Wow - all exports temporarily suspended

[cpaharley2008]

I'm writing to my congressman, here is a link to finding yours Find Your Representative · House.gov
perhaps we can help from the US side.

[Kountrykamper]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

I'm writing to my congressman, here is a link to finding yours Find Your Representative · House.gov
perhaps we can help from the US side.

Good luck. They are adjourned until September.

[rbryan4]

Ross's idea about attempting an export daily might be a good one, but what happens to the owner waiting in Sumas when an export gets turned away? Better to wait and sort it out before greenlighting deliveries.

[Rossue]

ETI could then just bring it back- having completed the exporting. That is really just so a US buyer can register it when returning home.

[rbryan4]

I'm not understanding, Ross. If it gets turned back it hasn't been exported. It isn't actually exported until it crosses the border, paperwork completed. And the US owner leaves empty handed.

[Rossue]

Just searched my VIN and with a free tool by 3rd party it comes up:
Vehicle Identification Number VIN 2E9TF6B56EC068911

On the NHTSA site guess what?
https://vinrcl.safercar.gov/vin/vinLookup

Yep- NHTSA doesn't see it, however the private site does

[Rossue]

Originally Posted by rbryan4

I'm not understanding, Ross. If it gets turned back it hasn't been exported. It isn't actually exported until it crosses the border, paperwork completed. And the US owner leaves empty handed.

If it gets turned back then no difference from current status quo. However if it does get through then the exporting process is complete. ETI could then bring it back just as a customer would who wants to start camping in Canada.

[Greg A]

Ross,
I put all my previous trailer VINs in the NHTSA link and none of them get returned, only automobiles.

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by Rossue

If it gets turned back then no difference from current status quo. However if it does get through then the exporting process is complete. ETI could then bring it back just as a customer would who wants to start camping in Canada.

Yeah, but what I'm saying is, Escape has a US owner who's ready to take delivery, so they "try" it without knowing if it will succeed? That'd have to be one patient owner, risking having to return home without their trailer. Besides, I don't think Escape would want to do business that way.

[Greg A]

Or maybe one that is in WA that would be willing to do the experiment.

[Rossue]

What I'm saying is do it with customer at home. This is just to test whether clearance to export has happened prior to official notification. If the first one worked I would do a few more to be sure. If it didn't work I would wait a week and try again.

[FMLNM]

Originally Posted by Rossue

What I'm saying is do it with customer at home. This is just to test whether clearance to export has happened prior to official notification. If the first one worked I would do a few more to be sure. If it didn't work I would wait a week and try again.

In an earlier email Tammy mentioned something about not wanting to have a trailer impounded...sounded like that is what she thought would happen if they tried to send one through and it was not allowed....

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by FMLNM

In an earlier email Tammy mentioned something about not wanting to have a trailer impounded...sounded like that is what she thought would happen if they tried to send one through and it was not allowed....

That's true. The border officials have wide latitude in the custody and disposal of "illegal exports". Better imho to get all the legalities straightened out first rather than experiment.

[SpokanEscape]

Well I am not willing to volunteer for this experiment and have my expensive 5.0 impounded! We are six weeks away from completion and I sure hope this mess straightens out soon. I feel badly for people who live far away and have had to change vacation and travel plans because of this!

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Rossue

Just searched my VIN and with a free tool by 3rd party it comes up:
Vehicle Identification Number VIN 2E9TF6B56EC068911

On the NHTSA site guess what?
https://vinrcl.safercar.gov/vin/vinLookup

Yep- NHTSA doesn't see it, however the private site does

I'm not surprised - the whole challenge here is to get Escape Trailer Industries properly set up in the right NHTSA databases.

The third-party decoder isn't aware of Escape, either... it is only decoding the basic WMI ("2E9"), which is not specific to Escape; up to a thousand small manufacturers in Canada share that WMI. If they did have Escape (and other small manufacturers) in this database, they would interpret the "068" and report that is means Escape Trailer Industries. Without knowing about Escape, they also can't interpret the "C" as Chilliwack, or the "TF6B5" as a 21'.

The decoder which really matters is the one VPIC: VIN Decoder... and no joy in that one yet, either.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

I know with my out dealings with permits with the City, that government bodies, whether their intents are well meaning or not, usually have no concept of time, and the costs to public. All too often I have been given what they see as a simple request, but it still requires lots of planning, redoing lots of what I have done, then resumption only to wait once more for their review.

That's certainly true in some cases, and probably in particular for individual requests. On the other hand, NHTSA (like other similar agencies) does put substantial effort into assessing the cost to the industry and consequences to the end consumer (in terms of both risk and financial cost) of every potential regulatory change. Part of the reason for the length of time is the amount of research and consultation required.

[Klem]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

I'm writing to my congressman, here is a link to finding yours Find Your Representative · House.gov
perhaps we can help from the US side.

your letter may generate a letter to the folks you are complaining about. And guess what? Replying to that letter is a priority over the work that isn't being done.

An explanation of why the work is being delayed, a possible solution, etc must be returned before getting back to the backlog of work.

Don't hate the player ... Hate the game.

[ethanallen2]

We will get our new 5.0TA on Aug 19 given the US DOT and US Customs hold is resolved. Our plan is to travel several Canadian Provinces before returning to So. California. Doing preliminary research on Canadian campgrounds indicates quite a few available and often limited services other than an RV site. For those of you Canadians with the experience and knowledge...is drinking/fresh water readily available on the road or is it smart/wise to carry a full tank of water on such a trip?---Ethan Allen

[algonquin50]

Well, with the current political climate and the most ridiculous healthcare system in the world...........we might just be retiring in Canada and save several headaches with one move. Our pharmacist told us a customer came in with an Rx that was $200, but he would have to order it. In two weeks the price had changed to $34,000. Rant....Rant...Rant

[blhvet]

ethanallen2, MOST national and provincial parks have drinking water, the exception usually being the more rustic campgrounds. If you're staying at larger campgrounds on the beaten path, you should be fine. For the provincial parks, you can check albertaparks.ca to find out what amenities they have. For the national parks, pc.gc.ca will tell you what's available. If you're looking for water hookups at campsites, those are harder to come by - the big campgrounds in the national parks and private campgrounds would be your best bet. If you're like me and always want to be ready for anything, keep at least some in your tanks or have a 5 gallon jug that you can fill with good water for drinking.