BUFFALO, N.Y. — Trucks crossing into the U.S. at this New York-Ontario border should be moving through Customs faster later this year.

The U.S. government is launching a pilot program at the Peace and Lewiston-Queenston bridges that would see some U.S.-bound freight get pre-cleared in Canada, before it reaches the border.

Details are sketchy but according to a report in the Buffalo News, the Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection Alan Bersin said that if routine cargo could be pre-cleared before it gets to the border, freight traffic would be move faster and Customs officials could spend more energy on more serious security risks.

According to the report, the pilot project will get underway before the end of 2011, and Bersin said if the project proves successful, it could be expanded to other CanAm border crossings.

Bersin was speaking at a house judiciary subcommittee meeting Tuesday when he made the comments. He did not say where in Canada the freight would be pre-cleared, or when it would start.

The hearing also comes at the same time as Customs officials are attempting to expand the Peace Bridge inspection plaza but meeting roadblocks because of local neighborhood objections.