Going Into Canada

I'm sure it would be a good read.

I didn't mention it, but did you get hassled over your reset? Canadian reset is thirty-six (36) hours, so if you only had thirty-four and you're in your seventy immediately after your reset you can get an HOS violation at the border. Did you like the CDN HOS regulations?

I'm sure it would be a good read.

I didn't mention it, but did you get hassled over your reset? Canadian reset is thirty-six (36) hours, so if you only had thirty-four and you're in your seventy immediately after your reset you can get an HOS violation at the border. Did you like the CDN HOS regulations?

Well they didn't even look at my logs, so I had no issues with that. I actually didn't even know about the 36 hour thing, but my resets usually end up being around 36-40 hours anyway. This time though, I had been running on recaps since my last reset at home 2 weeks ago so I wouldn't have had an issue.

I LOVE the Canadian HOS rules though! 13 hours of driving in a 16 hour period? Yes please! It worked out really well, as I said I was on recaps when I went over, but because they do 70 in 7 days instead of 8, I got a bunch of hours back and was able to put 744 miles behind me that day, all the way to Edmonton. I delivered there Wednesday morning then drove down through Calgary and on to a small town lumber yard in Creston BC. Parked there and loaded on Thursday morning, then came back through Eastport, ID.

THINGS I LIKED ABOUT CANADA:

- HOS rules

- Sparsely populated

- Beautiful scenery (like a more untouched version of America)

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE ABOUT CANADA:

- Roaming charges

- The metric system

- Lack of suitable truck parking

Now as far as the border crossing, it was a little shaky. When I pulled up to the officer's window, I didn't see the signs that said "shut off engine" and "do not set parking brakes." So I handed him my papers and just sat there staring at him with the engine running. He said, "you wanna shut off the engine so I can hear you?" I said, "oh sure" and shut it off... then immediately set the parking brake. He gave me a wtf kind of look and asked if I had ever been here before, to which I replied no, and he said, "yeah, you're going inside."

So inside, the officer asked about my criminal history and stuff, and I gave him the rundown. He did some research for about 20 minutes then pulled me into a private conference room. He said normally, an American misdemeanor translates to a Canadian summary charge, and two summary charges in 10 years equates to a felony, which makes a person inadmissible. But he said the fact that I was honest and upfront worked in my favor, because he took the time to research the actual criminal codes, and basically he felt that my disturbing the peace charge did not translate to a Canadian crime because it occurred within my home. Therefore I only had the one charge. But he was careful to clarify that it was only HIS interpretation, and a future officer might interpret it differently, so he suggested that I look into getting at least 1 of the convictions wiped from my record.

Anyway, after all that and a search of my cab, I was on my way. Coming back into the USA was much easier. He basically asked if I had any fruit and then sent me along. It felt SO good to be home! But Canada was a good experience. I saw some of the most beautiful countryside I have ever seen. I even saw 2 black bears about 50 feet from the road. But the hassles involved with a lack of access to phone/internet service (thank you Verizon for treating your prepaid customers like 2nd-class citizens), to money (my bank card didn't work up there) and to the ample truck amenities of the USA (Canada is not nearly as truck-friendly) made it not very worth it for me.

Your bank card should work, just let your bank know that you will be going to Canada and they will put a note on your file, allowing you to withdraw money, otherwise it will not allow you to withdraw. I think it is the same if used as a credit card. Speak to your bank. When we have done this we have never had a problem.