Border delays are almost never caused by the border — they’re caused by paperwork that left the dock late or didn’t match the freight. Here’s the checklist that prevents them, free to use whether you ship with us or not.
Mirror images of the same idea: customs reviews the paperwork beforethe truck arrives. If the barcode isn’t set up when the driver reaches the booth, the truck waits — that’s the whole game.
Pre-Arrival Processing System · US CBP
Pre-Arrival Review System · CBSA
Every item, who owns it, and the mistake that turns it into a border sit.
Buyer, seller, precise goods description, value, currency, origin — must match the physical freight exactly.
Piece counts and weights that agree with the invoice. Mismatches are exam bait.
On the paperwork sent to the broker hours before the truck reaches the border — not minutes.
Filed at least one hour before arrival. ACE into the US, ACI into Canada.
Only when claiming duty-free — but claiming without it is a classic hold.
Food (CFIA/FDA), plants, chemicals and other regulated goods carry extra requirements.
Imports into Canada: importer registered with financial security posted before freight moves.
Filed with CBP or CBSA against the PAPS/PARS number, pre-arrival.
The #1 cause of border sits: documents that reach the broker after the truck is already rolling.
Counts, weights or descriptions that don't match the load — an invitation to secondary inspection.
Claiming duty-free without the certificate on file. Either have it or don't claim it.
Wrong port code, wrong trip number, filed late — small typos with hour-long consequences.
Importers not registered or without security posted. The freight physically cannot clear.
A fixable hold that sits all weekend because no one was tracking border status. We watch ours hourly.
You handle the invoice, CUSMA cert and CARM. Your customs broker files entries. The carrier runs barcodes and e-manifests. Qeep orchestrates all three — paperwork chased to the broker before pickup, border status watched live, holds escalated the hour they appear. Details on our cross-border service.
They're mirror images. PARS (Pre-Arrival Review System) is Canada's program: the barcode and paperwork that let CBSA review a shipment BEFORE the truck reaches the Canadian border. PAPS (Pre-Arrival Processing System) is the US equivalent: the barcode that lets US CBP pre-process a shipment before the truck arrives at the US border. Southbound loads use PAPS; northbound loads use PARS.
At minimum: a commercial invoice (or Canada Customs Invoice northbound), a bill of lading, the PARS/PAPS barcode on the paperwork sent to the customs broker, an ACE e-manifest (into the US) or ACI e-manifest (into Canada) filed by the carrier, and a CUSMA/USMCA certificate of origin if duty-free treatment is claimed. Specific goods can need permits or PGA/OGD documents.
CARM is CBSA's system for assessing and collecting duties and taxes on commercial imports into Canada. Importers need their own CARM registration and financial security — responsibilities that used to ride on the customs broker's bond. If you import into Canada, confirm your CARM registration and security are in place before freight moves.
We're not a customs broker — and we're honest about that. We coordinate tightly with YOUR customs broker: paperwork moves to them before the truck moves, PARS/PAPS numbers are communicated properly, e-manifests are filed, and border status is watched so a hold never sits unnoticed. If you don't have a broker, we can point you to ones we work with daily.
The same short list, over and over: paperwork sent to the broker late (the #1 cause), invoice details that don't match the load, missing CUSMA certificates when duty-free is claimed, e-manifest errors, and importers not set up in CARM. Almost every border delay is preventable before the truck leaves the dock.
Related: Canadian freight statistics, container drayage in Toronto, this month’s market update.
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