(...)Part that confuses me a bit is this..I phoned the border crossing today, and apparently they need to fax me a bunch of paperwork to fill out (...)
(...) filled out a couple of forms, and faxed them in to US Customs. (...) US Customs had a file started already.
what part of that is confusing? no matter who does it, the "other" paperwork involved has to do with the usual govt rituals, not the truck itself,
you [and the carrier] need to be in the computer ..... you should note if you have a shipper bring it up you'll have to get them to make the appointment for crossing time, and if they miss the appointment it has to be done over, meaning they wait at the border another 3 days - the shipper will also likely charge you brokerage fees for the border paperwork, it could be cheaper to do it yourself
Bill