Quick answer: An import container leaves a Canadian port or rail ramp for the customer only when three releases line up: the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has released the goods, the shipping line has released the container, and the terminal or ramp has no hold of its own. The trucker then books the terminal's appointment where one is required, delivers, and returns the empty wherever the line directs, ideally before free time runs out on either clock.
This guide walks through that sequence for the main Canadian gateways: the Port of Vancouver, the Port of Prince Rupert, the Port of Montreal, the Port of Halifax and Port Saint John, plus the CN and CPKC intermodal ramps that take containers inland. It is written for dispatchers and owners of drayage companies, and for the brokers and forwarders who book them.
Where import containers enter Canada
Most containers reach Canadian customers through a handful of coastal gateways and a network of inland rail terminals. The drayage leg can start at either one.
| Gateway | What a dray starts from | Notes for dispatch |
|---|---|---|
| Port of Vancouver, BC | Marine container terminals such as Centerm, Deltaport, Fraser Surrey Docks and Vanterm | Port authorization and, for Lower Mainland trips, a provincial licence are required. See our Port of Vancouver container trucking licence guide. |
| Port of Prince Rupert, BC | Fairview Container Terminal | The port authority promotes it as an intermodal gateway on CN's rail line, so confirm whether the box is railed to an inland ramp before quoting a port pickup. |
| Port of Montreal, QC | The port's marine container terminals | Check each terminal's gate procedures and any appointment rules. |
| Port of Halifax, NS | The port's marine container terminals | Check each terminal's gate procedures and any appointment rules. |
| Port Saint John, NB | The port's container terminal | Check the terminal's gate procedures and any appointment rules. |
| CN and CPKC inland ramps | Rail intermodal terminals near major cities across Canada | The railway runs the gate and sets its own storage terms in its tariffs. |
The legal names of the Vancouver terminals come from British Columbia's Container Trucking Regulation, which lists Centerm, Deltaport, Fraser Surrey Docks and Vanterm as marine terminals, plus any other container terminal for which the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority requires a trucking authorization or port access agreement.
The three releases a dispatcher has to confirm
A dispatcher who sends a truck before all three releases are in place usually gets a dry run, a refused gate transaction, or worse, a container that should not have left the terminal.
1. Customs release from CBSA
Under section 31 of the Customs Act, no goods may be removed from a customs office, sufferance warehouse, bonded warehouse or duty free shop unless they have been released by an officer or by prescribed means. The Act defines release as authorizing the removal of the goods for use in Canada. In practice the importer's customs broker arranges release, and CBSA sends release status messages to the parties who subscribe to them.
There is one lawful way to move goods before release. Section 19 of the Act lets a person authorized by an officer, or by prescribed means, move reported goods from a customs office to another customs office or a sufferance warehouse. Section 20 adds that anyone transporting imported goods that have not been released within Canada does so under prescribed conditions and security. That is the in-bond move, and only bonded carriers can perform it. Our guide to CBSA release before container pickup explains cargo control numbers, release notifications and in-bond moves in detail.
2. Shipping line release
Customs release clears the goods; it does not hand over the container. The ocean carrier owns or controls the box and releases it to the consignee's nominated trucker when its own conditions are met. Those conditions are commercial and vary by line and contract, so ask the customs broker or the line directly what is still outstanding rather than assuming a customs release means the box is free to go.
3. Terminal or ramp clearance
The terminal or rail ramp holding the container can have its own holds: an examination hold, unpaid terminal charges, a line hold or a container that has not yet been discharged or grounded. CBSA marine guidance also notes that a hold message can be issued while goods remain within a terminal's control. Check the terminal's or railway's container status tool before dispatching.
Appointments and gate access
Most busy container terminals control how many trucks arrive in a given window. At the Port of Vancouver, this is written into federal regulation: section 31.1 of the Port Authorities Operations Regulations says a trucking authorization is valid only if the holder complies with the port authority's requirements on an appointment or reservation system for trucks, on the identification of trucks, and on the tracking and monitoring of trucks in the port.
Rail ramps run their own gate systems. At CN terminals, drivers use the CN Express Pass mobile app to create a visit before arriving. According to CN, the app collects a booking number or empty order number when the driver is picking up an empty, requires the container number before the driver approaches the out-gate, and keeps a history of equipment interchange receipts (EIRs). Those receipts are the evidence you will need if a damage claim or a storage dispute comes up later.
Montreal, Halifax and Saint John terminals publish their own gate procedures. Before a new driver or company makes a first move at any terminal, confirm what registration, truck identification and booking the terminal expects.
From the gate to the customer
Once the container is out, the dray becomes an ordinary local move with a few container-specific traps.
- Seal and paperwork. Record the seal number at pickup and compare it with the release documents. A broken or different seal is something to report before delivery, not after.
- Live unload or drop. Agree in advance whether the driver waits while the customer unloads or drops the container on a chassis. Waiting time and chassis usage are usually billed separately.
