Regulation7 min read
Reading the 2027 HTS revision: 41 changes that touch auto-parts entries
We ran the draft revision against 58,000 part numbers in client classification libraries. Most changes are renumbering; nine move parts between duty rates.
Freight across the northern border, cleared before it reaches the bridge.
Ostervale files the entries, moves the trailers and holds the inventory for 640 manufacturers shipping between the Great Lakes states, Ontario and Québec. One team and one file number, from purchase order to proof of delivery.
- Licensed customs broker since 1994
- 268 staff in 11 offices
- Privately held, 31% employee-owned
Corridor status
Data as of
| Crossing | Wait | FAST | Trend, 12 h | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ambassador BridgeDetroit – Windsor | 34min | 12 min | From 22 to 34 minutes over 12 hours | Busy |
| Blue Water BridgePort Huron – Sarnia | 18min | 6 min | From 14 to 18 minutes over 12 hours | Normal |
| Peace BridgeBuffalo – Fort Erie | 27min | 9 min | From 31 to 27 minutes over 12 hours | Normal |
| Lacolle – ChamplainMontréal corridor | 11min | No FAST lane | From 9 to 11 minutes over 12 hours | Normal |
| World Trade BridgeLaredo – Nuevo Laredo | 57min | 19 min | From 38 to 57 minutes over 12 hours | Heavy |
- Customs release, median
- 41min
- US entries, trailing 7 days (−6 vs prior week)
- Entries filed, last 24h
- 1,284
- US 817 · Canada 467
- Dry van, Toledo → Windsor
- Tight
- Next open tender slot Fri 24 Oct
Advisories
- Ambassador Bridge: lane 3 closed 22:00–04:00 through Sat 25 Oct
- Laredo: inspection volume up 14% week on week ahead of month-end
- Toledo bonded warehouse 62% occupied, 3,180 pallet positions free
- Chicago rail ramp dwell 2.1 days against a 2.0 target
- US Thanksgiving, Thu 27 Nov: ops desk staffed, document cut-off 12:00 ET
- Montréal LCL consolidation from Hamburg closes Mon 27 Oct
Refreshed every 10 minutes from our gate and dispatch logs. Illustrative figures for a demo site. Not live border data.
Last full year, in five numbers
- of US entries released with no exam hold
- 97.3%
- 12 months to Sep 2026
- entries filed across both customs systems
- 312,450
- FY2025
- of truckloads delivered inside a 30-minute window
- 93.8%
- Q3 2026
- licensed customs brokers on staff
- 37
- US and Canada, Oct 2026
- of entries needing a post-entry correction
- 0.62%
- FY2025
Figures from Ostervale operating records, reviewed by our external auditor each March.
What we run for you
Most clients start with brokerage and add trucking or warehousing within a year. Each service has its own licensed lead and its own published cut-offs.
Entries filed by licensed brokers who know your parts list.
Each account is assigned to a named broker in Toledo or Windsor with a backup on the opposite shift. They keep your classification library current and file on both sides of the border, so a northbound load and its southbound return sit in one record.
Included
- US formal, informal and in-bond entries; Canadian release and accounting
- Classification library maintained per part number, reviewed every quarter
- Pre-arrival filing for every truckload we or your carrier move
- Exam and hold management at the port, with photos to your file
- Monthly duty and fee statement reconciled to your ledger
Typical client: A Tier 2 stamping supplier filing 90 to 140 entries a week into Windsor and Oakville.
SpecificationOct 2026
- Same-day cut-off
- 15:00 ET, documents complete
- Median release
- 41 min, trailing 7 days
- Exam hold rate
- 2.7% of US entries, 12 months
- Fees
- From $68 per entry; lines above 10 at $3.20
- Licensed staff
- 37 brokers, US and Canada
Our own tractors, our own drivers, cleared before the bridge.
We run dry van, heated and flatbed equipment between the Great Lakes states and Ontario and Québec. Because the same company files the entry, the driver arrives with a release number, not a question.
Included
- Dedicated and spot truckload, northbound and southbound
- Heated trailers October to April for food ingredients and coatings
- Flatbed and step-deck for press components and structural steel
- Bonded carrier movements in both directions
- Positions every 15 minutes, geofenced border arrival alerts
Typical client: A Toledo glass plant moving 22 loads a week to two assembly plants near Windsor.
SpecificationOct 2026
- Fleet
- 184 tractors, 410 trailers (62 heated)
- Tractor age
- 3.1 years average
- On-time
- 93.8%, ±30 min window, Q3 2026
- Core lanes
- Toledo, Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland ↔ Ontario, Québec
- Tender cut-off
- 14:00 ET for next-day pickup
Inbound containers and air freight, landed at a Great Lakes dock.
For tooling, resin and sub-assemblies coming from Europe and Asia we book the ocean or air leg, clear it at the first port and truck it inland on our own equipment. One rate covers port to plant.
