto then haul a tridem across West to Alberta, hopefully getting there by next Wednesday.

We'll see............................