Industry Groups Propose Anti-Terrorism Plan
OLIVER B. PATTON
WASHINGTON EDITOR
Trucking interests are proposing to enlist all truck drivers in the national defense against terrorism.
The Anti-Terrorism Action Plan would train truck drivers and truck stop employees to spot suspicious activity, and provide a way to communicate that information to the industry and to government. It also calls for a variety of industry responses to terrorist threats, including national coordination of routes in the event of severe emergency.
The plan was assembled by interest groups representing various segments of the industry, including long-haul and local companies, tank carriers, movers, agricultural haulers, truckstop operators, intermodal companies and truck rental and leasing companies, according to an announcement issued by American Trucking Assns.
In the plan, industry actions are keyed to five different levels of threat, as outlined recently by the Office of Homeland Security: from Code Green, or low risk of terrorist attack, to Code Red, for severe risk.
The first industry action would be to expand ATA's Highway Watch program, in which drivers are asked to report safety problems such as stranded motorists, drunk drivers, accidents and changing weather conditions. That program is under way in six states (Colorado, Florida, Kansas, Minnesota, Oregon and Virginia).
The plan envisions making Highway Watch a national program. It calls for an operations center to communicate between the industry and government agencies, and an industry-sponsored "800" number for drivers to use. Calls to this number would be screened and forwarded to the appropriate authority.
A key element of the plan is a higher level of cooperation among private and government entities. For example, it calls for standard response times on stolen or hijacked vehicles, depending on the level of threat. In Code Green, law enforcement agencies would respond within 60 minutes, while in Code Blue or general risk of terrorist attack, they would respond within 30 minutes. During periods of high risk, the Highway Watch Operations Center would broadcast threat information, as well as information on missing or overdue equipment.
The plan also calls for greater industry access to official databases in order to do criminal background checks on drivers and other workers. A federal rule that would require hazardous materials drivers to clear a federal background check is now in the works (see related story).
The authors of the plan view it as a blueprint for action. They do not discuss costs, or what the next step in the process will be.
More Washington Report
Reversal On Ergo Rule Stirs Opposition
Background Check Will Create Hurdles For Hazmat Drivers With Criminal Records
CDL Still Susceptible to Fraud
Safety Rule Targets New Entrants
