Canadian sale in USA

[Scouter Dave]

There is a good chance that I will be putting my Bigfoot B17 up for sale before I leave the Florida panhandle next spring [2021]. I am aware that there are concerns around ownership, proper title and related paper work.
If you have any experience or knowledge or solid advice relating to the sale of a CDN registered rig in the USA would you be kind enough to share via personal email.

I am also aware that this query may generate interest in the sale but it is
w-a-a-y to early for it. I will not respond to such inquiries.

The rig MAY be available at the end of my stay in Panama City Beach and if it is not too far out of the way I may be able to effect delivery on my way back to Canada.

Thanks in advance, stay safe out there and take care of each other.

Scouter Dave

[Steve Hammel]

As long as you have the title, a bill of sale, and the rig has the DOT sticker that says "This vehicle conforms to all Canadian and U.S. highway safety regulations yada yada yada", You should have no problem at all.

[Glenn Baglo]

Originally Posted by Steve Hammel

As long as you have the title, a bill of sale, and the rig has the DOT sticker that says "This vehicle conforms to all Canadian and U.S. highway safety regulations yada yada yada", You should have no problem at all.

Except that you have to take the trailer back to Canada and then legally import it into the US.

[AandB]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

Except that you have to take the trailer back to Canada and then legally import it into the US.

https://help.cbp.gov/s/article/Artic...language=en_US

[Jon in AZ]

If the trailer is more than 25 years old, the DOT compliance sticker is not required. But the CBP 7501 form is. Normally the buyer obtains it at the US Port of Entry on the Canadian border when first bringing the trailer back into the US (with the bill of sale).

I don't know if it could be obtained at another CBP station, say in Florida, or if the buyer would have to meet you at the Canadian border. Most sources I've read say it cannot be done after bringing the trailer in as a personal vehicle, but you could contact US Customs and Border Patrol and ask.

Note that if the trailer is less than 25 years old and missing the DOT sticker, Bigfoot presents a unique challenge. The post-bankruptcy Bigfoot company will not certify pre-bankruptcy Bigfoots, so a US buyer's only option is to hire a registered importer. Even though the actual requirements are pretty simple for a trailer (just running lights AFAIK), it requires a bond, impound period, and inspection. It can get expensive.

[Steve Hammel]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

Except that you have to take the trailer back to Canada and then legally import it into the US.

From personal experience. I bought a trailer in Edmonton. I received a title/registration card from the buyer along with a bill of sale. I stopped and declared my purchase at the border. The DOT sticker was missing. The first officer I dealt with returned my paperwork and told me to come back when I obtained the DOT sticker. I asked what I should do with the trailer and they said to take it home with me. The issue wasn't the ownership of the trailer it was the DOT sticker. In my case I was able to go up the chain of command and talk with a manager. I showed him that the trailer had been painted and all the stickers were gone. Realizing I might have a problem "before" traveling to Edmonton to buy the trailer I had called my point of entry several times for clarification. The result of this is that everyone who worked there had answered my calls at one time or another. Some had told me to bring all the documentation I could come up with including photos of the exact trailer owned by others showing the sticker which I did. They finally relented and saved me another trip back to the border. Law school education had served me well.

Essentially being in possession of the ownership documents I could own the trailer in the U.S. no problem. The problem was registering/licensing/and operating the vehicle on U.S. highways. If someone were to purchase a trailer from Canada in the U.S. they will still be required to take it to a point of entry for inspection prior to receiving the paperwork allowing the vehicle to be registered and used on U.S. roads

[Steve Hammel]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

Bigfoot presents a unique challenge. The post-bankruptcy Bigfoot company will not certify pre-bankruptcy Bigfoots, so a US buyer's only option is to hire a registered importer. Even though the actual requirements are pretty simple for a trailer (just running lights AFAIK), it requires a bond, impound period, and inspection. It can get expensive.

My problem was worse. I was bringing back the Bonair Oxygen. The manufacturer had been out of business for 17 years and all their documentation dispersed. In short there was no way of ever recovering the original DOT sticker. Fortunately I had multiple Oxygen owners send me pictures of their stickers and copies of their titles. I had been told, during my phone calls, that port of entry officers have room for "discretion" and fortunately I was able to make it obvious that it did conform to all Canadian and US highway safety regulations. Seriously it is as simple as that. They don't care about the numbers etc they just want the part of the sticker that states that the vehicle "conforms to all Canadian and US highway safety regulations, grrrrrrr.

[Steve Hammel]

As an aside it might be interesting to talk to the U.S. side when entering the country from Canada and explaining the situation. You might be able to get a pre inspection certifying the DOT sticker. I have no idea if this is possible but it would certainly be worth looking into.