July 29, 2019 – U.S. Customs and Border Protection is replacing and expanding its fleet of non-intrusive X-ray scanning machines used to look inside truck trailers and containers entering the country’s ports of entry. The machines allow CBP officers to view the contents inside these freight transport conveyances for narcotics, weapons and other hidden contraband without having to open them. If suspicious cargo is discovered, the trailer or container can be pulled aside for physical inspection.

An operational benefit to the new non-intrusive inspection equipment is that truck drivers no longer need to exit their cabs during the scanning process, which allows CBP to review 50 trucks an hour versus seven with the older scanning equipment. “This will be a game changer for us,” said Todd Owen, CBP’s executive assistant commissioner for the Office of Field Operations.