Business Collaboration Across Borders USA and Canada

The top three trading partners of the United States are China, Canada, and Mexico. But when it comes to just logistics, the US-Canada relationship is in a class by itself. Following Biden's speech to Parliament, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated, "Canada and the United States share the longest land border in the world." "The Great Lakes and three oceans are shared by us."

Combined and Unbreakable

Due to their close proximity and long-standing relationship, the two nations offer very cooperative border crossing procedures for both persons and freight. Take it from American tourists who can easily go from Niagara Falls, New York, to Niagara Falls, Ontario, and back again. Logistics companies on both sides of the Canada-US border also confirm that the customs process is often easy to navigate when goods are moving between the two nations.

Shippers and logistics firms with familiarity with the laws and guidelines guiding the procedure are usually aware of any updates and real-time modifications.

Understandable. The two nations are more than just friends and neighbors. "Our destinies are intertwined and they're inseparable," states President Biden. All signs suggest that this bond is unlikely to change in the near future. In Trudeau's words, "Canada and the United States will continue to work together as partners, whether it's preserving our shared waterways, particularly in the Arctic, conserving biodiversity, or establishing strong net-zero economies.”

Particularly in trade and commerce, the two nations have a strong cooperation. Essentials for Fortifying the Collaboration Both nations work hard to maintain speedy and seamless border crossings. In order to support the "Roadmap for a Renewed U.S.-Canada Partnership," which was developed in 2021 to strengthen supply chain security between the two countries and to "reinforce the deeply interconnected and mutually beneficial economic relationship between our two countries," both governments established the U.S.-Canada Supply Chain Working Group.

The Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force was established by the White House in 2021 to manage rail and road bottlenecks near borders and important ports that resulted from pandemics. The task group has attempted to improve digital information exchange between private businesses running logistics supply chains, among other things. In the meantime, Canada set up its own Supply Chain Task Force to get suggestions from workers, companies, and industry experts for both short- and long-term solutions to supply chain problems.

As a result of all of this, rules have been established and, when needed, adjusted to allow manufacturers and shippers to comply with regulations without experiencing undue stress—as long as the businesses actually making the crossings are well prepared, that is. Logistics companies with extensive experience in border crossings and established in the United States and Canada, such FLS Transportation and Polaris Transportation Group, are prepared to offer those services.

Pushing Forward

The epidemic highlighted, enhanced, and shed light on the positive trading relationship that exists between the United States and Canada. And that relationship is now more crucial than ever in the wake of the pandemic. According to Dave Cox, president of Polaris Transportation Group, a Toronto-based industry leader in transit to and from the United States, "we've seen a lot more business repatriated to North America."

While traveling for work from the Polaris headquarters in Mississauga, Ontario, just outside of Toronto, to the Mentor, Ohio, suburb of Cleveland, Cox muses on how the ties between the neighbors in North America continue to strengthen despite all of life's ups and downs. "These are exciting times for me as an entrepreneur and business owner," he states. "The last three years have strengthened our capacity to oversee in a manner that fosters the Polaris culture of strong relationships with our employees. We had more in-depth talks with our partners and consumers as a result of the epidemic, which strengthened our bonds with them.

These discussions are crucial. I would want to know that I have a friend out there if I were a shipper. We aim to be regarded as close friends by shippers and distributors. Since Canada is aware that the United States depends on it just as much as it does on the United States, communication occurs at all levels, from sales to the C-suite. "Canada is a trading nation," he asserts. "Strong ties to the United States are essential to maintaining our standard of living."

An Electronic Passport for Goods

According to Cox, there is a chance to strengthen the neighbors who share a border because of their increased dependency. "I envision a trading union" where goods flow freely across the North American states, as they do in the European Union," he adds, adding that he would like to see increased efforts to streamline commerce between Canada, the United States, and Mexico. He declares, "We have an incredible opportunity." "Why not give freighters a digital passport?"

In his opinion, a "digital passport" would serve as a kind of freight equivalent of the TSA PreCheck program for travelers on airplanes. The process of crossing the border for freight would be more effective and stress-free if prior clearance was obtained from government oversight agencies on both sides of the border, such as the Food and Drug Administration and Department of Agriculture in the United States and the Canada Border Services Agency in Canada. He states, "We make it a point at Polaris to know those agencies." "Wouldn't it be fantastic if we already have proof of perfect compliance? We're incredibly good at what we have to do every day and we know it. Even though Cox acknowledges and values the relative efficiency and speed of border crossings managed by seasoned logistics companies like Polaris, he feels there's always potential for improvement