Biometric ID’s and other security measures lie ahead for trucking companies.

The Department of Transportation and the trucking industry both realize the need for increased vigilance over the transportation of chemicals and other hazardous materials across the nation’s highways. Sentinel Transportation, a carrier that hauls chemicals for DuPont, has already instituted its own security program in response to incidences it believes are attempts to gather intelligence for terrorist activities. For example, shortly after September 11th a man approached one of Sentinel’s drivers and asked him how many gallons his truck could carry. The driver refused to answer but later spotted the same individual getting the information from the truck’s placard. As if instances of shady characters seeking information about tank capacities aren’t troubling enough, a report by the Central Intelligence Agency has come out declaring that terrorists are likely to use trucks, ships and planes for their attacks. Simply put, vehicles transporting hazardous materials can cause more destruction than most of the conventional weapons that the terrorists possess. When one considers that the average tank trailer contains 9,000 gallons of gasoline, compared to the 11,000 gallons carried in the fuel tanks of the planes that hit the Twin Towers, the need for transportation security takes on a newfound urgency.

For companies whose operations require the transportation of chemicals or hazardous materials, the specter of a terrorist attack means beefed up security measures. Even now, the Department of Transportation’s Security Administration agency, along with other federal security bodies such as the Coast Guard and U.S. Customs, are putting together a homeland security plan that will have a pronounced effect on the trucking industry.

In what is likely to be the first of a new wave of security measures, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is currently formulating rules that would require background checks on all drivers of trucks containing hazardous materials. The FBI and Immigration and Naturalization Service are among the agencies that would be involved in the screening. These rules would require drivers to register their fingerprints with the police before being allowed to receive or renew their commercial license. The screening process, which would include having the Department of Transportation first verify the driver’s information and then decide whether or not to issue the license, could take as long as two months. The cost of the background check has been estimated at $50 ($25 to cover the fingerprinting and $25 for the screening), an amount that either the trucking company or the driver is likely to shoulder.

Another security measure currently under development is the National Transportation Worker ID card. Using biometric technology, this item would not only verify the identity of the holder and validate their background, it would also be used to control access to vehicles and facilities. The basic idea is that only authorized individuals would be able to drive the trucks and enter restricted areas. Which form of biometric identification the card will utilize has not yet been decided. Once it’s introduced the National Transportation Worker ID card system could be divided into varying levels of clearance. For example, a card with level 4 clearance would allow a greater amount of access than a level 1 card. Drivers of hazardous materials would require a card with level 5 clearance. Beyond this, not much is known about the developing National Transportation Worker ID project since federal agencies are keeping its development low profile.

Of course, whatever steps toward security the Department of Transportation and other government agencies take should be measured against their detrimental effects on industry. There are also questions of personal privacy to consider. It is hoped that government and industry, working together, can arrive at security measures that ensure that trucks carrying hazardous materials are never used by terrorists as weapons. It is also hoped that this can be done without unduly burdening the industries that contribute to our nation’s economic wellbeing.

Source: Safe and Secure: The Present Danger
Oliver B. Patton
Heavy Duty Trucking, April, 2002
http://www.heavydutytrucking.com/2002/03/034a0203.asp