Truck drivers must provide their CDL, or Commercial Drivers License, and proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate, U.S. passport, or U.S. passport card. FAST Driver cards can be procured by truck drivers in order to expedite border crossing. FAST Driver cards are compliant with the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, or WHTI, as a valid form of ID.
Whether a truck driver must provide a medical certificate at the Canadian border depends on his vehicle's weight ratings. A medical certificate is required by drivers whose Gross Vehicle Weight Rating, Gross Combination Weight Rating, Gross Vehicle Weight, and Gross Combination Vehicle Weight equal 10,000 pounds or more.
Truck drivers crossing the Canadian border from the U.S. must meet certain weight and dimension limits. The Railway Association of Canada publishes Canada's limits for heavy trucks, which vary from province to province (see Resources).
At the Canadian border, truck drivers are required to have customs paperwork. They must provide two copies of a commercial invoice, which must include information regarding their cargo such as country of origin, value of the cargo, currency and a count of the items. Other required paperwork includes a vehicle annual inspection form for the tractor and trailer.
A toll is required of truck drivers to pass into Canada. The amount due varies widely according to type of truck, weight and dimensions. As of September 2008, the toll for crossing the Canadian border was $115 for a tractor trailer with a Gross Vehicle Weight of less than 80,000 pounds and a length of less than 80 feet.
