Services

Company Incorporation

The major benefit of company incorporation is the limited liability that goes with it. This completely separates you from the business such that it becomes virtually impossible for creditors or third parties to attack you as a person. Corporations are considered independent from their owners, shareholders or a director meaning the death of any member does not affect their continuity. They can acquire assets, obtain loans and get into contracts. They get tax incentives which sole proprietorships aren't entitled to. Operating a transport company in the Canada is a high exposure risk. Lawsuits are common especially ones relating to insurance. Sometimes a court can award your employee more than your insurance cover putting your business and yourself at risk should you be operating a sole proprietorship or a partnership

Cvor

Commercial Vehicle Operator's Registration: CVOR system has been implemented to ensure the Road safety of users of the highways in Ontario by monitoring the performance of the carriers. Any truck that has a registered gross weight of over 4500 kg and buses which have a holding capacity of 10+ passengers are mandated to do a CVOR. All commercial vehicles which have been plated in Mexico, USA and Ontario should possess the certificate. Anyhow, CVOR is not mandated for vehicles that have been plated by any other Canadian provinces. However, they are required to hold a safety fitness certificate from where it was plated.

IFTA Decals

International Fuel Tax Agreement: International fuel tax agreement is a pertinent agreement between the 10 Canadian provinces and 48 states. It requires all motor carriers to account the amount of fuel they use inside the state and pay fuel taxes for them accordingly. This in turn helps the authority to collect taxes from the motor carriers who use the roads within the jurisdiction and not on the motor carriers who just fuel their vehicles in the state.

It is mandated to file quarterly reports in base jurisdiction. As per this agreement, IFTA license has to be carried for motor vehicles which is designed and used to transport both property and persons or has any of the properties like; reporting a gross vehicle weight is about 26,000 pounds and has two axles, has axles equal to or greater than 3 irrespective of the weight of the vehicle or if it is being used in combination.

IRP Plates

International Registration Plan: International Registration Plan (IRP) is a method used for registering vehicle fleets that travel to more than one jurisdiction. This includes all states apart from Hawaii and Alaska and 10 Canadian provinces. In order for a motor carrier to qualify for IRP it must register its fleet in its base jurisdiction. For IRP purposes, a fleet is composed of one or more vehicles that that pay registration fee in more than one state. The base collects the fee and distributes it to other states where the motor carrier has requested to travel. The fee is determined by the operation type requested, weight of each vehicle and the distance travelled in each state.

EIN

EIN or Employer Identification Number is a mandatory and important nine digit number assigned to business entities by the IRS. It is also known as Federal Tax Identification. The Internal Revenue Service IRS uses this number to identify business entities that are required to file different tax returns and not intended for use in any other activity like lotteries. In most cases, businesses require EIN when their organization structure has changed or after a change of ownership. The number is used by employers, corporations, partnerships, non-profit making organizations, government agencies, trusts and estates. There are various ways to obtain the number including online application.

US DOT

The USDOT is a number used to identify companies operating commercial vehicles that transport cargo or passengers across different states. Such companies must be registered with FMCSA. The number is also used on vehicles that transport hazardous materials in quantities that require a safety permit to be transported across different states. The number serves as an identifier when collecting a company's safety information that is acquired during audits, crash investigation, inspection and compliance reviews. The number is issued by the United States Department of Transport and acts as the main tracking number for your transport company. It registers the number of trucks, your companies' safety rating and the drivers.

MC Number

MC number or Motor Carrier Number is mandated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The companies that use hired motor carriers for transporting their freight should have an MC number as this is what the authorities will use to authorise the transit between the states.

Bonded / Non-bonded carrier code

After the implementation of commercial carrier code mandate in April 2011, choosing between becoming a bonded carrier and a non-bonded carrier depends on the type of operation.

Non-bonded carriers: At the 1st point of arrival within the state, the shipment must be released. In case, if the carrier cannot accept release of the shipment, it can be brought inland and released to Canada Border Services Agency Office. A single trip authorisation bond should be posted at the Canadian border or the carrier should have the right to use the code of another bonded carrier. If either of this is not done, penalty is usually levied. To get a non-bonded carrier code, one has to submit the ownership documents to the Canada Border Security Agency, which will be processed in a month's time.

