Cross-Border Trucking: Canada, U.S. & Mexico

Stryke Logistics arranges cross-border freight between Canada, the United States and Mexico in every direction, including U.S. in-bond moves for Canada–Mexico freight travelling through the United States. We line up the carrier, the eManifest and the hand-off to your customs broker before the truck is dispatched, so the load reaches the border ready to clear.

Get a Quote Call 905-389-5000

At a glance

Directions: Canada ↔ U.S., Mexico ↔ U.S. and Mexico ↔ Canada, northbound and southbound
Border filings: ACI eManifest to CBSA at least 1 hour before arrival; ACE eManifest to CBP at least 1 hour before, or 30 minutes for FAST
Customs release: PARS into Canada and PAPS into the U.S., submitted by your customs broker against the carrier’s barcode
U.S. in-bond: Canada ↔ Mexico through the U.S., and U.S. ocean-port cargo to or from Canada, without paying U.S. duties
Main crossings: Ambassador Bridge, Blue Water Bridge, Peace Bridge, Queenston-Lewiston, Thousand Islands, Lacolle; Laredo for Mexico
Quote response: Within 12 hours, usually the same business day

What we arrange

What we arrange, and what your customs broker does

Stryke is not a customs broker. We arrange the carrier and the equipment, confirm the carrier transmits its eManifest on time, give your broker the carrier’s shipment number, and track the load through the crossing. Your customs broker classifies the goods, files the PARS or PAPS release and the entry, and handles duties and taxes. Keeping the two roles clear is what stops a truck from being held at the booth.

eManifest and release lined up before dispatch

Into Canada, the carrier sends an ACI eManifest that CBSA must receive at least one hour before the truck arrives, and your broker submits PARS release data keyed to the carrier’s cargo control number. Into the United States, the carrier sends an ACE eManifest at least one hour ahead, or 30 minutes for FAST shipments, and your broker files the entry under PAPS against the carrier’s barcode. We check that both halves exist and match before the truck leaves your dock.

U.S. in-bond freight: through the United States without paying U.S. duties

Freight between Canada and Mexico does not have to clear U.S. customs just to cross the country. We arrange it as a U.S. in-bond “transportation and exportation” (T&E) move with a bonded carrier that holds a CBP custodial bond. The in-bond is authorized electronically in ACE before the freight moves, the trailer travels sealed from the port of entry to the port of exit, it must reach that port within 30 days and leave the United States within 15 days of arriving there. The same applies to overseas cargo landing at U.S. ocean ports such as New York/New Jersey, Baltimore or Savannah that is bound for Canada. The destination country’s customs rules, duties and taxes still apply when the freight arrives.

Mexico, both directions

We move freight Mexico ↔ U.S. and Mexico ↔ Canada, northbound and southbound, through gateways such as Laredo, where the World Trade Bridge is a commercial-only crossing. A load either changes trailers at the border, with a short transfer move between Mexican and U.S. carriers, or stays in one through-trailer for the whole trip. On the Mexican side the move travels with a Carta Porte, and the pedimento import or export declaration is handled by a Mexican customs broker.

Crossings planned for the lane

From Ontario and Quebec, freight usually crosses at the Ambassador Bridge (Windsor–Detroit), the Blue Water Bridge (Sarnia–Port Huron), the Peace Bridge (Fort Erie–Buffalo), the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge, the Thousand Islands Bridge (Lansdowne–Alexandria Bay) or Lacolle (Quebec–Champlain, New York). The crossing is chosen for the destination, the time of day and where your broker is set up, not out of habit.

Every mode across the border

Dry van and LTL for general freight; reefers for food, with FDA prior notice into the United States and CFIA requirements into Canada; flatbed and heavy haul with permits on both sides of the border; dangerous goods moving under TDG and 49 CFR reciprocity, classified by the shipper; and rail intermodal that clears electronically before the train reaches the border.

Choosing the right mode

Every cross-border load is also a mode and an equipment choice. Start here for the border, then check the service page that matches the freight.

Palletized dry freight

53-foot dry van truckload, with drop trailers on repeat cross-border lanes.

Truckload & Dry Van

Food and other temperature-sensitive product

Reefer service with set-points in writing and FDA or CFIA details confirmed before pickup.

Refrigerated & Heated

Dangerous goods

All nine classes, with the shipping document and placards checked against both countries’ rules.

Hazmat & Dangerous Goods

Machinery and oversize equipment

Permits, escorts and routing planned for each province and state on the route.

Heavy Haul & Oversize

Coverage and lanes

Cross-border freight moves between every Canadian province and the U.S. lower 48, and between Mexico and both countries. Most volume crosses at the Ontario and Quebec bridges and, for Mexico, through Texas gateways such as Laredo.

