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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.

Industry officials said that employees would be trained to spot suspicious activities that could indicate a potential terrorist attack.

Yeah.
Like a middle-eastern lookin' driver with a diaper wrapped around his head.

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.

In my opinion, the policemen and patrolmen who sit at the sides of the roads with their radar guns should be out looking for drivers who don't know how to drive, including truck drivers.

All drivers of trucks hauling cyanide should be armed....

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.

I would actually feel more confident with American truckers on the front-line instead of the FBI.:)