Bonded carriers: The process to become a bonded carrier is a tedious one as one has to work with a Surety company or an approved agent. The owner should supply company financials and other documents to be reviewed. The original document with signature will be sent for approval and it usually takes about 6 weeks for the process to complete. The term for bond can be selected based on the need for 1 or 2 years.

SCAC Code

SCACs are a requirement for those transacting business with U.S. Government agencies and commercial transporters of petroleum products and forest products among others. Others required to have the code are those that supply retail businesses. It is a unique code usually two-to-four-letter. Carries using Uniform Intermodal Interchange Agreement (UIIA) are also required to have a valid SCAC code. In the petroleum industry the SCAC code is used in their integrated computer software to accelerate the movement of bills of lading, product transfer orders, pipeline tickets and inventory data. Majority of the commercial shippers use the SCAC code in their payment systems and freight bill audit.

BOC 3 FORM FILLING

A process agent is a representative upon whom court papers may be served in any proceeding brought against a motor carrier, broker, or freight forwarder. Every motor carrier, or forwarder registered with the Federal Highway Administration must list the name and address of an agent from each state. Brokers are required to list process agents in each state in which they have an office and in which they write contracts.

UCR Registration

Under the Unified Carrier Registration Agreement (UCRA) all motor carriers (Private exempt and regulated), leasing companies, freight forwarders and interstate brokers are should be levied fees for operation. Under this agreement, an annual registration of interstate carriers is mandatory. This annual registration system is called UCR registration. There are 5 major categories of interstate carriers that should be covered by UCR registration. They are:

Interstate Freight Forwarders
Leasing Companies
Interstate Brokers
Companies that require USDOT for Freight Transportation
Companies issued with MC/MX number by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration(FMCSA)

PAPS/ PARS Stickers

PARS or Pre-arrival Review System is a system via which the customs broker is allowed to present the release information regarding the consignments given by the importer and the carrier to the CBSA. Every process should be followed to speed up the process of relief or referral for examination. When the shipment is picked up the PARS stickers should be fixed to the commercial document and then forwarded to the customs brokers so that the shipment gets directly setup to the CBSA. The stickers are made using the carrier code and the unit shipment number in combination. PARS plays a pertinent role in identifying the shipment and the carrier at the CBSA.

Border Crossing Transponders

The transponder, also known as a User Fee, is a sticker that contains an electronic chip that transmits information about a vehicle and border crossing User Fee payment status.

The User Fee year begins January 1st and ends December 31st. Therefore, all User Fees expire December 31st and are eligible for renewal.

User Fees are valid for the calendar year only. Transponders have a life span of up to 10 years and remain with the vehicle. Transponders must be deactivated from your fleet if the vehicle is sold. Vehicles that do not have an annual User Fee will be required to pay a per crossing fee each time the vehicle enters the United States. If the vehicle's User Fee is not renewed, the transponder will continue to transmit information at the port. However, a per-crossing fee will be charged.

The transponder is to be placed horizontally on the inside lower left of the truck's windshield at least 2-1/2 inches away from the metallic frame but within a band 4-1/2 inches from the bottom of the windshield and at least 3 inches from any other windshield mounted transponder.

The transponder should never be placed in a vertical position or in a location where it would obstruct the vision of the driver. Transponders CANNOT be affixed to the wing-windows and areas with glass curvature should be avoided.

DOT Drug Tests

We have a contract with CANNAMM to administer drug tests to drivers. Drug tests are done on drivers before they embark on border crossing trips. We are certified to administer drug tests and corroborate it with valid paperwork. For appointments clients can call and arrange suitable day and time for appointments.

WSIB

Workplace Safety and Insurance Board: Workplace Safety and Insurance Board: This type of insurance is not compulsory to those considered executive officers by WSIB although an executive member can still apply by requesting to be considered as a worker by WSIB. Those subject to WSIB insurance fee include dispatchers, Safety Compliance Officers, Operation managers, drivers and office staff. Several situations present themselves; when an office staff enters into a contract with a carrier as a consultant so that the carrier excludes this payments on the payroll or when a driver incorporate a business and then the company lease the truck again, the payments are excluded in the payroll. In both cases file 1149A must be filed and the likelihood of being exempted from the premiums are low.

