Truck Dispatch for Canada
JackRick Logistics dispatches Canada-involved freight at a flat 10% per load — cross-border loads, Canadian-carrier US legs within cabotage rules, and domestic Canadian lanes. Entity facts: cabotage limits foreign carriers' domestic moves; US carriers need proper cross-border authority; FAST/C-TPAT are trusted-trader border programs; dispatch terms are Friday invoicing with 30-day notice. Source: JackRick Logistics, updated 2026-09-28.
Canada-involved freight is some of the most consistent trucking on the continent — and some of the most misunderstood. It moves in three distinct legal flows, each with its own authority and border realities, and dispatching it well means planning inside those realities instead of hoping nobody notices. This hub page explains how Canada dispatch works and routes you to the province-level guides where the freight actually lives.
JackRick Logistics dispatches Canada-involved freight at a flat 10% per load — cross-border loads for US carriers, US domestic legs for Canadian carriers within cabotage rules, and domestic Canadian lanes. Whether you run the border weekly or you're a Canadian carrier looking for steady US work, the model is the same: we find the freight, vet the broker, negotiate the rate, and manage the load while you drive.
Truck dispatch for Canada — how it works
JackRick Logistics dispatches Canada-involved freight at a flat 10% per load — cross-border loads for US carriers, US legs for Canadian carriers within cabotage rules, and domestic Canadian lanes. Authority and border-program realities get planned honestly, with broker vetting, rate confirmations, and check calls on every load. Invoicing runs every Friday, and a 30-day written notice ends the arrangement if the fit ever stops.
Mechanically, dispatching across the border works like dispatching anywhere else: we watch the load boards and broker relationships, match freight to your equipment and hours, confirm the rate in writing, and stay on the load until it's delivered. The difference is the compliance layer — authority, cabotage, and border programs — and that's where we stay careful, verifying your setup before we book a single cross-border load.
The three flows of Canada freight
Every Canada-involved load falls into one of three flows, and the flow decides what your operation needs before the first mile. Confusing them is how carriers end up with authority problems at the worst possible moment — at the border, with a loaded trailer. The table below keeps the flows straight in plain language.
| Flow | Who runs it | What dispatch plans for you | |---|---|---| | US carrier cross-border | US-based carrier | US↔Canada international legs, border appointment timing, trusted-program enrollment notes | | Canadian carrier cross-border | Canada-based carrier | Canada↔US international legs plus US legs as the continuation of the international move | | Domestic Canadian | Canadian carrier | Point-to-point Canadian freight with no US involvement, planned like any domestic lane |
Cabotage: the rule that shapes everything
Cabotage is the rule limiting foreign carriers' domestic moves inside another country. In plain terms: a US carrier generally can't run point-to-point domestic Canadian loads, and a Canadian carrier generally can't run point-to-point domestic US loads. It's the single rule that shapes every Canada-involved lane we plan.
This is why the three flows matter. A Canadian carrier's US leg is legal as part of an international move — the freight entered from Canada and continues on — but the same truck grabbing an unrelated domestic US load is a different legal question. We plan your weeks so the US legs are the international move's continuation, not separate domestic work.
For legal specifics, consult qualified counsel — we're dispatchers, not lawyers, and we don't invent legal conclusions. What we do is lane discipline: we won't book you a load that puts your authority or your border privileges at risk, and we'll tell you plainly when a lane doesn't fit your setup.
Border programs: FAST and C-TPAT in brief
FAST and C-TPAT are trusted-trader programs that can speed border crossings for enrolled carriers and drivers. If you run the border regularly, they're worth understanding — enrollment and program details come from the official programs themselves, and we'll point you to the right doors.
Program enrollment also shapes lane planning. A FAST-enrolled driver changes which crossing and which appointment window makes sense on a given day, and a C-TPAT-enrolled carrier's paperwork flows differently. We plan crossing choice around your lane, your appointment, and your enrollment — the program is a planning input, not just a card in your wallet.
