Suit The Plan To Fit The Need
When it comes to security, one size does not fit all.
By Oliver B. Patton
Washington Editor
All fleets are vulnerable to a variety of risks, from cargo and equipment theft to workplace violence. Every trucking operation, no matter what size or type, should have a security plan.
The plan should fit your need. A six-truck fleet that hauls cut logs from forest to mill may not need real-time satellite communications and positioning to guard against hijacking, but a cellphone could come in handy.
The good news is that there are many places to turn for help. Industry trade associations, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, industry consultants and companies such as J. J. Keller all have advice on how to put together a plan.
A big operation with multiple terminals will need a specialist on staff and maybe professional advice from a consultant. The same is a good idea for fleets that haul high-value or hazardous freight.
For smaller companies, the risks are more straightforward.
"Keep it simple," counsels James McIntyre, president of U.S. Security Specialists. McIntyre, former chief of law enforcement liaison at the Immigration and Naturalization Service, offers full-service consulting but is quick to say that many companies can figure it out for themselves. McIntyre was speaking at a security seminar he conducted last May for the North American Transportation Management Institute, an arm of the Truckload Carriers Assn.
Workplace Violence
All good security plans begin at the same place: an assessment of threats and vulnerabilities. Some threats, such as cargo or equipment theft, are obvious. Others sometimes get overlooked.
Workplace violence is a far more likely occurrence than hijacking by terrorists, yet many businesses fail to prepare specifically for it, McIntyre said.
Each week an average of 20 workers are murdered and 18,000 are assaulted while at work or on duty, says the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. Taxi cab drivers face the highest risk, but trucking personnel are vulnerable to the extent that they have contact with the public, work alone or in high-crime areas or must take care of valuable property. And any company runs the risk of workplace violence perpetrated by an employee, or the relative of an employee, against another.
It happened just last month in Kansas City, Kan., when a worker whose job had just been eliminated took two handguns into the cafeteria of a meatpacking plant and started shooting people. Before it was over, he had killed six, including himself, and wounded two. According to one news account, workers said afterwards that they were surprised, because the man seemed "quiet and nice."
Terrorist Vulnerability
When you look at your vulnerabilities with respect to terrorist attack, the most important thing is the cargo. Among trucking operations, hazardous materials carriers are at the greatest risk from terrorist action.
Al-Qaeda has a history of using truck-borne hazmats as a weapon of mass destruction. Two years ago, in Djerba, Tunisia, a suicide driver ignited a truckload of natural gas outside a synagogue, killing or wounding dozens of people. And, al-Qaeda's doctrine is to repeat that which has worked in the past.
"Without considering the tactics used, a terrorist's objective is to take control of the material and transport it to a target location for use as a weapon," say Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration security guidelines.
Hazmat carriers are required by law to have a security plan in place, and non-hazmat carriers can benefit from what hazmat carriers have learned. On the FMCSA web site you will find a how-to guide for setting up a hazmat security plan (see accompanying story). Although it's geared to the particular risks of hazmats, the basic process will work for any kind of carrier.
McIntyre counsels that the risk assessment stage of the process be inclusive, and that it rank vulnerabilities by how likely they are to happen and the damage they could inflict.
For the assessment, FMCSA suggests a simple ranking system. Threats can be described as specific and credible, nonspecific but still credible, possible, unlikely and improbable. Vulnerabilities can be ranked low, medium or high. Consequences of an attack can be given a value, as well. Put this information together and you have an order of priorities for improving your security.
Risk Assessment
"A cookie-cutter approach is not appropriate," says FMCSA in its guidance to hazmat carriers. "The measures adopted by your company to address your vulnerabilities do not need to be complex or expensive to be effective, but the justification and rationale to support them needs to be sound and documented."
McIntyre and the safety agency stress that risk assessment should cover all facets of your operation, including facilities, business practices, cargo, equipment, personnel, business records, training - any area where you may be vulnerable to any type of crime. Few trucking companies will need the highest level of security, but it is important to consider the full range of security issues when you make your assessment. Your objective should be to understand all aspects of your security situation, and use that knowledge to devise your plan.
Moving from assessment to plan requires decisions about how you will handle your vulnerabilities and risks - and these decisions mean that you have to look at your organizational structure and assign security responsibilities.
Both FMCSA and McIntyre counsel that this does not necessarily mean you have to reinvent your business. Sometimes simple procedural changes can get the same result as a fancy new piece of equipment, the agency says.
