Security Briefs - Jan. 30 - Feb. 5
The Latest Headlines:
- Powell Presents Iraq Evidence Tapes to UN
- DOT Rule Outlines Security Requirements for Canadian Truckers
- Roadway Debuts Enhanced Secure Shipping
- DOT Rule Outlines Security Requirements for Canadian Truckers
Powell Presents Iraq Evidence Tapes to UN
Secretary of State Colin Powell presented video and audio taped evidence to members of the UN Security Council in laying out the United States’ case for war with Iraq.The speech was augmented by surveillance tapes of suspected weapons sites before and after inspections, radio intercepts of Iraqi soldiers discussing how to prepare for weapons inspectors and other charges that Powell said put the country and its leader Saddam Hussein in violation of UN Security Council resolutions.
Observers said that the speech moved the U.S. closer to a possible war with Iraq, the Associated Press said. If the U.S. does go to war, it could squeeze petroleum exports from the oil-rich Middle East. Transport Topics
DOT Rule Outlines Security Requirements for Canadian Truckers
The Department of Transportation's Transportation Security Administration issued an emergency rule Tuesday, aimed at solving an impasse that had threatened to prohibit Canadian truckers from hauling explosives into the United States.The rule now requires Canadian transportation companies that want to haul explosives into the U.S. to submit certain information to Transport Canada so the agency can do background checks. That information will be passed on to TSA and down to Customs inspectors, who will only allow approved carriers to cross the border.
The new rule from the DOT was drafted in response to new regulations put in place by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Under the Safe Explosives Act of 2002, aliens, those dishonorably discharged from the military, former felons, fugitives, people who had renounced their U.S. citizenship and people who had been declared mentally incompetent or had been committed to a mental institution are not eligible possess explosives.
The ATF issued an intrepretation of that law in January that said companies that haul explosives and their employees were subject to those prohibitions, news services said.
The TSA rule was drafted as a temporary solution to the problem of cross-border explosives-hauling until "department completes consultations with Canada and other U.S. government agencies and issues more comprehensive regulations regarding background checks of persons transporting hazardous materials," DOT said in a release. Transport Topics
Roadway Debuts Enhanced Secure Shipping
Roadway Express Inc. said Tuesday that it will now be offering “sealed divider” service to customers who require more secure shipping.The sealed divider “provides a secure less-than-truckload shipping environment for a customer’s freight,” the Akron, Ohio-based company claimed.
The divider comes equipped with “two tamper-proof locks” to secure the customized barrier within the trailer.
"[It] fits nicely in Roadway's niche products that are developed to address specific shipping needs that our customers face, such as fragile freight or heightened concerns about homeland security,” said Bill Michael, vice president of marketing.
Roadway Express is a division of Roadway Corp., which is ranked No. 7 on the 2002 Transport Topics 100 listing of the largest trucking companies in the United States and Canada. Transport Topics
(Click here for the full press release.)