Safety Compliance

Facility Audits

All carriers are required by law to fulfill certain obligations at all times. Many will want to know their stand before officials initiate a facility audit. Audits are conducted to ascertain compliance with the National Safety Code and FMSCA. Proactive approach looks at how well your drive files are kept, company policies and maintenance files. Voluntary audits are highly recommended by both the U.S. and Canadian governments. In non-voluntary audit, the officers can provide recommendations on the best way to address the areas of concerns. CSA, created in 2010, is mandated to regulate and promote safety by assessing carriers on roads, driver fatigue and vehicle maintain ace. These factors are then awarded values and a score of more than 60% on any area can trigger an audit resulting in fines.

Three main type of audits are:

MTO Audit - Ministry of transportation audit
DOT Audit - US authority audit
Insurance Audit

Log book Auditing & Compliance

Log book Auditing & Compliance: For Log Book Audit and compliance we carry out a detailed review process to provide assessment reports to our clients.

Firstly, we review all logbooks maintained by the drivers and provide assessment to ensure that every driver follows rules and regulations. We submit the individual reports for every driver to identify the areas which require training.
Training and education is provided to the staff to ensure that the logbook violations do not take place as they have the capacity to spoil the carrier's reputation with the authorities and thereby even result in cancellation of license. We have a specific to method of analysing and evaluating the logbook compliance and also provide training to those drivers to make sure that there is compliant and uniformity within the company.

Vehicle Safety Audit

Compliance with the set regulations as they apply to commercial vehicles requires one to keep records that meet the standards of all jurisdictions that the vehicle plies. We at Quick Truck Permits and Authorities have developed systems to track your fleet safety dates and keep you updated. We conduct our audits professionally using the same strict standards as used by the government's auditors. The aim is to evaluate your current record keeping system and vehicle maintenance history to determine whether they meet the set requirements. We have developed several programs to assist you meet these regulations. They include attending your monthly safety meetings, training your drivers after accidents to prevent future risk and fatigue management.

Safety Meetings

One of the most important factors when it comes to being a carrier is the safety of truck. It is the responsibility of our company to ensure proper training is provided to prevent any accidents. For this we provide safety trainings and management programs which will help the staff handle the situation better. Every month, safety meetings are conducted to teach the drivers on how to prevent accidents that are common and critical. Similarly, if the driver had got involved in an accident post accident re-training is provided immediately to ensure that the driver is fully equipped and competent. One of the most important among the safety management is fatigue management. Fatigue is considered to be the major contributor of accidents and therefore our fatigue manager manages and monitors trucks to identify the drivers who might be fatigue.

US Visa Appointment

Visa Appointments: We help drivers fill necessary online US visa application forms and suitable interview times.

ACE Manifest

Customs Border Protection (CBP) now requires all carriers to submit electronic manifests through their Automated Commercial Environment (ACE). The Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) is the U.S. Customs and Border Protection shipment reporting regulation! Highway carriers are required to send crew, trucks, trailer and shipment details over the Internet to U.S. & Canada Customs before reaching the border. Carriers are required to submit electronic manifests and have them accepted by U.S. & Canada Customs one hour in advance of truck arrival at first port of entry.

Accident & Disability Insurance

We offer a 24/7 Accident and Sickness Disability Coverage. This is designed to specifically cover the transport drive or the Owner Operator. Workers comp covers drivers only when they are on duty leaving them vulnerable while elsewhere. The Owner Operator can choose to purchase the more comprehensive cover, which offers coverage 24 hrs a day and is much more cost effective than the workers comp. under the new Comprehensive Accident & Sickness Disability Program we cover events such as; Overhead expense, Loss of income from the first day of disability, Death as a result of an accident and loss of a limb, Extended medical care after an accident and out of Province Emergency Medical Travel Coverage.