Six Months Later – Country, Industry Have Changed Dramatically

The United States, and the trucking industry, have seen profound changes in the six months since four hijacked jetliners slammed into the two towers of the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., and an open field in Pennsylvania.

Since the Sept. 11 attacks, the U.S. government identified terrorists based in Afghanistan as responsible, launched a war against them and instituted wartime-style security measures domestically that had a strong impact on freight and passenger transportation systems.

The federal government has assumed control over airport security, and boosted security at national borders and ports, important buildings, and at times on roadways and bridges.

Trucks also became a focus of this special scrutiny, after reports surfaced that various men of Middle Eastern origins had illegally obtained commercial driver licenses with hazardous material certification. That raised concerns that trucks hauling explosives or chemicals could become the next weapons of terror, the Associated Press previously reported.

Tougher security at the border, ports and airports – especially along the U.S. borders with Canada and Mexico -- have snarled truck traffic and pushed officials from all three countries to look for ways to reduce delays.

The attacks also pushed the economy deeper into a recession that economists had said began in March 2001. Since then however, manufacturing and other economic areas have begun to show signs of recovery.

But the fallout from Sept. 11 is far from over.

Fighting continues in Afghanistan, and U.S. forces have been dispatched to other countries to help fight terrorist cells around the world.

Meanwhile, a report in Friday’s Wall Street Journal said that while much has been done to bolster security and prevent another attack, much is still left to do.

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