Canada, US to Launch Truck Pre-Inspection Program at Peace Bridge

Canada and the United States are planning this month to launch the second phase of a pilot program designed to speed the flow of freight at the border by having U.S.-bound trucks inspected on Canadian soil.

The launch will be Feb. 24 at the Peace Bridge, which connects Buffalo, N.Y., and Fort Erie, Ontario. Officials expect the pilot to last six months.

A five-month pilot program was carried out last year at the border crossing in Blaine, Wash., under which U.S.-bound trucks were inspected on the north side of the border in Surrey, British Columbia.

In both cases, the truck inspectors were part of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency.

The pilot program was authorized under an agreement signed in March by the United States and Canada.