CCJ

August 2016

Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal

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22 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | AUGUST 2016 I don't remember flying in a pre- 9/11 world. I've heard about it, and looking at the militarized process we deal with now, I can hardly believe it. You could actually smoke on a plane? Forget planes for a minute. September 11 also changed trucking, and a truck wasn't even part of the attack. Still, 9/11 put even more scrutiny on the application process for hazmat en- dorsement, as it seemed more likely that everyday mundane things such as fl ying and driving could be part of an ongoing sneak attack. If anything, 9/11 proved that all it takes is one nut – or a group of nuts – to change the world for the rest of us. I believe that just happened again in France. The FBI and Department of Homeland Security have long feared that commer- cial trucks would play a role in domestic terror attacks beyond the use of hazmat. Trucks were the focus of a 2010 FBI report titled "Possible Indicators of Use of Large Commercial Vehicles as Weapons." A follow-up report, "Terrorist Use of Vehicle Ramming Tactics," all but foreshadows what happened last month in Nice, France, where a straight truck plowed through a crowded boardwalk during a Bastille Day celebration, killing 84 people. The attacker, a delivery driver by trade, allegedly rented the truck, much like Timo- thy McVeigh did 21 years ago in his attempt to blow up the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. A Mazda Miata steamrolling through a crowded street would be just as dangerous as a commercial truck. Packing a large commercial van with explosives still will do a lot of damage. You don't have to rent a box truck, but the use of large trucks as a weapon, I believe, is about to be heavily scrutinized by our next president's administration. We live in a crazy world right now, and the effort to contain it will bear watch- ing next year when either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump takes up residence in the White House. Trump, being the more outspoken candidate on terrorism to-date, said he would declare war on ISIS over the attacks like the one in France and try to take the fi ght over there. Clinton said she would prefer to let the fact-fi nding process run its course as the United States worked with its global partners in ferreting out threats. In my opinion, a fact-fi nding process would include looking at how the terrorist got access to the truck – legal or otherwise – and how that could have been made more diffi cult and heavily scrutinized. It won't take long before both candidates realize that not every large truck requires Tightening up trucking security Terrorism may change CDL application, screening process ALREADY HAPPENING: 9/11 put more scrutiny on the application pro- cess for hazmat endorsement. NEW ADMINISTRATION: Large trucks used as a weapon may be scruti- nized by our next president. TSA TRUCKING: Airport screening may become a framework for a process laid out for truck drivers. While large trucks and cargo can be scrutinized more heavily, packing a large commercial van with explosives will still do a lot of damage.

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