OT: Air Travel US->Canada with PLC & HMI?

Has anyone ever checked a PLC and HMI in your luggage traveling from the US to Canada?

We have to go out Monday and are worried about sending the equipment overnight as sometimes things have been stopped at the border for a few days.

Any experiences / suggestion very much appreciated.

Thanks

I have not recently, but if you do, Do Not tell anyone or bring it up, just hope they don't flag it because then not only it will be delayed but so will you.

Your best option is to ship it last week.

Is this from experience (or would you rather not say

RussB said:

Your best option is to ship it last week.

Click to expand...

I guess we'll have to call Einstein's Delivery Service where the motto is: "You ship it tomorrow and we'll get it there yesterday!"

when I worked for a UK company, we had to declare anything that had memory. there is paper work that must be filled out,
customs and tariffs, paperwork. But that was going fro the UK to the states.

Can't say what the proper procedure is between the US and Canada.
regards,
james

Be prepared to produce a letter from your company that states "you are a specialist and purpose of the visit is to work on equipment that Canadian counterparts cannot support/modify and also due to warranty issues of sorts"
If you carry tools of sorts it will automatically raise flag(s).
A letter is your best and fastest way through, having a letter from your customer that states the same will be a bit faster.
Usually if I need tools they get shipped on a diferent flight,carrier, etc. Never with me.

Have customs documentation ready. If you are bringing the PLC back then US customs will be a *****. It is best to have the US customs to sign equipment out so they know it came from the US when you check back in. In our case we have Made in the U.S.A. on our products. This reduces the hassle because the source is known.

If you are leaving the PLC in Canada the Canadian customs will delay you.

It seems that each time I go through US/Canadian customs they want to get a broker involved
It is much easier going between the US and Europe for some reason.

We always try to ship things because hand-carrying can be problematic.

A big point is whether the PLC and HMI are intended to stay in Canada after you leave. In which case you are importing them to Canada and have to declare them.

If they will return with you then you don't have to declare them to Canadian border guards. However, if they are foreign built you will want to register them to U.S. Customs before you leave, so they don't try to charge an import duty when you return to the U.S. with them.

Most likely you will never be questioned about the equipment, but if you ever are it's better to have some documentation to back it up.

I drove across from here in WA with a motor. They turned me away until I had paid the duty through a broker. It was a effing mess. They tore into me for a half hour too because I accidentally said I was installing them. I was told that they didn't need me in Canada because their workers were smarter than me and the only reason they bought equipment from my company was because we were the lowest bidder.

Every time I go back to Canada, they pull me aside and ask me why I was turned away... good times...

edit: Lucky for me because I think if I had flown and it went that way, the probably could have detained me until I resolved the import duty problem.

I know that Canada is not the same as Mexico.... but I have never carried parts across the border. We once had a service tech detained by Mexican authorities after they found circuit boards for a machine in his trunk. Turned into a big legal mess and took days to straighten out.

I've made numerous business trips to Canada in the past year. Best to have a letter of invitation from your customer as well as a copy of the contract or PO saying that the service was purchased or included in the cost of the equipment. Don't take tools and don't say you are going to work because they don't want you taking work from qualified Canadian workers. In my case, I was going for "startup assistance and training" as per the PO for the equipment.

I have traveled to Asia and Europe for work, but never had more hassles than trying to get into Canada. The first time was for an install. I got off the plane in Edmonton and got directed over to customs. They said I needed something stating that my work was part of the original purchase, and not a separate order. My customer faxed Customs a letter stating that was why I was there. The Customs lady showed the fax to a co-worker and started laughing. Not until my customer produced an order that stated that start-up service was provided with the original purchase price was I allowed in.

Incident #2 was driving across the Peace Bridge. I had 8 modules with me that I was going to swap out(under warranty) on drives installed in Canada. I was going to bring back 8 modules. I got sent to the Customs office where I was encouraged to get a broker. I would have to pay the tariff, then apply for a refund when I brought back the other 8 units. The Customs lady set me up at a PC, gave me some very brief instructions, then went back to reading her book. I completed it, but still not sure I did it right. I paid the tariff and went on through.

Incident #3 was again at Peace Bridge. I had a PO from end customer in Canada to the equipment OEM(my customer) and a PO from the OEM to me for a service call. That wasn't enough to get in, since a Canadian citizen should have first dibs on doing the work. I went back home and my customer had fill out a lengthy application stating that only I was capable of doing the work. They stated the a college degree was needed for this type of work. When I went back a week later, I almost didn't get in, since the application stated a college degree was needed, and I didn't bring mine with me to show I had one. The lady had mercy on me since I was already turned away once. By the way, since Canada turned me away the first time, I was flagged by the US as a problem. I got pulled aside trying to get back to the US and had to wait in the building for quite a while before before being interviewed and allowed back into the US.

If you take tools with you, you are going to get hassled. If you normally carry a toolbox in your car and are just going across for a meeting, you better empty your car of any tools. I have also been advised that to just say you are going in for a meeting and only take your laptop. Use tools at your customer site if possible. My counterparts in Canada tell similar stories of trying to get into the US.

from the sound of this thread I'm glad I never did any service work in Canada, I've traveled to south america, Mexico, europe and asia with 100 to 150 lbs of tools and parts on the plane with me and only once had any trouble with customs, and that was bringing my tools back into the USA. A young customs agent didn't like my "look" and wanted to see sales receipts for all my tools. Finally an older agent came over and told the agent to stop ****ing with me and told me I could go. I've carried PLC's, ABB Drives, Siemens drives and PLC's and misc parts for all of them over the years. Guess I'll never contract in Canada now that I know this.

I have found a much simpler solution.
I have stopped doing work in (or for) Canada!!

ndzied1 said:

Has anyone ever checked a PLC and HMI in your luggage traveling from the US to Canada?

We have to go out Monday and are worried about sending the equipment overnight as sometimes things have been stopped at the border for a few days.

Any experiences / suggestion very much appreciated.

Thanks

Click to expand...

When we send stuff to the US , to remain onsite, we use Fedex and create our own Commercial Invoice using the online tools.
Generally most PLC & HMI stuff are part of the NAFTA agreement and only shipping and usually $100 brokerage fee is involved. Fedex are pretty good at getting stuff door to door via International Priority in 2 days, including customs.

UPS is way more expensive. Their brokerage fees are usually $300 per shipment.

You are doing it wrong

Make it clear that the customer in Canada is paying for the delays and brokerage expenses. We charge for travel time and we charge for expenses.

Say you are doing training. If you are installing a machine you are always showing how to maintain or operate it so it isn't a lie. It may not be the whole truth but it isn't a lie.

The other stories above pretty much reflect my experiences too.

The first time I went to Canada was because I was stationed there while in the Navy. I had my personal computers with me in the trunk. This was 1979. They were old S100 microcomputers with 8 inch floppy drives. That delayed me for hours. I had to show my orders. They called my duty station etc.

My experiences are fine these days now that I know what I should/shouldn't say or do.

Always say you are going to supervise or consult
Never go without the proper paperwork (letter of invite doesn't mean anything, they want PO's).
Never bring parts with you unless they have went through the correct channels (broker).
Never bring tools, supervisors don't use tools.

On that trip where I was returned back to the US, I rented a hotel room at the boarder to keep my tools so I could cross the boarder and do my work... er... supervise...