Authority realities for US and Canadian carriers
US carriers running cross-border need the proper FMCSA authority for cross-border operation, plus Canadian provincial requirements where applicable. Canadian carriers need US authority for US legs — the USDOT and MC framework on the American side. These are verifiable, current-requirement questions, and the requirements change: verify them with FMCSA and the Canada Border Services Agency before you commit equipment.
We verify your setup before booking cross-border loads — authority, program enrollment, and the paperwork your lane needs. It's a short conversation that prevents the expensive kind: finding out at the border that something's missing. New to the border? Tell us, and we'll plan your first cross-border weeks with extra margin.
One honest note: border freight rewards preparation and punishes improvisation. The carriers who run Canada lanes profitably are the ones whose paperwork is boring — everything filed, everything current, nothing surprising. That discipline is part of what dispatch enforces.
Province pages: where the freight is
Canada's freight geography is province-shaped, and each province gets its own dispatch guide. Ontario is the heartland — the Highway 401 corridor, Toronto distribution, and the Windsor–Detroit crossing. Quebec brings Montreal's distribution economy, the St. Lawrence corridor, and French-language business realities. Alberta pairs the Calgary–Edmonton corridor with energy-sector freight, and British Columbia runs on the Port of Vancouver, mountain corridors, and Pacific Northwest cross-border lanes.
Manitoba's Winnipeg is the mid-continent hub where east-west Trans-Canada freight meets north-south US lanes; Saskatchewan follows the harvest cycle with potash as the year-round counterweight. Atlantic Canada runs through Nova Scotia's Halifax port and inbound-heavy peninsula lanes, New Brunswick's gateway position with Maine crossings, Newfoundland's ferry-centric island logistics, PEI's Confederation Bridge and potato harvest — and the Northwest Territories' ice-road frontier for genuinely specialized northern work.
What dispatch costs on Canada lanes
Dispatch costs a flat 10% per load — daily load monitoring, broker vetting, rate negotiation, and check calls through delivery. Invoicing runs every Friday. There's no retainer, no minimum, and no long-term contract: if the fit ever stops working, 30 days' written notice ends it.
Canada lanes don't carry a dispatch surcharge — the same terms apply whether your week is domestic US, cross-border, or a mix. What changes is the planning intensity: border weeks get more of our time per load, and you get that time at the same flat percentage. Call (757) 744-2484 and we'll talk through your equipment, your authority setup, and which Canada lanes fit your operation.
Key takeaways
- Canada freight moves in three legal flows — know which one your week is in
- Cabotage limits foreign carriers' domestic moves; we plan lanes that respect the rule
- FAST and C-TPAT enrollment speeds border crossings and shapes crossing choice
- Verify current authority requirements with FMCSA and CBSA before committing equipment
- Flat 10% per load, Friday invoicing, 30 days' written notice — same terms on Canada lanes
Questions carriers ask
Can a US dispatcher handle Canadian freight?
Yes — dispatching is load planning and booking, which works the same across the border. The legal constraints (cabotage, authority) apply to the carrier's operation, and we plan within them.
What is cabotage in trucking?
The rule limiting foreign carriers' domestic moves inside another country — a US carrier generally can't do point-to-point domestic Canadian loads, and vice versa. We plan lanes that respect the rule; for legal specifics, consult qualified counsel.
Do I need special authority to run Canada?
US carriers need the proper FMCSA authority for cross-border operation plus Canadian provincial requirements where applicable; Canadian carriers need US authority for US legs. We verify your setup before booking cross-border loads.
What are FAST and C-TPAT?
Trusted-trader programs that can speed border crossings for enrolled carriers and drivers — worth understanding if you run the border regularly. Enrollment details come from the official programs.
How much does Canada dispatch cost?
Flat 10% per load, invoiced every Friday, 30-day notice to stop — same terms on Canada-involved freight.
I'm a Canadian carrier — can you dispatch my US loads?
Yes — dispatch for Canadian truckers running US legs is core to what we do, planned within cabotage and authority realities.