Included
- FCL and weekly LCL consolidations via Montréal and New York/New Jersey
- Air freight through Chicago, Toronto and Detroit gateways
- In-bond moves from port to Toledo or Windsor for inland clearance
- Container drayage and transload at our Toledo dock
Typical client: An industrial pump maker importing 160 containers a year of castings from Bavaria.
SpecificationOct 2026
- Ports
- Montréal, Halifax, NY/NJ, Baltimore
- Air gateways
- ORD, YYZ, DTW
- Montréal to Toledo
- 4 days median, port release to dock
- LCL sailings
- Weekly from Hamburg and Shanghai
Hold inventory duty-deferred until the line needs it.
Our Toledo warehouse is customs-bonded and our Windsor site is a sufferance warehouse, so goods can wait on either side of the border without duty being paid until release. Stock is visible to you through the client login.
Included
- Bonded storage on both sides of the border
- Cross-dock and sequencing for just-in-time deliveries
- Kitting, relabelling and country-of-origin marking
- Cycle counts weekly, full count every quarter
Typical client: A seating supplier holding 11 days of imported foam and fabric in bond outside Toledo.
SpecificationOct 2026
- Toledo
- 212,000 sq ft, bonded, 38 dock doors
- Windsor
- 64,000 sq ft, sufferance, 22 doors
- Pallet positions
- 8,400 combined
- Inventory accuracy
- 99.82%, last four counts
The paperwork behind the paperwork.
A 14-person compliance group reviews origin, valuation and classification before an auditor does. Most engagements start as a 6-week review of last year's entries and become a standing quarterly check.
Included
- USMCA origin and regional value content reviews
- Duty drawback claims, manufacturing and unused merchandise
- Binding ruling requests drafted in-house
- Audit and prior disclosure support with outside counsel
Typical client: A metals processor that recovered $640,000 in drawback on re-exported coil in its first year.
SpecificationOct 2026
- Origin reviews
- 2,917 certifications in FY2025
- Drawback recovered
- $11.4M for clients, FY2025
- Audit response
- 9 business days average
- Team
- 14, including 6 licensed brokers
Coverage
Offices sit within 40 minutes of the crossings they serve. Each region runs its own dispatch and brokerage desk and hands off to the next region inside the same system.
11offices, 268 staff
Regions
Great Lakes (US)
- Offices
- Toledo (HQ), Detroit, Cleveland, Chicago, Buffalo
- Crossings served
- Ambassador Bridge, Blue Water Bridge, Peace Bridge
- Staff
- 161
- Desk hours
- 24/7
Ontario
- Offices
- Windsor, Sarnia, Mississauga, Fort Erie
- Crossings served
- Ambassador Bridge, Blue Water Bridge, Peace Bridge, Lewiston–Queenston
- Staff
- 71
- Desk hours
- 24/7
Québec
- Offices
- Montréal (Lachine)
- Crossings served
- Lacolle–Champlain
- Staff
- 19
- Desk hours
- 05:00–23:00 ET
Southern lane
- Offices
- Laredo, TX
- Crossings served
- World Trade Bridge, Colombia Solidarity Bridge
- Staff
- 17
- Desk hours
- 24/7
The Laredo office serves clients who already ship north with us and need one broker for Mexico-origin parts.
Leadership
Every account has an executive sponsor from this list. Average tenure at Ostervale: 17 years.
Full biographiesDana Kowalczyk
President & Chief Executive
Previously: Ran Canadian brokerage operations, 2009–2017
- Joined
- Since 2003
- Based in
- Toledo
Walt Brenneman
Founder & Chair
Previously: Customs broker for a Toledo glass maker
- Joined
- Since 1994
- Based in
- Toledo
Rafael Aguirre-Benn
Chief Financial Officer
Previously: Controller at an automotive seating supplier
- Joined
- Since 2016
- Based in
- Toledo
Simone Thériault
Vice President, Canadian Operations
Previously: Port operations manager in Montréal
- Joined
- Since 2009
- Based in
- Mississauga
Gordon Achebe
Vice President, Fleet & Linehaul
Previously: Transportation officer, US Army Reserve
- Joined
- Since 2011
- Based in
- Toledo
Priya Raman
Director, Trade Compliance
Previously: Trade analyst at a regional law firm
- Joined
- Since 2014
- Based in
- Detroit
Insights
Written by the brokers and planners who do the work. Published roughly twice a month.
5 min
9 min
4 min
6 min
3 min
Send us last quarter's entries. We'll show you where the time went.
Share one quarter of entry summaries and lane volumes. A licensed broker and a linehaul planner review them together and return a written proposal with clearance times, rates and a transition plan.
- 1A 30-minute call with the broker who would own your account
- 2Data review: entry summaries, lane volumes, current exam rate
- 3A written proposal within 6 business days, with fees fixed for 12 months
Prefer to call? New business desk, weekdays 07:30–18:00 ET: (419) 555-0160