A Lost Homeland Security Opportunity

In Baghdad, a tanker truck filled with gas was deliberately rammed into a bus, killing 22 people.

In June, authorities were relieved to locate two stolen propane trucks outside of Laredo, Texas, after fearing they had been hijacked by terrorists.

This week, as the alert levels climbed to orange, or "high risk," authorities in New York and Washington D.C. searched trucks and diverted traffic near potential financial targets and the U.S. Capitol.

In the war on terrorism, focus has shifted recently to trucks as a terrorist's weapon of choice. Federal homeland security experts have identified hijacked fuel trucks as one of the biggest potential threats to our national security. Trucks are easier to hijack than an airplane, easier to drive into a building, and they don't carry large numbers of passengers who could thwart a planned attack. Trucks can carry bombs, and they can also become bombs simply because of the cargo they carry.

Trucks carrying toxic chemicals, and flammable and radioactive materials--even seemingly innocent items such as brandy and fireworks-- become a weapon-on-wheels in a terrorist's hands. 

Reliable and inexpensive technology is available to prevent and stop some terrorist truck attacks. In demonstration projects, I have seen how effectively these devices can remotely locate and stop a traveling truck.Yet bowing to opposition from the trucking industry, some legislators failed to act on this important issue this year.

I recently authored legislation that would require trucks carrying dangerous and explosive materials to be equipped with tracking, disabling and anti-hijacking devices.  Using GPS, or global positioning systems technology, these devices make it possible for a CHP officer to immediately locate a stolen truck and remotely activate its brakes or turn off its engine.

Anti-hijacking devices can automatically halt a truck after a short distance if a driver fails to enter a code or provide a fingerprint or retinal scan.  These devices can be installed so discretely that a terrorist is unaware that they need to be activated before the truck is started.

This technology could help prevent a tragedy of near-Sept. 11 proportions. Yet despite overwhelming support on the Assembly Floor, my bill, Assembly Bill 575, died in the Senate Transportation Committee, a victim of opposition from trucking industry lobbyists.

Opponents say the bill will place requirements on California trucking companies that will make them less competitive with other states. They say California should wait until a federal standard on truck devices has been enacted.

I believe California should lead the nation on this issue. The alternative is simply unthinkable.

How can we fail to make our tanker trucks safe when the stakes are so high? If a terrible terrorist act were to occur, how will we explain that although we had available technology, we were waiting for the federal government to act first?

Many trucking companies have already recognized the value of these devices.

Some companies have already installed tracking systems, finding them to be a worthwhile way to monitor company truck travel.  Since 2002, more than 20 California trucking companies have voluntarily installed anti-hijacking equipment on their vehicles, recognizing that they are effective, inexpensive, can decrease insurance costs and prevent theft. These devices can be purchased and installed for less than $1,000 per truck-a cost that adds up to less than $1 a day over the life of a truck. They could be installed in all California trucks carrying hazardous materials with very little effort.

In contrast, news reports estimate the costs of paying police overtime to guard New York's Holland Tunnel this week at $16,000 a day, a price tag that can hardly be sustained for an indefinite war on terrorism.

Despite our best efforts since Sept. 11, our country remains far too vulnerable to terrorism.  Nothing can guarantee our total safety in a post-9/11 world. We do, however, have a responsibility to reduce risks when we have the ability. The failure of AB 575 was a victory for trucking industry lobbyists who opposed the bill and misled some of my Senate colleagues.  But it was a tragic loss for the safety of Californians.

Assemblymember John Dutra represents the 20th Assembly District, which includes the cities of Fremont, Newark, Union City, and Milpitas and parts of San Jose, Pleasanton, Castro Valley and Hayward.  He is running for the 10th Senate District seat in 2006.

CSA Comment: CSA was a supporter of this bill, AB 575. It would have broadened the market for space technology by requiring that hazardous material transport vehicles, i.e. trucks, be equipped with GPS systems so they could be properly tracked and disabled, if need be, throughout the state.

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