TRUCKERS UNITE AGAINST TERRORISM

Everyone seems to have their terrorism antenna up nowadays. Some of the results, like the "zero tolerance" at airports, has quite obviously crossed the stupid line. But, that's only because Congress interfered, passing inappropriate legislation. Where Congress has not (yet) interfered, things seem to be handled on a more adult level.

The trucking industry is a case in point. Those of us who have had the unfortunate experience of witnessing a large gas truck burn understand what an eventful situation that can be. Other hazardous materials transported by trucks from coast to coast every day of the year could cause the same havoc. Bombs, explosives and very toxic chemicals are all on the road nearly every day. Soon, there will also be spent radioactive material from the nation's various power plants.

That we seldom hear of "accidents" like a fuel truck exploding is due, primarily, to the quality and experience of America's professional truck drivers. Let's face it, it takes a great deal of skill to pilot a big rig across the nation's highways for a million miles without crashing it. But, that is more common than most people realize.

Still, this terrorist thing has brought some concern -- and scrutiny -- to the trucking industry. After all, some of those large trucks could easily be turned into a rolling bomb. Trucks have been (hijacked) stolen. Others have been used to smuggle illegal materials, and even humans, into the country. Still others are operated by illegal aliens who may or may not have nefarious intentions.

For instance, FBI agents investigating terrorism have found that several men of Middle Eastern descent have obtained fraudulent licenses to transport hazardous materials. There were also reports of fraud in the testing and licensing of commercial drivers in 16 states since 1998. One investigation identified more than 900 drivers in Illinois and Florida who potentially obtained fraudulent licenses and moved to other states. A number managed (with help) to pass the necessary tests. Except, these men could not speak English -- which is a major "hint" of the out and out fraud of that licensing arrangement.

So, it's no wonder that the Transportation Department's inspector general said there were insufficient federal and state safeguards to stop would-be terrorists from illegally obtaining commercial truck driver's licenses. That's somewhat obvious. "Fraud is usually aimed at bypassing licensing rules in order to get a driving job. But the potential for terrorism can't be overlooked," the report says.(1)

"It is a question of safety and security," said David Barnes, a spokesman for the inspector general. "We need to know that those people getting behind the wheel of large trucks and buses are not only qualified, but that we know who they are."

That's fair. And, it would be good if they could speak English, too -- at least enough to communicate with the public and read signs. It might also be good if they could read and understand at least some of those poorly written trucking regulations.

The commercial driver's license system, which issues about 470,000 new licenses each year, is faulty, the inspector general said. Drivers can get a license in one state and use it to drive in others, so a breakdown in any state can affect the whole country.

Which means, of course, that government calls for new rules in licensing. For starters, they call for States to be required to verify that an applicant is in the country legally and that he or she actually resides in the state in which the license application is made. States will also be required to verify applicants' Social Security numbers against agency records. And, here's a unique one: They want to establish qualifications for license examiners, who in many cases aren't required to have a commercial license -- or even any driving experience.

Are new laws really necessary? Should Congress interfere in the trucking industry and "fix" the security problems there as they did at airports? It appears not.

The trucking industry seems to have a better idea. According to reports last week, the trucking industry plans to enlist 3 million of its drivers in the war on terrorism. Industry officials said that employees would be trained to spot suspicious activities that could indicate a potential terrorist attack. They would be given a toll-free number to call to report anything out of the ordinary, with the information forwarded to law enforcement agencies. The drivers would be asked to monitor bridges, highways, tunnels and ports, and fellow truckers as well, said an announcement by the Trucking Security Working Group, a coalition of trade associations.

"The trucking industry wants to make a contribution to national security and the war on terrorism," said Mike Russell, a spokesman for the American Trucking Associations, lead organization in the coalition. "We think this proposal makes the best use of what we do every day, and that is travel across America, keeping our eyes on what is going on."(2)

In truth, we are not too sure we like the idea of 3 million people around the country trained to spy on others. On the other hand, truckers are in a position to see much more of what goes on than the average person. And, when the topic is limited to trucks, 3 million of them would probably see almost everything. That's not all bad.

Actually, we have heard this somewhere before, many months ago. And, the results were immediate.

Dale Sommers broadcasts a talk radio program, "The Truckin' Bozo Show," for truckers out of WLW (AM 700) in Cincinnati. The program is syndicated all over North America and has been keeping over-the-road truckers awake nights with talk, music, news and foolishness for many years.(3)

After the FBI started a dragnet for certain Middle Eastern men with known terrorist ties, some were said to be moving about the country via friendly truckers. On at least three occasions, Dale Sommers suggested truckers pay attention, and notify authorities, if they spotted any of that. Consequently, there were a few telephone calls to the show describing "more than two" Middle Eastern men riding a truck at a time -- enough calls to indicate that truckers were, in fact, doing their part.

