As U.S. Customs officials get ready to install a giant X-ray machine at the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, officials are also talking about how to catch truckers who ignore rules against carrying hazardous materials across the bridge.

To help thwart terrorists, vehicles that could be hiding something, mostly trucks, will be X-rayed. The machine is scheduled to be installed on the Detroit side of the bridge in January at a cost of more than $1 million. The entire truck fits into the X-ray machine.
Meanwhile, a Canadian government report shows that thousands of truck drivers are illegally bringing hazardous materials across the bridge. Neither U.S. nor Canadian law prohibits hazardous materials from crossing the bridge. But the private company that owns the bridge does not allow trucks carrying hazardous materials.
Drivers apparently pull their hazmat placards off the trucks while in Windsor, Ontario, before crossing into the United States, according to the Detroit Free Press. Hauling hazmat loads without the appropriate placards is a violation of federal law in both the United States and Canada.
The company that owns the Detroit-Windsor tunnel also prohibits hazmat loads. Trucks carrying hazardous materials can use a ferry, but the ferry costs $50 to $200, compared to $15 to $45 for the bridge.
Nearly 3 million trucks cross the border between Detroit and Windsor each year.