ClearLane website logo

CANADIAN LOGISTICS COMPANIES

Outsourced back-office operations for
Canadian logistics companies

We run the back office for Canadian freight brokers, 3PLs, trucking companies and freight forwarders. Your loads get billed and your carrier invoices get checked before they are paid. Your receivables get worked every week, by a dedicated team logged into the systems you already use. Billing in CAD, with USD lanes handled properly. GST and HST applied the way your accountant documented it. Carrier compliance that covers the Canadian side, not just FMCSA.

THE CANADIAN BACK OFFICE

Why do freight invoices sit after the load delivers?

Because the invoice waits on paperwork. A POD that has not come back. A carrier file missing a current abstract. A tax line nobody is certain about. Each one holds the invoice, and the receivable ages while it waits.

A dedicated team runs your billing, carrier files and collections inside the systems you already use. Carrier files carry a current CVOR abstract in Ontario, RPEVL registration in Quebec, and National Safety Code fitness wherever the carrier is based. GST or HST goes on the invoice the way your accountant documented it, zero-rated where the move qualifies. Receivables get worked on a set cadence, including what sits behind a factor.

Our office is in Concord, Ontario. If cross-border lanes are the core of your operation, see our dedicated cross-border freight solutions.

  • Billing in CAD and USD, matched to each customer agreement
  • GST/HST treatment applied consistently from your documented matrix
  • Customs documentation collected and matched to load files
  • Compliance monitoring across FMCSA and Canadian operating authorities
  • Accounts receivable (AR) follow-up by currency and payor country

↓30%+

DSO Reduction

99%

Invoice Accuracy

Weekly

Reporting

What does an outsourced freight back office cover?

ClearLane is a managed service, not software. You pick the functions you want off your plate, and a dedicated team runs them every day inside your own TMS and accounting system. Plenty of clients start with one function and add more once they see it working.

  • Proof of delivery chased and filed, so the invoice goes out the day the load delivers
  • Every carrier invoice checked against the rate confirmation before it gets paid, in CAD or USD
  • Customer invoices issued in the right currency, with GST and HST applied the way your accountant documented it
  • Accounts receivable (AR) worked on a set cadence, and disputes chased before they turn into write-offs
  • Carrier authority, insurance, and safety standing monitored on the Canadian side as well as FMCSA
  • Detention, border wait time, and accessorials caught before billing, on the accounts where we run the billing
  • Books reconciled and closed each month in CAD, ready for your accountant
  • Owner and lender reporting on whatever cadence your SOP calls for: weekly, monthly, or quarterly

Canadian freight does not run on one tax rule or one set of plates. A carrier out of Ontario runs under a CVOR. A prairie fleet runs an NSC number. A Quebec customer expects QST on the invoice. All of it lands on the same billing desk.

Customs changed too. Since CARM became the permanent system for customs accounting, a customs broker business number can no longer be used to account for goods on the importer’s behalf. Importers of record now carry their own registration and financial security. That paperwork has to reach your billing file instead of sitting with the broker.

We work from your documented rules for each customer and each lane. The treatment does not change depending on who is at the desk that day.

Where does margin leak on Canadian freight?

  • Two currencies on one billing desk

    Rate confirmations arrive in one currency and the customer wants the invoice in another. The conversion has to happen somewhere, and the rate used on billing day is rarely the rate that was quoted. A few points of spread on every load adds up over a month, and any invoice that does not match the rate con gets disputed instead of paid.

  • How is GST or HST applied to a freight invoice?

    Treatment depends on the province of supply: HST in Ontario and Atlantic Canada, GST plus provincial rules elsewhere, zero-rating where the move qualifies. Apply one blanket rule to every invoice and some collect tax that was never owed while others miss tax that was. Both surface as credit notes or a CRA conversation. We apply the matrix your accountant documents.

  • What belongs in a Canadian carrier file?

    An insurance certificate and a signed agreement do not make a complete carrier file. An Ontario carrier has a CVOR abstract that moves with every inspection. A Quebec carrier has to be on the RPEVL before the vehicle runs. Safety fitness sits in the National Safety Code and is administered provincially. Collect only the basics and the gap shows up after an incident.

  • Factoring and holdbacks muddy the AR picture

    Many Canadian fleets and brokerages factor part of their receivables and collect the rest direct. When payments land partly from a factor and partly from customers, unapplied cash piles up and the aging report stops telling the truth. The AR desk applies cash to the right invoice regardless of who sent it, so the aging you act on is real.

How we run your back office

  1. 1

    Discovery

    We catalog your CAD and USD lanes, the GST/HST matrix your accountant documents, your provincial compliance obligations, and your payor list with terms per customer.

  2. 2

    Onboarding

    Training covers your invoicing rules per currency, your tax treatment by movement type, and your TMS workflows. Your best biller’s process becomes the documented standard.

  3. 3

    Ongoing operations

    Invoices go out in the correct currency with complete documentation attached. Carrier invoices are verified against rate confirmations before payment. Accounts receivable (AR) follow-up runs on a set cadence, tracked by currency and by province or state.

  4. 4

    You scale

    New provinces, new customers, and new lanes run on the same documented workflows. Scope-based pricing scales with your freight in both directions.

Back-office services for freight brokers, carriers and 3PLs

Canadian freight companies run lean offices against long payment terms. A dedicated team takes on the functions you hand off and runs them to your SOP, in your systems.

What you get back

The result is a Canadian back office that treats currency, tax, and compliance detail as routine, not as exceptions:

  • CAD and USD invoices issued with the right GST/HST treatment on the first pass
  • Provincial registrations and Canadian insurance filings tracked alongside FMCSA
  • Carrier authority and safety standing monitored daily, not at renewal
  • Accounts receivable (AR) aging visible by currency and payor, worked on a set cadence
  • Owner time back from the billing desk

We work inside your systems, not ours

ClearLane logs into the TMS and accounting systems you already run. We do not bring in our own platform or move your data somewhere else. Our team learns your setup and works right inside it, so your information stays where it belongs and nothing about your workflow has to change.

Frequently asked questions

Do you support CAD and USD invoicing?

Yes. Billing workflows are configured per currency and per customer agreement, so CAD and USD invoices run side by side without manual conversion steps at billing time.

Can you handle GST/HST on freight invoices?

We apply the tax treatment your accountant documents, consistently, on every invoice. We do not provide tax advice; we make sure the rules you already have are actually followed.

What does back-office support for Canadian freight companies include?

Shipper billing in both currencies, POD and customs document collection, carrier invoice verification, compliance monitoring across U.S. and Canadian authorities, and structured AR follow-up.

How is pricing structured for Canadian operations?

The same scope-based model as every ClearLane engagement: pricing scales with your operation, up or down. A 20-minute call gets you a custom quote for your operation.

Will this work with my TMS?

Yes. Dedicated teams work inside your existing TMS and follow your workflows. There is no migration and no new platform for your staff to learn.

Do you support Canadian freight companies in all provinces?

Yes. Billing, GST and HST treatment, and compliance rules are documented per province and per customer, and dedicated teams work your file on your business hours regardless of time zone. Domestic Canadian lanes and cross-border lanes both run on the same documented workflows.

Do you track Ontario CVOR and NSC safety fitness records?

Yes. Carrier files for Canadian carriers track provincial operating authority, National Safety Code safety fitness, and insurance, and for Ontario carriers the CVOR abstract, on the same monitoring cadence as FMCSA data for US carriers.

Related services

Get Started

See how we can help your Canadian operation

Most Canadian clients start with one piece, often carrier invoice audit or billing in a single currency lane, then grow into the full back office once the first process proves itself.

Talk to our team