Service
Customs coordination with your broker
Keep the customs broker you trust. You send the documents, and Signal handles the rest: the handoff to your broker, the PARS or PAPS timing and the updates, so nothing waits at the line.
You send the documents. We handle the rest.
Crossing the border should not become your job. You give us the paperwork for the load and your customs broker's contact once, at booking. From there, Signal does the chasing: we pass everything to your broker, line up the PARS or PAPS entry with the pickup, check it is on file before the truck leaves, and keep you posted until the load is delivered.
What you send us
- Commercial invoice for the shipment
- Packing list, if you have one
- Your customs broker's name, email and phone
- Permits or certificates, for regulated goods such as food or chemicals
What Signal handles
- Sending the documents to your broker
- PARS or PAPS barcode and entry timing
- Confirming the entry is filed before dispatch
- Talking to your broker if anything is missing
- Updates while the load is at the border
- Proof of delivery emailed to you
How it works
Customs clearance is a relay, and freight gets delayed when somebody drops the baton. Your broker needs paperwork early. The driver needs a cleared entry before arriving at the booth. We sit between the two and keep both moving.
Southbound into the United States we run PAPS. Northbound into Canada we run PARS. Either way, our dispatch team sends the shipment details to your broker ahead of the truck, confirms the entry is filed, and only then routes the driver to the crossing.
- 01You bookSend the load and your customs broker's contact.
- 02We brief the brokerShipment details and the barcode go out ahead of the truck.
- 03Broker filesPARS northbound or PAPS southbound, filed with CBSA or CBP.
- 04Entry confirmedWe check the entry is on file before the driver is routed.
- 05Clears the boothThe officer pulls up the entry. The load moves.
- 06DeliveredPOD signed and emailed to you automatically.
Broker liaison
We contact your broker directly with shipment details, well ahead of the truck.
Shipment timing
Pickups are scheduled around clearance, not the other way around.
Carrier and border
PARS northbound and PAPS southbound, filed against our own carrier codes.
Updates
You hear from us when the load clears, not when you chase us for it.
Common questions
What documents do I need to provide?
A commercial invoice for the shipment, a packing list if you have one, and your customs broker’s contact details. Regulated goods such as food or chemicals may also need permits or certificates. Send them when you book and we take it from there.
Do I have to use your broker?
No, and we do not have one. You use your own licensed customs broker and we coordinate with them.
What is the difference between PARS and PAPS?
PARS is used for freight entering Canada and PAPS for freight entering the United States. Both let your broker file the entry before the truck arrives, so the load clears at the booth instead of waiting.
What happens if a load is held at the border?
We tell you straight away, stay in contact with your broker until it is released, and give you a revised delivery time rather than letting you guess.
Related
Have freight to move?
Tell us where it is going. You will have a price within the hour.