- Pre-pulls. When the customer cannot receive the box before the terminal's free time ends, carriers often pull it to their own yard first. That stops terminal storage but starts yard storage and keeps the line's equipment clock running.
- Weight. An overweight box can be legal on the ocean leg and illegal on a provincial highway. Check the declared weight and the chassis before leaving the terminal.
Returning the empty
The shipping line decides where its empty goes back. That can be the marine terminal, a rail ramp or an off-dock empty depot, and it can change from one week to the next. Before the driver leaves the customer, confirm the return location and any return reference the depot requires. Returning to the wrong place can mean a second trip and extra equipment days.
Some empties never go back to the terminal at all. When an exporter near the import customer needs the same type of container, the line may approve reusing it for an export load, a practice known as a street turn. It saves a trip, but it needs the line's approval first.
Two clocks that run while you work
Every import container carries at least two deadlines. The place holding the container, whether a terminal or a ramp, charges storage after its free time, usually measured from discharge or availability. The shipping line charges per diem or detention for keeping its equipment out past its own free days. The two clocks are separate and are billed by different parties. Our guide to demurrage, storage and per diem for Canadian drayage carriers explains who bills whom and how to dispute a charge. If you also run US moves, the US version of this topic on truckerpro.net covers last free day rules at US ports.
A pre-dispatch checklist for import containers
| Check | Who controls it | What to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Customs release | CBSA, through the importer's customs broker | Release received for the right cargo control number, or written in-bond authority if you are moving it unreleased |
| Line release | Shipping line | Container released to your company as the nominated trucker |
| Terminal status | Terminal or railway | No holds, container available, any terminal charges settled |
| Gate access | Terminal or port authority | Driver and truck registered, appointment booked where required |
| Equipment | Chassis provider or your own fleet | Chassis available and roadworthy for the declared weight |
| Delivery | Customer | Delivery window, live unload or drop, receiving contact |
| Empty return | Shipping line | Return location and any return reference confirmed |
How TruckerPro supports container drayage
TruckerPro's Intermodal & Drayage workspace is available on the Elite plan and up, once it is switched on in company Settings. Each container is a job with its import or export direction, shipping line, ocean booking, pickup and empty-return last free days, earliest return date, export cutoff, empty return location and reference, and seal. Jobs move through nine stages, from Awaiting release and Ready to collect to Container returned, Export gated in and Closed. Staff record five readiness checks (customs release, shipping-line release, terminal release, terminal access and equipment inspection), and pickup, pre-pull, export delivery and street-turn moves stay blocked until those checks clear. Last free days and export cutoffs are flagged as due or overdue in the terminal's time zone, and the terminal field suggests Canadian and US ports and rail ramps, including the Vancouver terminals, Fairview at Prince Rupert, Montreal, Halifax and Saint John terminals, and CN and CPKC ramps. TruckerPro has no live terminal, port, rail or shipping-line feeds: your team checks each release and records it.
Frequently asked questions
What has to happen before a drayage driver can pick up an import container in Canada?
Three releases have to line up. CBSA must have released the goods, or authorized a bonded carrier to move them unreleased to another customs office or sufferance warehouse. The shipping line must have released the container to your customer's nominated trucker. The terminal or rail ramp must show no holds of its own. Where the terminal runs an appointment or reservation system, the pickup also needs a booked slot.
Does a Canadian container trucker need a special licence?
At the Port of Vancouver, yes. Trucks hauling containers to or from its container terminals need a Vancouver Fraser Port Authority authorization, and for trips within the Lower Mainland the company also needs a Container Trucking Services licence from the BC Container Trucking Commissioner. Other ports and rail ramps set their own access rules, so check each one before the first move.
Who decides where the empty container goes back?
The shipping line that owns or controls the container. It names the return location, which can be a marine terminal, a rail ramp or an off-dock empty depot, and it can change that location. Confirm the return location and any return reference before the driver leaves the customer.
Is picking up at a rail ramp different from picking up at a port?
The releases are the same idea, but the railway runs the gate. At CN terminals, for example, drivers create a visit in the CN Express Pass app before arriving, and empty container pickups need a booking number or empty order number. Storage at a ramp follows the railway's own tariff, not the marine terminal's.
Sources
- Customs Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. 1 (2nd Supp.), sections 2, 19, 20 and 31 (Justice Laws)
- Port Authorities Operations Regulations, SOR/2000-55, section 31.1 (Justice Laws)
- Container Trucking Regulation, B.C. Reg. 248/2014 (BC Laws)
- CBSA Memorandum D3-5-1, Marine Pre-load/Pre-arrival and Reporting Requirements
- CN Express Pass (CN)
- Prince Rupert Port Authority
- Port Saint John
- Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, Port of Montreal and Port of Halifax (home pages; these sites block automated access, so check terminal procedures there directly)