McIntyre emphasizes the practical: "Set your priorities, make a budget and then do what you can, when you can."
Facility Security
Facility security begins with a site survey. McIntyre suggests retaining a professional for this task, but in any case you must be sure each member of the survey team has cleared a thorough background investigation and has the right training.
A complete site survey covers a variety of elements. It should consider the physical makeup of the facility - issues such as the accessibility of windows from the outside. It also should consider the surrounding terrain, including the street layout and other avenues of approach and exit, as well as concealment provided by the landscape.
Perimeter security is particularly important for trucking operations that need to protect equipment and cargo. Lights and fencing are the main considerations. If money is tight, McIntyre counsels installing lights first, and fencing later.
"You don't have to go from security A to Z all at once," he said. "Do what you can afford, then add on as you can."
Interior Security
Interior security begins with control of entry points. Companies that need a high level of security should have photo identification systems for employees and visitors, checkpoints where identities are examined and recorded, and procedures for handling special situations, such as the arrival of emergency response vehicles.
Some operations may need different colored ID badges, key cards or combination locks to control access to different areas. Employees and visitors should be required to display their IDs all the time. Keys and locks should be registered and controlled.
There should be at least two people on duty at each entrance and exit, and they should be trained and state-certified. They should be rotated between positions so they can learn how the full system works. Ideally, they will have a list of employees who are expected to come to work on any given day.
Drivers and vehicles entering and leaving should be checked - name and ID, license plate, cargo, date and time, passengers. An effective way to control pilferage is to conduct random trunk checks of cars leaving the facility. Also, consider installing cameras at the exit to record vehicles as they leave. Security personnel should be trained to respond properly if a vehicle does not stop to be checked.
Extremely high-risk facilities may require special equipment, such as walk-through or hand-held metal detectors, X-ray machines to scan briefcases, or explosive trace detectors. If you use an intrusion detection system you need to check it regularly to make sure it's working.
The site survey also should cover utility service - do you have backup power in case your perimeter lighting goes out? Are your utility rooms secure? Your heating, ventilating and air conditioning system should be protected from tampering, and fuel and other flammables must be properly stored.
McIntyre recommends that management maintain a good working relationship with local emergency personnel. The fire department should have a map of your facility, and local police should be aware of steps you have taken to secure your operation.
The risk of a terrorist attack against any given truck facility may be low, but it is wise to prepare for bomb threats or intruders. You cannot take the chance that a threat is not real, or that an intruder is not armed and bent on assaulting someone, McIntyre said. Make sure your public address system is working, that employees know how to evacuate and that you have procedures for communicating with local authorities. The evacuation plan should cover not just buildings but parking lots, as well.
Business Practices
All the site security in the world adds up to nothing unless you know who is working for you.
Employees should be thoroughly vetted before being issued an ID: drug testing, police records, employment and credit history, citizenship status, military record, personal references. A flag should go up if the applicant has a history of frequent job shifts, or uses more than one name, suggests FMCSA in its security talking points.
When it comes to gathering intelligence, thieves and terrorists operate in the same way. Any indication that you have been targeted should be taken as a warning to look carefully at who is interested, warns Vice Admiral Lowell E. Jacoby, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency.
"Organizations that have been previously targeted by organized crime should investigate the possibility that a terrorist organization has identified the same exposure previously identified by the traditional criminal element."
Terrorist Targets
FMCSA explains that terrorists try to keep themselves hidden while they gather information about their target. They look at public records and reference materials - web sites, annual reports, marketing information. They stake out a position and observe your procedures. They infiltrate or subvert to get information from company employees.
Defense against this intelligence gathering begins with awareness - if something smells fishy, don't ignore it. John Ferenczi, chief of safety and security compliance for Mid-States Express, tells a story that illustrates the point.
In August, 2002, two men filled out applications for jobs with Mid-States' Columbus, Ohio, facility. Mohammad Rauf and Kalid Sariff, claiming to be father and son, showed licenses from Maine, and Rauf claimed he had been a U.S. citizen since 1992. But the interviewer, Chris Johnson, was suspicious. The men appeared too close in age to be father and son, and Rauf's Social Security card was white in color, indicating that it dated from before 1984.
Johnson did not hire the men, and reported his suspicions to the FBI.
