subject: Packing A Shipment From The Us To Go To Canada [print this page] When you're shipping anything with a courier company, you want to make sure that you take the time to ensure that your packages are packed safely and correctly. The farther that your shipment is going, the more care you need to take to make sure that you have done a good job packing. However, if you use a distribution logistics firm to ship from the United States to Canada, it is going to be even more important that you pack adhering to the guidelines set out to you by the shipping company.
When a company is shipping internationally, they are trying to maximize the use of their time, and their space available in their vehicles. That is why when shipping cargo, most companies are going to have regulations about package size and pallet size, unless you are shipping on an FTL rather than an LTL basis. Pyramid stacking is also usually frowned upon, as it makes for inefficient use of the space within the trailer.
Whenever something is crossing a border, it also needs to be clearly labeled, not just with paperwork held by the courier, but also right on the packaging. That is because every time a truck crosses a border, the customs agents have the right to demand to inspect the load front to back. Some people make the assumption that this won't happen to their shipment, which is a mistake. It is actually more common than not for border agents to want to make these kinds of investigations.
The next thing that is just as important as the actual packaging that you put your goods in is the paperwork that is going to accompany your shipment. That is because whenever something is going across an international border, there is going to need to be several documents which are presented the people at the border.
A commercial invoice and the bill of lading are the most common documents which are going to have to be present at every international shipment. However, there are several other things which are going to be required at a majority of large cargo loads which are sent across the border. Quite often, you need to have a license to import or export certain kinds of goods. You may also need to provide documentation showing that the applicable taxes have been paid on your goods if you're shipping anything that taxation would apply to.
