How OpenTrack solves rail border crossing compliance
OpenTrack's Border Crossing Visibility feature automatically captures exact "Border Crossing Arrival/Departed" rail events and delivers them in machine-readable format, eliminating manual log-scrubbing from Railinc, CN, and CP systems.
Here’s why top forwarders trust OpenTrack to power their cross-border workflows to drive down risk, time, and cost and free up their teams for more heads-up work.
What OpenTrack provides
- Precise timestamps when trains physically cross US-Canada borders
- FIRMS-coded terminal locations for compliance requirements
- Real-time data delivery that prevents late filing penalties
- Audit-ready documentation with GPS stamps and location codes
Compliance workflows OpenTrack supports
OpenTrack helps automate key cross-border reporting steps, ensuring data flows smoothly between carriers, customs systems, and your internal tools, to keep filings accurate and on time.
- U.S. export filings: helps ensure required shipment details are submitted before goods cross the border.
- In-bond shipment updates: automatically provides the real-world border-crossing data that customs systems rely on to mark shipments as arrived or exported.
- Canadian pre-arrival and export notifications: supports timely reporting to the Canada Border Services Agency.
The problem OpenTrack eliminates
Manual-driven inefficiencies and penalties can quietly cost tens of thousands of dollars each year in preventable expenses.
Financial risk without automation
Every container crossing the US-Canada rail border exposes you to expensive risks:
- U.S. export filing mistakes can trigger fines in the thousands per shipment
- Canadian AMPS tickets for late or missing data can quickly add up
Current manual process costs
- Late filings are one of the most common compliance issues
- Manual data entry creates 0.5-4% error rates
How OpenTrack cuts down on risk, time, and cost
Compliance made automatic
OpenTrack eliminates the risk of late filings by providing border crossing data in real-time. A single avoided AMPS ticket — for example, C378 at $2,000 CAD (first level) — more than covers your visibility cost while preserving your already-thin container margins.
From hours to seconds
What used to require 10 minutes of manual timestamp hunting per container (~$12 in labor) becomes a single CSV export (or even better, a touchless automation). OpenTrack transforms hours of detective work across carrier systems into automated data delivery.
Audit-ready documentation
When auditors request proof of export, OpenTrack instantly delivers a timestamped data trail — complete with GPS and terminal FIRMS codes — that meets U.S. and Canadian record-keeping standards.
Straight-through processing
OpenTrack can integrate seamlessly with your existing customs and transportation systems, automatically passing validated border-crossing data into your filing workflows. The result: fewer manual steps, faster submissions, and less room for error.
Additional OpenTrack benefits
Enhanced visibility
- Real-time shipper updates confirming when cargo has officially crossed the border
- Instant data trail that supports insurance, customer service, and downstream logistics visibility
Streamlined financial workflows
Accurate export timestamps also simplify post-shipment processes like duty drawback claims, Foreign Trade Zone removals, and other refund or reconciliation activities. This helps finance and compliance teams close the loop faster.
Bottom line
OpenTrack's border crossing visibility converts a potential six-figure annual compliance liability into a negligible, predictable operational cost by automating the most error-prone and time-intensive aspect of rail border crossing compliance.