The following March, Rauf, who also called himself Iyman Faris, was arrested for terrorist activities. He was checking out the idea of cutting the cables of the Brooklyn Bridge with an acetylene torch. According to news reports, Rauf was working under orders from Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who is believed to be the al-Qaeda chief in charge of the Sept. 11 attacks. He later pleaded guilty to helping plan al-Qaeda activities in the U.S., and is now serving a 20-year prison sentence.
"I was proud of our people that day (in 2002)," Ferenczi said. He uses the story to underscore a message to Mid-States personnel: Don't wait when you see something suspicious. "If it is questionable, let someone know."
The new rules requiring background checks for hazmat drivers give some protection against hiring people with ill intent, but most of the industry remains vulnerable, since non-hazmat carriers do not have access to federal data bases.
But trucking managers do have some recourse, says McIntyre. He suggested that if an applicant has questionable identification, you contact your local police. Local, state and federal officials have access to the Law Enforcement Security Center, based in Burlington, Vt., which can check as many as eight immigration data bases.
This is a big problem: Estimates of the number of illegal aliens now in the country range from six million to 10 million. Most of these entered legally and overstayed their visa, and they are at least identified somewhere in the system, McIntyre says. A much greater worry, he said, are the 5,000 or so who are completely off the screen. "They are a source of concern."
Communication Is Key
Another key element of your plan is communication. If your drivers cannot communicate with you while they are on the road, your plan is useless, says McIntyre. They also must know how to contact police, as must terminal personnel. And, you need procedures for communication among your departments at the terminal, as well as between security staff and management.
Ferenczi's counsel to drivers on the road is, "Think security and safety." He requires pickup and delivery drivers to communicate with dispatch every third stop. Line haul drivers must call every time they stop.
Here's the standard operating procedure for Mid-States drivers:
• Be alert, be aware.
• Report suspicious activities to local police or 911.
• Vary your routes when you can.
• Park in the company of other trucks - use reputable truck stops and avoid unsecured areas such as shopping mall parking lots.
• Go directly to your delivery, but if you have to stop, be careful: avoid dark roads, alleys or deserted areas.
• Be aware of who is following you, or who is asking you questions.
• Be suspicious of someone who asks you to stop, alleging that there's been an accident. If you are not sure that an accident has occurred, go to the nearest police station or a well-lighted area before stopping.
• Lock your tractor and make sure the trailer is secured.
• Keep your tractor windows rolled up.
• Don't talk about your cargo on the C.B. radio.
• Do not pick up hitchhikers.
Highway Watch
American Trucking Assns., using a $19 million grant from the Transportation Security Administration, is training drivers to recognize and report potential terrorist threats. It's part of the Highway Watch program, which also enlists drivers to look out for highway safety situations such as stalled vehicles, bad weather and traffic backups.
Jack Legler, director of Trucking Security and Operations at ATA, could not discuss the details of the anti-terrorism training, on grounds of security, but did explain that it covers observation techniques, how to recognize terrorist methods and how to report the information. You must be a member of Highway Watch to qualify for the training. For information, go to the Highway Watch web site: www.highwaywatch.com.
It is important to be aware of the official threat condition, since different levels of threat require different actions. At this writing, for instance, the Homeland Security Administration's threat condition is "Elevated," indicating a significant risk of terrorist attacks. That means you should have more than usual surveillance of critical location, be in contact with local emergency response agencies, determine whether you need to step up your protective measures and be prepared to implement your emergency response plans.
Education And Training
Also key to your plan are education and training. "For a security plan to work, everyone has to buy into it," says McIntyre.
Employees need to know what they are supposed to do. That knowledge needs to be refreshed regularly. And, of great significance, employees need to know that their focus and attention are important - it's an effective way to combat what Admiral James Loy, deputy secretary of Homeland Security, calls "the complacency gene."
As time goes by and nothing happens, people have a tendency to lose focus and become inattentive. Terrorist attacks in Madrid, Istanbul, Saudi Arabia and Iraq may seem far away, but they "indicate we must continue to fight that complacency," Loy said in recent remarks to the National Cargo Security Council.
Ferenczi of Mid-States keeps people alert by sending out regular bulletins containing news clips and other items that underscore the nature of the threat and show how an individual can make a difference. A good source for such material is the Highway Information Sharing and Analysis Center (www.highwayisac.org) maintained by ATA.
And one more thing: if anyone asks you for a copy of your security plan, don't give it to them. Some have a legitimate interest - customers, or your insurance carrier - but if you give the plan away you are no longer secure. McIntyre suggests that you prepare a one-page summary that glosses the details but shows that you are prepared.
Trucking & Terrorism continued...
