South Dakota says upgraded port of entry will reduce wait time for carriers

Following an 18-month closure, South Dakota has reopened an “updated and modernized” port of entry.

On Wednesday, Dec. 13, the South Dakota Department of Transportation, along with the South Dakota Highway Patrol, announced the reopening of the port of entry located off I-90 in Tilford, S.D. The facility had been closed since August 2022 during the construction.

“By working with the SDDOT, we were able to replace aging and outdated equipment with new technology,” Capt. Jon Stahl, South Dakota Highway Patrol District Four Commander, said in a statement. “The new facility uses electronic pre-screening of trucks and an indoor inspection building to reduce down-time for drivers and get them back on the road faster. The result is a safer highway for everyone.”

According to the state’s Department of Public Safety, the upgrades to the Tilford facility include:

• Construction of a new building with an office, scale and indoor inspection bay
• E-screening equipment with weigh-in-motion interface
• Tire anomaly detection
• Thermal brake checking systems

In a statement, officials said the Tilford port of entry is the last of four facilities in the state “to receive technology and facility updates to improve efficiency in the inspection process.”

The other permanent ports of entry located in the Mount Rushmore State include:

• Jefferson, S.D. (I-29 exit 13)
• Sioux Falls, S.D. (I-90 exit 412)
• Sisseton, S.D. (I-29 exit 235)

Site improvements at these ports of entry began in 2017 and continued over the following years. The state said those upgrades have helped to improve efficiency – something they hope to see at the new location, as well.

“CMVs are screened more efficiently, allowing inspectors to identify CMVs that have safety issues and keeping those moving that do not, to reduce times at the POEs,” a spokesperson for the South Dakota Department of Public Safety told Land Line. “The ultimate goal is to reduce a carrier’s time at the port and keep them on the road.”

According to the state, an average of 5,000 commercial vehicles pass through the Tilford POE each week. LL