CROSS-BORDER LOGISTICS
Outsourced back-office operations for
cross-border logistics companies
We run the back office for freight brokers, 3PLs, trucking companies and freight forwarders moving loads across the US-Canada and US-Mexico borders. Your loads get billed in the right currency. Carrier invoices get checked before they are paid, and your accounts receivable (AR) gets worked every week. The border paperwork gets collected with the billing file, not hunted down later when a customer disputes the invoice.
THE CROSS-BORDER BACK OFFICE
Built for loads that cross a border
Cross-border freight adds a second currency, a second regulator, and customs paperwork to every load. US-Mexico lanes bring MXN billing, the pedimento, and Mexican carrier requirements. US-Canada lanes bring CAD billing, GST or HST treatment where applicable, and PARS and PAPS processing. The back office carries all of it and keeps the border paperwork matched to the billing file.
Running domestic Canadian freight rather than cross-border lanes? Our Canada back-office page covers that.
Cross-border margins live and die on documentation timing. PARS and PAPS references that do not match the load file stall invoices on both sides of the border, customs broker fees arrive weeks after delivery and get absorbed instead of passed through, and detention at the border is only billable when the timestamps were captured in the moment. A billing desk that assembles the border paperwork with the invoice, instead of hunting it at dispute time, keeps cross-border freight paying like domestic freight.
- Billing in USD, CAD, and MXN, matched to each customer agreement
- Tax treatment on freight charges applied consistently from your documented matrix
- Customs documentation, from the pedimento to PARS and PAPS, matched to load files
- Compliance monitoring across FMCSA, Canadian, and Mexican carrier authorities
- AR follow-up by currency and payor country
99%
Invoice Accuracy
↓30%+
DSO Reduction
Weekly
Reporting
What we run for cross-border operations
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 and border documents 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 USD, CAD, or MXN
- Customer invoices issued in the right currency, with tax treatment applied the way your accountant documented it
- Accounts receivable (AR) worked on a set cadence by payor country, and disputes chased before they age
- Carrier authority, insurance, and safety standing monitored on both sides of the border
- Border wait time, detention, and customs broker fees caught before billing, on the accounts where we run the billing
- Books reconciled and closed each month across currencies, ready for your accountant
- Owner and lender reporting on whatever cadence your SOP calls for: weekly, monthly, or quarterly
Cross-border paperwork runs on its own calendar. Northbound, the ACI eManifest has to be transmitted before the truck reaches the border. Southbound, the pedimento and the Mexican carrier requirements attached to it sit on the same load file. Get a PARS or PAPS reference wrong and the invoice stalls on both sides.
Canada changed the rules with CARM. It is now the permanent system for customs accounting, and a customs broker business number can no longer be used to account for goods on the importer’s behalf. Importers of record carry their own registration and financial security, and that paperwork needs to reach your billing file.
We collect the border documents alongside the billing paperwork, so the invoice and the proof leave together.
Where does cross-border margin leak?
Currency conversion applied inconsistently
Loads billed in USD, MXN, or CAD need one conversion method and one rate date. When the rate gets picked ad hoc, margin moves with the exchange rate instead of the contract, and a mismatched invoice gets disputed, not paid.
Customs and brokerage fees not passed through
Customs entry, brokerage, and border-crossing fees are passthroughs to the customer. On US-Mexico moves that includes the pedimento and Mexican carrier charges; on US-Canada it includes PARS and PAPS processing. When those receipts do not reach billing, the fee gets absorbed.
Cross-border carrier handoffs not reconciled
Many cross-border loads change carriers at the border, so a single move can carry a US carrier, a drayage leg, and a Mexican or Canadian carrier, each with its own invoice and accessorials. Without a leg-by-leg audit, duplicate or mismatched charges slip through.
USMCA and customs paperwork gaps delay payment
Certificates of origin, commercial invoices, and customs entry records have to be complete before a customer pays and before freight clears the border. A missing USMCA or customs document stalls both the invoice and the load.