Canada domestic

Within Ontario, Ontario–Quebec, and east–west across Canada to the Prairies, British Columbia and the Atlantic provinces.

U.S. domestic

Between U.S. markets, from the Northeast and Midwest to the Southeast, Texas and the West Coast.

Canada–U.S. cross-border

Northbound and southbound through the main crossings, including Windsor–Detroit, Sarnia–Port Huron, Fort Erie–Buffalo and Lacolle–Champlain.

Mexico cross-border

Freight to and from Mexico, coordinated through U.S.–Mexico gateways such as Laredo.

Examples of lanes we arrange

Greater Toronto Area to Chicago, Detroit and Ohio through the Ambassador and Blue Water bridges
Montreal and Quebec to New York State and New England through Lacolle
Ontario to Monterrey and central Mexico through Laredo, with a U.S. in-bond move, both directions
Mexico to the U.S. Midwest and Southeast, northbound and southbound
U.S. East Coast ocean ports to Ontario and Quebec, in-bond through the United States

Examples only. We arrange lanes across Canada, the United States and Mexico.

How it works

Send the lane and the paperwork contacts. Origin, destination, commodity, weight, and the customs broker for each country the load enters.
Documents checked. Commercial invoice, bill of lading, CUSMA certification of origin if preference is claimed, and any permits or food and dangerous goods details.
Carrier and filings lined up. A carrier set up for the crossing is assigned; its eManifest, your broker’s PARS or PAPS, and any U.S. in-bond are matched to the same shipment number.
Tracked through the border. Updates at pickup, at the crossing and after release, with any hold raised with your broker straight away.
Delivery and POD. Signed proof of delivery and the invoice sent together.

What to send for a quote

Origin and destination, including the crossing if you have a preference
Commodity, HS code if known, weight and pallet or piece count
Customs broker for each country the load enters, and who the importer is
Whether the goods claim CUSMA preference
Equipment needs: temperature set-point, dangerous goods details, or dimensions for oversize freight
Whether the freight only passes through the United States and needs a U.S. in-bond move

Get a Quote 905-389-5000

Related guides and tools

Frequently asked questions

Is Stryke a customs broker?

No. Stryke arranges the transportation and coordinates with your customs broker. The broker files the PARS or PAPS release and the entry and handles duties and taxes. If you do not have a broker yet, ask us and we will explain what the broker needs from you before the first load.

What is the difference between PARS and PAPS?

Both let a customs broker get release data to the border before the truck arrives. PARS is the Canadian system: the broker submits release data to CBSA against the carrier’s cargo control number. PAPS is the U.S. equivalent: the broker files the entry with CBP against the carrier’s shipment control number, printed as a barcode on the paperwork.

How early must the eManifest be sent?

Into Canada, CBSA must receive the carrier’s ACI eManifest at least one hour before the truck reaches the border. Into the United States, the carrier’s ACE eManifest is due at least one hour before arrival, or 30 minutes for FAST shipments.

What is a U.S. in-bond (T&E) shipment?

A move that carries imported freight through the United States under a CBP custodial bond, without formal entry into U.S. commerce. A transportation and exportation (T&E) in-bond enters at one port and leaves from another, for example Canada to Mexico. A bonded carrier moves it sealed after the in-bond is authorized in ACE, within 30 days, and it must be exported within 15 days of reaching the exit port.

Do I pay U.S. duties on Canada–Mexico freight moving through the U.S.?

Not when it moves in-bond. U.S. duties are not paid on freight that only transits the country under a T&E in-bond. Customs clearance, duties and taxes happen in the destination country under its own rules, where CUSMA-originating goods may qualify for preferential treatment.

Do you move freight between Canada and Mexico?

Yes, in both directions, along with Mexico ↔ U.S. freight. Canada–Mexico loads cross the United States in-bond with a bonded carrier, and the Mexican side is cleared by a Mexican customs broker who handles the pedimento.

What documents does a cross-border load need?

A commercial invoice; a CUSMA certification of origin if preferential treatment is claimed, which has no set form but must contain nine data elements; a bill of lading; the customs broker’s details for each country; and any permits, food notices or dangerous goods documents the freight requires.

Do I need FAST, C-TPAT or PIP to ship across the border?

No. They are voluntary trusted-trader programs. C-TPAT (U.S.) and Partners in Protection (Canada) are supply-chain security partnerships, and FAST gives approved carriers, importers and drivers faster clearance and dedicated lanes at some ports. Freight crosses every day without them; they can shorten the time at the border.

Get a Quote

Tell us about your lanes, volumes and timelines. You can expect a response within 12 hours.