TORONTO — Drivers who operate into or through Michigan will have noticed over the past year that enforcement has been stepped up against Canadian carriers. It appears now that the increased scrutiny may have been misdirected, and largely the result of a change in funding sources for the Michigan State Patrol.

Early in 2007, Michigan wound up on the wrong end of a federal funding shortfall. The $4.2 million budget cut threatened to sideline up to 42 truck enforcement officers. At the last minute, Michigan was able to procure money that was earmarked for border enforcement.

Michigan State Police Captain, Robert Powers says that the combined volume at the Ontario-Michigan border crossing is more than all the ports of entry along the Mexican border. Because of the perceived increase in the security risk at the Michigan ports of entry, they were able to secure the funding to keep the officers on the job.

“That was the good part of it,” Powers told a room of Canadian fleet owners at the Ontario Trucking Association convention late last year. . “The negative side of it — at least for you — was that a lot more focus was brought to cross-border traffic. We can’t always tell if a U.S.-plated truck is operating cross-border, but when we see a Canadian-plated truck, we know it’s an eligible stop and an eligible inspection under the special funding we got.”

The bottom line, Powers added, “is, as some of you are painfully aware, we paid a lot more attention to Canadian trucks than we ever have before.”

Some trucks were being stopped several times on a single trip, and Powers admitted that a few officers “went over the line.”

While he stopped short of apologizing, Powers did say that some of the questionable charges are being re-examined. He also noted that as a consequence of the stepped up enforcement, Canadian carriers showed themselves to be statistically safer than Michigan carriers.

“All in all, Canadian trucks and Canadian drivers are doing a great job, at least when we compare you to Michigan drivers and Michigan vehicles,” said Powers.

Powers brought with him some statistics that show how Canadians stacked up against their American counterparts in safety inspections between 2006 and the first 10 months of 2007. (see chart).