How we run your cross-border back office
- 1
Discovery
We catalog your currencies, your tax treatment matrix as documented by your accountant, customs documentation requirements by lane, and your payor list with terms per customer.
- 2
Onboarding
Training covers your invoicing rules per currency, documentation standards per lane, and your TMS workflows. Your best biller’s process becomes the documented standard.
- 3
Ongoing operations
Invoices go out in the correct currency with complete documentation attached. Carrier invoices are verified against rate confirmations before payment. AR follow-up runs on a set cadence, tracked by currency and payor country.
- 4
You scale
New lanes, new customers, new currencies on the same workflows. Scope-based pricing scales with your freight in both directions.
Back-office services for cross-border freight
One load, two countries, two currencies, twice the paperwork. A dedicated team keeps US-Canada and US-Mexico freight billed and collected without the border slowing the money.
Document processing and POD retrieval
Learn more →PODs, BOLs, and copies of border paperwork gathered and matched to the load on both sides of the crossing, so invoicing starts the day of delivery instead of the day the folder is complete.
Billing support and invoice preparation
Learn more →Each invoice goes out in the right currency per the rate confirmation, USD, CAD or MXN, with crossing-related accessorials documented and submissions handled to each customer’s process.
Carrier invoice audit and accounts payable (AP)
Learn more →Carrier invoices from both sides audited before payment: rate and currency verified against the confirmation, border wait charges checked against the record, duplicates removed.
Accounts receivable (AR) management and collections
Learn more →Collections that track terms in multiple currencies. Cadenced follow-up, documented dispute responses, and exchange-difference discrepancies reconciled rather than aged into write-offs.
Bookkeeping
Learn more →USD, CAD and MXN accounts reconciled by a dedicated bookkeeper, spend categorized, accounts payable and accounts receivable recorded, month-end closed. Tax stays with your CPA.
Ownership and transaction reporting
Learn more →Cross-border operations reported clean: owner and lender packages weekly, monthly, or quarterly, per your SOP, with combined statements across operating entities.
What cross-border operations get back
The result is a back office that treats cross-border complexity as routine, not as exceptions:
- Invoices in the correct currency and tax treatment on the first pass
- Customs documentation attached to every billing file
- Carrier compliance monitored on both sides of the border
- AR aging visible by currency, worked on a 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 USD, CAD, and MXN invoicing?
Yes. Billing workflows are configured per currency and per customer agreement, so USD, CAD, and MXN 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: GST or HST where applicable, and zero-rating where the international move qualifies. We do not provide tax advice; we make sure the rules you already have are actually followed.
What does cross-border back-office support include?
Shipper billing in every currency, POD and customs document collection, carrier invoice verification, compliance monitoring across U.S., Canadian, and Mexican authorities, and structured AR follow-up.
How is pricing structured for cross-border 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.
What border documentation do you attach to cross-border invoices?
PARS or PAPS references, the commercial invoice, customs broker confirmations, and any inspection or delay records, matched to the load file so the customer invoice carries its own proof. When a shipper questions a charge, the documentation is already attached instead of scattered across dispatch inboxes.
Do you file customs entries or eManifests?
No. Customs filing stays with your customs broker. We make sure the release paperwork, PARS, PAPS, or pedimento references, and brokerage invoices reach the load file and the shipper invoice, and that broker fees get passed through where your contract allows.
Related services
Pre-Billing Revenue Audit
Learn more →Capture detention, border delays, and accessorials before the invoice goes out.
Carrier Invoice Audit
Learn more →Verify carrier invoices in USD, CAD or MXN against the rate confirmation.
Carrier Compliance
Learn more →Monitor carrier authority and insurance on both sides of the border.
Bookkeeping
Learn more →Books kept current across USD, CAD, and MXN accounts as you scale.
Get Started
See how we can help your cross-border operation
Most cross-border clients start with one piece, often carrier invoice audit or billing on a single lane, then grow into the full workflow once the first process proves itself.