Security Briefs - April 17 - April 23
The Latest Headlines:
- Trucking Worried About New Explosives Law
- Two Arrested With Dynamite at Ambassador Bridge
- Underfunded Seaports Vulnerable to Terrorism
- Missouri Launches Highway Watch
- Two Arrested With Dynamite at Ambassador Bridge
Trucking Worried About New Explosives Law
Some trucking companies have joined the rail industry in refusing to move explosives because of the Safe Explosives Act, which President Bush signed in November and takes full effect May 24, USA Today reported Monday.Railroad and trucking industry officials said the new law could be read as requiring background checks on thousands of people, including commercial rail workers and truck drivers and virtually anyone else who helps to transport explosives, the article said.
Rich Moskowitz, assistant general counsel for the American Trucking Associations, told USA Today member companies often have no way to determine whether drivers could be among those prohibited from possessing explosives under the new law.
Under current regulations, those who work at explosives companies, distributors of explosives and buyers of large amounts of such material must undergo background checks by the U.S. government. Transport Topics
Two Arrested With Dynamite at Ambassador Bridge
Two men were arrested Sunday night after police saw them videotaping the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit, the busiest U.S.-Canada border crossing, and found dynamite, a collapsible baton and shotgun shells in their car, the Associated Press reported.The Ambassador Bridge has about 10 million vehicle crossings every year and handles about 25% of all trade traffic between the United States and Canada.
Police were holding the men on a felony charge of possessing a dangerous weapon. They were also evaluating whether further charges should be filed for carrying two quarter-sticks of dynamite, which are comparable to M-80 firecrackers, AP said. Transport Topics
Underfunded Seaports Vulnerable to Terrorism
Seaports in the United States remain vulnerable to terrorism and have only have been promised about $350 million of the more than $6 billion the Coast Guard estimates they will need in the coming 10 years to secure ports from terrorism, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday.Trucks are often used to move the freight to and from seaports, so if an attack closed seaports, it would also hurt the business of many trucking firms.
Law-enforcement officials said they fear a chemical or nuclear weapon could be smuggled inside one of the estimated 12 million shipping containers to enter U.S. ports annually. There are also concerns about suicide bombings such as the USS Cole in Yemen.
Officials at many ports cannot identify specific security weaknesses until security assessments are done, the Journal said. Thus far, assessments have only been conducted at five of the nation’s 55 most vital ports, the article said.
That is why there are no specific security requirements for ports, which are not even required to check incoming cargo, the Journal said.
Instead, that is the responsibility of Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, formerly known as the Customs Service. In general, only about 4% of the containers that enter U.S. ports are either x-rayed or visually inspected, the Journal reported. Transport Topics
Missouri Launches Highway Watch
The Missouri Motor Carriers Association said it had launched the Highway Watch road safety program in its state.“Today, there is no more important duty that our professional truck drivers can perform than to assist in providing both safety and security on America’s highways,” MMCA President George Burruss said in a statement. “Keep in mind that Missouri truck drivers pick up and deliver freight all over the country, not just in Missouri.”
Highway Watch, a program developed by American Trucking Associations, enlists specially trained truck drivers to report incidents such as truck driving, hazardous road conditions, accidents and breakdowns and any criminal activity, including possible terrorism.
Missouri is the 16th state to launch the program. Transport Topics
This story appeared in the April 21 print edition of Transport Topics.
