Protecting 3.8 Million Miles of Roads a Big Challenge
News & Happenings
November 20, 2007
Highway over the Blue Water Bridges in
Port Huron, Michigan. Eighty percent of
the nation’s freight, by value, moves
across the highway system, including
582,000 bridges (20 feet or longer) and
54 tunnels (500 yards or longer).
For three weeks in October 2002, the national capital area was gripped with terror as two snipers randomly shot and killed 10 people with a .223 caliber rifle from hidden positions.
On October 24, 2002, Whitney Donahue, an observant truck driver from Greencastle, Pa., reported seeing a Chevrolet Caprice with two suspicious individuals at a rest stop in Myersville, Md. As a result of the tip, authorities arrested the suspects and the terror ended.
The truck driver's knowledge of up-to-date information (at that time, many people were still looking for a white box truck), recognition of suspicious behavior, and a willingness to make a report are the very elements TSA's Highways and Motor Carriers Division (HMC) emphasizes in its security programs.
With 19 employees, HMC is responsible for the security of the nation's 3.8 million miles of roads. Headed by General Manager Bill Arrington, a 28-year veteran of the Maryland State Police Department and former director of TSA's South Central Area, HMC was organized as a part of the Office of Transportation Sector Network Management in November 2005.
The division has primary responsibility for commercial vehicle security (trucks, motor coaches and school buses) and critical infrastructure (bridges, tunnels and highways). Its programs include corporate security reviews, grant funding, security action items and the Highway Watch Program. Corporate security reviews are conducted to establish security baselines and assessments of security threats and vulnerabilities associated with commercial vehicles and critical infrastructure.
Security action items are voluntary measures that companies and other stakeholders consider when developing, implementing and revising plans for improving the security posture of trucking, bus companies and infrastructure.
Highway Watch increases domain awareness through an ever-increasing cadre of trusted agents upon whom the nation can depend to report suspicious behavior – much as truck driver Donahue did in October 2002.
