Alaska Highway

[Larry&Donna-AK]

Just thought I'd share my second trip on the Alaska Highway this summer.

This trip I was pulling my Gooseneck trailer with a 20' shipping Container full of our personal household goods, I was a little worried that we looked commercial with the Volvo (our motor home) pulling the container.

At the Canadian Border (Sweetgrass, Mt) I used the RV/Auto line. The Border Agent asked why I was in this line and what I was towing. I stated this is my Motorhome and we're going home with our furniture and that we owned the trailer & container. Needless to say we had all our documents ready. The Agent said Ok and passed through, never verifying the registration or opening the container. We was relieved and entered Canada. ?

We continued with only one concern. Since we looked Commercial we stopped at the first Weigh Station in each Province to get their blessing, never had to show any documents, No problems until we arrived in the Yukon. The first Weigh Station in the Yukon the Officier was stern and said we could proceed, again without checking our documents, but we had to stop at the Whitehorse Weigh Station. When we arrived in Whitehorse the Officier was very pleasant and said we could proceed. At this point, I asked why we had to stop. The Officier stated "if you drove by the scale the way you look I would have called the RMCP to pull you over". 

Arriving at the U.S. Border, same thing happened. Good to go.

The interesting thing about our trip. No one opened the Container or verified any of our vehicle documents. Of course the Border's confirmed our Passports and Volvo license plate. They believed me when I said we are an RV pulling a privately owned trailer with a Container. I expected a hassle somewhere along the road.

 

 

[Chad Heiser]

Sounds like everything went your way on that trip.  I can't wait until we retire and we can venture up that way in our rig.

[Imurphy907]

Good to hear. I have been thinking about driving down bobtail to buy a gooseneck and a few pallets of solar panels and maybe a tractor. But had been worried about how it "looked".

[beyerjf]

When you are at the booth, there is a world of information at the border persons fingertips via your passport and license plate. The biggest factor by far is your facial presentation and body language which those people are trained to interpret. 

It is clear you look like an honest person. Later at the Canadian scales they don't have the benefit of looking at you unless you stop, when they perform there own interpretation of things

It is clear you look like an honest person.  Didn't I just say that?

Well, you are.....

[Larry&Donna-AK]

On 7/15/2017 at 5:11 AM, beyerjf said:

When you are at the booth, there is a world of information at the border persons fingertips via your passport and license plate. The biggest factor by far is your facial presentation and body language which those people are trained to interpret. 

It is clear you look like an honest person. Later at the Canadian scales they don't have the benefit of looking at you unless you stop, when they perform there own interpretation of things

It is clear you look like an honest person.  Didn't I just say that?

Well, you are.....

Thanks...you're correct it's all about presentation, asking questions, and being polite to the Government Worker