It appears, therefore, that our American truck drivers are quite adapt at policing their own industry. Congress should not interfere. Rather, if Congress wants to be any help at all, it might institute a hotline for truckers that is limited to suspected terrorist activities.

On the other hand, that should probably work in conjunction with the Working Group already established by the Trucking Industry. After all, they know all the associated problems better than anyone in government.

That we seldom hear of "accidents" like a fuel truck exploding is due, primarily, to the quality and experience of America's professional truck drivers.

FBI agents investigating terrorism have found that several men of Middle Eastern descent have obtained fraudulent licenses to transport hazardous materials. There were also reports of fraud in the testing and licensing of commercial drivers in 16 states since 1998. One investigation identified more than 900 drivers in Illinois and Florida who potentially obtained fraudulent licenses and moved to other states. A number managed (with help) to pass the necessary tests. Except, these men could not speak English -- which is a major "hint" of the out and out fraud of that licensing arrangement.

Are new laws really necessary? Should Congress interfere in the trucking industry and "fix" the security problems there as they did at airports? It appears not.

It appears, therefore, that our American truck drivers are quite adapt at policing their own industry. Congress should not interfere.

Well, OK, but let's not get into racial profiling. Mexican trucks and Mexican drivers may very well be hauling terrorists and their material, but let us also remember, that most will just be hauling dope owned or under the protection of Mexican government officials or illegal aliens from many countries, all of whom have paid a fee for their transportation. It would be very wrong to stop all Mexicans hauling drugs and illegals just to ensure that no Mexican driver brings terrorists into the country. This would be racial profiling at its very worst.

It may well be that any US cop who racially profiles and stops a Mexican truck NOT hauling terrorists will be fined, both personally as will as his jusidication, and made to help the driver reload the dope/illegals and escourt the truck to the state border, removing any trace of the event from government records.

That we seldom hear of "accidents" like a fuel truck exploding is due, primarily, to the quality and experience of America's professional truck drivers.

Ahem, "seldom" isn't quite appropriate. Not too long ago, a truck filled with black powder ended up in an accident. They had to evacuate several neighborhoods. Traffic reports on the radio quite often refer to "chemical spills", "jackknifes", etc. Some of the most aggressive drivers you'll find on any major highway are the truckers. I was driving down I-95 in a hailstorm last week. The road wasn't the least bit crowded, but every vehicle including mine was going at 45 with their lights flashing. Standing water was everywhere, very poor visibility. Sure enough, I see a truck doing about 80 in my lane behind me. In no time at all, he's practically kissing my bumper with his brights on. I guess he expected me to swerve out of the way without losing control of my car. Instead, he rips into another lane so that he can terrify someone else. Five years ago I was walking along a downtown street in Durham and saw where a 16 wheeler had tried to squeeze his rig through a 1930's vintage railroad overpass. Several kids at my old highschool were beheaded by a truck that had backed out onto a highway without his trailer lights on. I also remember the encounter my dad had with a trucker on a mountain highway to Asheville. First time I saw a trucker who didn't know what that yellow dividing line was for. Perhaps the stupidest truck drivers tend to be the most visible ones, but I'm not too wild about the ones who are into self-glorification.

This thread seems a good one to make this comment that seems such common sense:

We know what these people look like. There are about a billion of them in the world. Their RELIGION specifically says IN WRITING that they want to kill us and wipe us off the face of the earth. And for those who doubt that, I challenge them to point to ONE person of this religion who would renounce this part of it. They can't and won't. And that he might be an American makes absolutely no difference. Should the choice come to Islam or our nation, we know what the ragheads would choose (and don't forget there are MILLIONS of them here.)

So we know what they look like. It isn't like they are invisible. We know where their allegiance lies. It isn't like they are claiming to love Christians and Jews. They are clear on that---that's for sure.

Now for the common sense part: if you keep the ones you KNOW to be your enemies away from weapons and from opportunities (airplanes and trucks, hazardous materials, airports, etc.) there goes most of the threat (probably all of it.)

We KNOW the source of the September 11 terrorism. We start by making sure that no other person from that source gets near being in a position again (flight schools, entry visas, passports, U.S. colleges, green cards) again until we have a 100 percent iron grip on our security.

Yes, an old white guy with a hip replacement could hijack a plane and fly it into a building. Could happen. But implementing COMMON SENSE security would take the pressure off MOST security issues and allow us to focus then on the "cracks" and the weak spots, the metal detectors, etc. etc.

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