Info on Maine/ Canada run

[Parker68]

Dear Forum Members,
Fascinating forum. I'm a mystery novelist, published by Simon & Schuster. My novels are set in Maine, and I'm currently researching one in which a character drives a truck back and forth across the Canada/ Maine border. I was hoping that there might be someone on the forum who was familiar with this run, and could tell me a little about it: good and bad points, kind of loads hauled, nature of the formalities at the border, that sort of thing. If anyone had the time or inclination, I'd be very grateful.
Best to you all,
John Connolly

[Jeff]

good luck on your research, hope you get the info you need

[grocery thrower]

Originally Posted by Parker68

Dear Forum Members,
Fascinating forum. I'm a mystery novelist, published by Simon & Schuster. My novels are set in Maine, and I'm currently researching one in which a character drives a truck back and forth across the Canada/ Maine border. I was hoping that there might be someone on the forum who was familiar with this run, and could tell me a little about it: good and bad points, kind of loads hauled, nature of the formalities at the border, that sort of thing. If anyone had the time or inclination, I'd be very grateful.
Best to you all,
John Connolly

John, I would be delighted to give you the benefit of my experience on that run..however, I would expect royalties..you know G,G or A. nobody rides for free..LOL..J/K man!!

[pro1driver]

Originally Posted by Parker68

Dear Forum Members,
Fascinating forum. I'm a mystery novelist, published by Simon & Schuster. My novels are set in Maine, and I'm currently researching one in which a character drives a truck back and forth across the Canada/ Maine border. I was hoping that there might be someone on the forum who was familiar with this run, and could tell me a little about it: good and bad points, kind of loads hauled, nature of the formalities at the border, that sort of thing. If anyone had the time or inclination, I'd be very grateful.
Best to you all,
John Connolly

hey........are you 'Stephen King"........(in disguise)???????

prolly not.......

what i can tell you is that i have run from points in New England to Canadah.....some starting points were from the tiny truckstop near Kittery, ME, in fact. i can't remember the name of that place.

it was "just ok"...

the border crossings are time consuming if your agent didn't fax the paperwork over to the customs check point.

every time i went "up nord', i would have to stop at the gate, go inside and fish around for my paperwork, which was almost never there.

then what i would have to do is park in an enclosed area (very tall barbed wired fenced in area), go back inside the customs office and make some phone calls. after about 10-20 minutes, the fax machine would go rampant with action, spitting out vital information so that i may enter Canadah.

oh yeah, the border guards always ask such in-depth questions like, "are you carrying drugs"? "are you carrying weapons"?, "are you a criminal"?..

needless to say, they were the most thought provoking questions ever. my skin would get all wet from the drool of the border crossing guards.........thinking they had "that guy"..........

then once into canadah, i would have to go to a "customs agent" to get the seal broken, and the load checked, then the doors re-sealed. mind you, it didn't matter if i had to travel 20 miles east, then go back those 20 miles west to get on track with where i had to go. if i didn't show up at the customs agent, then the customer, had to call and report me. then those drooling guards would now have "thier man".......

sometimes, when at a toll plaza, i would have a pack of Marlboro's on the dashboard. the toll taker would ask if i didn't mind letting him have the pack.

the one time i gave him the pack, i made a friend. he let me go without paying any toll, but he still gave me a recipt.

i hated the resturants, and other places i had to purchase items up there.

mind you, the food was really very good.........its just that i would usually pay with a $20 dollar bill, and got all canadian back.........useless "down here"........and by the time i "dumped" that canadian cash, i wouldn't go back up there for a while.

the loads i hauled back then were either reefer loads or paper loads (huge rolls of paper).

i can't think of anything right now to further your inquirey, but if i do, i'll chime back........

till then, remember, pro1driver is a "trademark name".............

you CAN USE it.........but you gotta contact me when they make your next book into a movie.........

i wannabe the "consultant"..........!!!

[Parker68]

Dear Grocerythrower and Pro1Driver,
Many thanks for your replies. Excuse my ignorance about much of this, but I'm starting from scratch here.
So you don't carry the documentation relating to the loads with you? They have to be sent separately to Canadian and/or US customs? Where are the doors sealed, and how? Do they use dogs at the post, or do they ever conduct thorough searches of the vehicle and/ or drivers? Are the Canadians tougher to deal with, or American customs? Are there differences in the Maine crossings? Is one easier to negotiate than another, or are the roads/ routes better at one crossing than another? Did 9/11 make any difference in terms of how strict the searches are?
Just off the top of my head. I am very grateful to you for helping, and I'll be sure to thank you appropriately!
Best,
John

[brigpilgrim]

Originally Posted by Parker68

Dear Grocerythrower and Pro1Driver,
Many thanks for your replies. ...........Are the Canadians tougher to deal with, or American customs?
Best,
John

Who would sneak into Canada? All they want is the tax money and cigarettes aren't that much cheaper here anymore.

pay with a $20 dollar bill, and got all canadian back.........useless "down here"

Drivers who run Canada regular usually carry both currencies, how many US restaurants take Canadian dollars? Tell the cashier you want your change in real money and see if you get a smile and a "y'all come back soon", probably not.

I think your question is too broad. I would just hit the truckstops on both sides of the border and and sit at the counter. Drivers are bored and love to talk. Carry a recorder with you but don't show it. Try to pick out older drivers who are clean and organized about themselves. If the driver hasn't figured out how to take care of himself out there, he hasn't figured out much else either.

If you buy the coffee, he might send you a post card.