The Detroit-Windsor Truck Ferry is a ferry

Ferry

A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...

 service that has transported cars

Automobile

An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...

 and truck

Truck

A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...

s across the Detroit River

Detroit River

The Detroit River is a strait in the Great Lakes system. The name comes from the French Rivière du Détroit, which translates literally as "River of the Strait". The Detroit River has served an important role in the history of Detroit and is one of the busiest waterways in the world. The river...

 for over 100 years. It currently accepts only truck

Truck

A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...

s. The ferry is the primary crossing for hazardous materials (HAZMAT) trucks between Windsor

Windsor, Ontario

Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...

, La Salle, and Detroit, Michigan

Detroit, Michigan

Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...

 and the Downriver Communities. Hazardous materials have been banned from the Ambassador Bridge

Ambassador Bridge

The Ambassador Bridge is a suspension bridge that connects Detroit, Michigan, in the United States, with Windsor, Ontario, in Canada. It is the busiest international border crossing in North America in terms of trade volume: more than 25 percent of all merchandise trade between the United States...

 and Detroit-Windsor Tunnel. The nearest alternative crossing that allows hazardous/radioactive materials is the Bluewater Bridge, which connects Port Huron, Michigan

Port Huron, Michigan

Port Huron is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of St. Clair County. The population was 30,184 at the 2010 census. The city is adjacent to Port Huron Township but is administratively autonomous. It is joined by the Blue Water Bridge over the St. Clair River to Sarnia,...

 and Sarnia, Ontario

Sarnia, Ontario

Sarnia is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada . It is the largest city on Lake Huron and is located where the upper Great Lakes empty into the St. Clair River....

..

Similar to all the international crossings in the Detroit-Windsor area, a toll is required, as is clearance from Canada Border Services Agency

Canada Border Services Agency

The Canada Border Services Agency is a federal law enforcement agency that is responsible for border enforcement, immigration enforcement and customs services....

 and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is a federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security charged with regulating and facilitating international trade, collecting import duties, and enforcing U.S. regulations, including trade, customs and immigration. CBP is the...

 at both terminals of the ferry route.

Location

On the Windsor side of the river, the Truck Ferry entrance is on Sprucewood Road (Essex County Road 40), near the Windsor Salt Mine

Windsor salt mine

The Windsor Salt Mine currently operates two locations in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. The first is at 200 Morton Drive in Windsor, established in 1955, and is owned by The Canadian Salt Company, Limited. The facility has 250 employees, earns roughly $75–99 million a year, producing road and mining...

 and Windsor Raceway

Windsor Raceway

Windsor Raceway is a standardbred harness racing track located in Windsor, Ontario. The track is 5/8 of a mile in length.The inaugural race took place on October 22, 1965, with Castle Direct driven by Fred Roloson, the first horse to ever cross the line with a time of 2:10.Opening day attendance -...

, and can be accessed from Ojibway Parkway (formerly Highway 18

Highway 18 (Ontario)

King's Highway 18, commonly referred to as Highway 18 was the longest highway in Essex County, Ontario, and travelled through the most communities. Today, it is known as County Road 20...

, now Essex County Road 20).

On the Detroit side of the river, the Truck Ferry entrance is on the south side of Jefferson Avenue West between S Schroeder St and S Post St, near Zug Island

Zug Island

Zug Island is a heavily industrialized island in the city of River Rouge near the southern city limits of Detroit in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located where the mouth of the River Rouge spills into the Detroit River...

. Customs Offices are at the entrances, and one must make a clearance with Customs before embarking onto the Truck Ferry, for standard procedures.

External links

• Official Truck Ferry Site