Canada and the U.S. announce Phase 2 of cargo pre-inspection pilot

Government officials from Canada and the U.S. have officially launched Phase 2 of the truck cargo pre-inspection pilot at the Peace Bridge crossing between Fort Erie, Ont., and Buffalo, New York. The pilot is a key deliverable under the Beyond the Border Action Plan issued by Prime Minister Harper and President Obama in December 2011.

Canada and the U.S. are using the pilot to test the concept of conducting U.S. Custom and Border Protection (CBP) primary inspection of U.S.-bound truck cargo in Canada to better manage their shared border and improve economic opportunities for both countries. The objective of pre-clearance is to expedite the flow of legitimate trade and travel while ensuring border security and integrity.

Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME) called the pre-inspection clearance pilot an important step to expedite shipments into the U.S., by helping to eliminate congestion on the Peace Bridge, which is a major bottleneck to the integrated manufacturing supply chain.

“This is certainly a good step for improving the delays our members have faced in moving goods over the Peace Bridge,” CME president and CEO Jayson Myers said. “More than four million businesspeople cross the border every year along with millions of trucks carrying production parts for manufacturing facilities on both sides of the border. Facilitating cross-border business trade and travel is essential to the economic success of Canada and the U.S.”

In March 2013, Canada and the U.S. signed the Memorandum of Understanding that enabled the U.S. CBP truck cargo pre-inspection pilot project to take place on Canadian soil. Phase 1 of the pilot was launched at the Pacific Highway crossing between Surrey, B.C., and Blaine, Washington in June 2013.