Field notes from the Canadian border.
Practical playbooks and case studies from our brokers. No thought-leadership fluff — just the stuff we wish every importer knew before they called us in a panic.
Tariff refund expectations and Canadian import duty strategy
When U.S. retailers plan pricing around tariff rollbacks, Canadian importers face valuation, origin, and duty-rate volatility. How CARM CAD filings, RPP bond sizing, and CBSA verification timelines shift when your supplier's landed cost assumptions move mid-quarter.
Read article →US cabotage enforcement and what it means for Canadian cross-border freight routing
Thousands of Mexican carriers recently lost US commercial driving privileges over cabotage violations. The enforcement wave has already shifted routing patterns for Canadian importers who relied on cross-border linehaul through the US, especially for CUSMA-origin goods moving from Mexico to Canada via Texas gateways.
Read article →U.S.-Taiwan Section 232 Deal: What Canadian Importers Should Watch
The new U.S.-Taiwan tariff framework doesn't apply to Canadian imports, but it changes how North American auto and aerospace suppliers route parts and price their inputs. If you import components from Taiwan or buy from U.S. Tier-1 suppliers, here's what to check on your next CAD filing.
Read article →How the EU de minimis tax repeal tells you CBSA isn't rolling back duty-free thresholds anytime soon
European carriers want a soft rollout of the new €3 per-parcel tax. Canada lifted its $20 CAD threshold to $150 in 2024. Different problems, but the enforcement pattern matters if you clear courier shipments under LVS or PARS.
Read article →India-origin transhipment delays and what they mean for your CBSA release windows
JNPA congestion is pushing India-origin container dwell times out by weeks. Canadian importers filing CADs against expected vessel schedules will miss release windows, trigger storage, and face RPP bond exposure if the shipment lands late.
Read article →Spot-rate volatility and what it actually means for your RPP bond sizing
Transpacific spot rates are climbing again. For Canadian importers filing under CARM, that translates to higher declared values per CAD, tighter cash-flow windows, and Release Prior to Payment bonds that were sized three months ago but may no longer cover next month's volume. Here's what changes when carrier pricing spikes mid-quarter.
Read article →Duty drawback under CARM: what changes when you claim a refund on the new CAD platform
CBSA's move to CARM has rewritten the mechanics of duty drawback claims in Canada. We walk through what changed with the Commercial Accounting Declaration, bond requirements, and CRA coordination—and where the process still trips importers up.
Read article →Oakland Export-Import Split and What It Tells Canadian Importers About West Coast Freight
Oakland's April 2024 cargo data showed exports outpacing imports for the first time in years, a shift that matters for Canadian importers routing freight through U.S. Pacific ports before cross-border carriage.
Read article →Section 301 probe of Vietnam: what Canadian importers need to watch
USTR has opened a Section 301 investigation into Vietnam's IP practices. Canadian importers sourcing from Vietnam should prepare for possible U.S. tariff escalation that could push production shifts north and trigger CBSA origin verification sweeps.
Read article →Autonomous trucks and Canadian customs: what changes when the cab is empty
Torc Robotics opening Montreal research space puts autonomous trucks closer to commercial cross-border deployment. For brokers, that means rethinking carrier liability, PARS transmission, and CAD filing when no driver signs the CCN.
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