Port of Entry

DOUGLAS  – The Arizona Department of Transportation is holding an in-person open house Thursday, April 27, to share information on a study evaluating alternatives for a connector road from the new Douglas International Port of Entry to State Route 80.

ADOT is conducting the study to recommend a preferred future roadway location and design that can safely accommodate commercial traffic, as there is no current paved roadway in place. 

PHOENIX – After wandering across both directions of Interstate 40 on foot and into the eastbound facility of the Topock Port of Entry this past spring, an impaired commercial driver was taken into custody after an ADOT Enforcement and Compliance officer recognized the signs and symptoms of impairment thanks to DUI training.

PHOENIX – To help freight move efficiently while ensuring that commercial vehicles can operate safely on state highways, the Arizona Department of Transportation has expanded its use of technology that screens moving trucks for weight and identifying information.

This system, used until now at select rest areas including McGuireville on Interstate 17, Sacaton on Interstate 10 and Canoa Ranch on Interstate 19, is now operating at ADOT’s commercial ports of entry along I-10, I-40 and State Route 95 in Parker.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation has extended higher weight limits for commercial trucks hauling critical supplies and goods that Arizona communities are relying on during the current public health situation.

Coordinating with Governor Ducey, ADOT in early April raised the gross weight limit for commercial vehicles to 90,000 pounds without the need for an overweight permit, up from the normal 80,000 pounds. That temporary measure, set to expire on April 30, has now been extended to the end of May.

PHOENIX – Governor Ducey and the Arizona Department of Transportation today took action to help ensure critical supplies and goods Arizonans rely on can be transported more easily by temporarily waiving certain commercial vehicles regulations.

PHOENIX – Two years after launching a first-of-its-kind truck safety training program for drivers and companies in Mexico, the Arizona Department of Transportation has added refresher instruction for those who have been through the program.

PHOENIX – A tunnel built to keep pedestrians safe near the Arizona Department of Transportation’s commercial port of entry in Nogales is now open around the clock.

ADOT’s Enforcement and Compliance Division conducts truck safety inspections near where pedestrians emerge from the federal portion of the Mariposa Port of Entry. The 150-yard underground walkway keeps pedestrians out of the way of trucks that have cleared ADOT inspections and are accelerating to merge onto State Route 189.

ADOT's International Border Inspection Qualification has helped Mexican truckers achieve a more than 99 percent success rate on safety inspections while crossing the international border.

At Arizona Department of Transportation commercial ports of entry near California and New Mexico, K-9 units are trained to identify not only evidence of illegal drugs but human cargo that can include victims of human trafficking. Lieutenants overseeing these ports have training on identifying warning signs of human trafficking, such as unusual tattoos, an unwillingness to speak up and carrying large amounts of cash without explanation.

ADOT's officers are getting training on recognizing opioid overdoses and being able to quickly respond to save a life.

First year of sessions complete

Funding all planned improvements along SR 189 in Nogales and creating a safety training program for trucking firms in Mexico both are aimed at boosting international trade and Arizona's economy.

A 1978 photo from the ADOT archives shows Motor Vehicle Division inspectors, the precursors to Enforcement and Compliance Division officers today, working at the US 66 port of entry in Kingman.

The Arizona Department of Transportation’s Ehrenberg Port of Entry on Interstate 10 is temporarily reducing hours of operation and making other changes to accommodate ongoing construction at the commercial port.

Three projects, each designed to make Arizona safer, each taking ADOT where no transportation agency has gone before.

ADOT continues to improve efficiency at our international ports of entry to support commercial traffic and boost the economy.

PHOENIX – A popular smartphone messaging app is helping to make Arizona roads safer for motorists and truck drivers while reducing congestion at the international border and boosting Arizona’s economy.

As part of a first-of-its-kind safety certification program for truck drivers and trucking firms in Mexico, the Arizona Department of Transportation is using WhatsApp to help qualified drivers and mechanics know whether their trucks meet Arizona safety requirements before heading to the border.

PHOENIX – Arizona Department of Transportation officers seized $29,000 hidden in a small cooler when a truck driver and passenger arrived at an Interstate 40 port of entry near New Mexico with no registration, no trailer and a suspicious story.

The officers, whose primary duty is making sure commercial vehicles operate safely and legally in Arizona, found the money Tuesday, Aug. 1, after the truck driver and his passenger gave permission to search the cab for paperwork that would help identify the truck.