On January 2, 2014, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a news release announcing that the five-months testing phase of the Truck Cargo Pre-Inspection Pilot completed successfully, and the concept has been declared as feasible.

The pilot, which was initiated on June 18, 2013 at the Pacific Highway crossing between Surrey, British Columbia in Canada, and Blaine, WA, tested whether or not it is viable to assign CBP officers to Canadian crossing points to pre-inspect trucks headed south, and examined current technologies and joint processes between the U.S. and Canada.

In the release, CBP explains that, “Phase II of the pilot will be conducted at the Peace Bridge Crossing in Buffalo, N.Y./Fort Erie, ON and will begin in January 2014 for up to one year. Phase II will test the ability of the pre-inspection process to reduce wait times and border congestion—streamlining the flow of cross-border trade that is vital to both country’s economies. “

CBP also notes that only trusted traders participating in CBP's Free and Secure Trade (FAST) program were eligible to participate under the Truck Cargo Pre-Inspection Pilot.

The press release can be accessed here