The Transportation Security Administration warns truckers to be on the lookout for terrorists who may want to use their trucks to commit attacks.
The report, “Vehicle Ramming Attacks: Threat Landscape, Indicators and Countermeasures,” describes attacks using trucks in recent years, including the attack in Nice, France, in 2016 that killed 86 and injured 434.
TSA said terrorists may be planning such an attack here and warned that “no community, large or small, rural or urban, is immune to attacks of this kind by organized or ‘lone wolf’ terrorists.”
TSA wants fleets, drivers and truck rental companies to be aware of this significant threat and of the need to be vigilant, and to immediately report any suspicious activity.
The report also includes a list of potential vehicle ramming countermeasures fleets can deploy.
American Trucking Associations said the industry is aware and concerned by the possibility that someone would use trucks as weapons.
Much of TSA’s advice – avoiding areas of congestion due to special events, exercising awareness of suspicious activity, and practicing common sense safety and security habits – are already industry best practices, ATA pointed out.
“The commercial trucking industry deploys significant security measures like vehicle tracking, alarms and specialized locks, as well as ongoing driver awareness training and driver vetting,” the trucking association stressed.
TSA has posted advice and training videos at https://www.tsa.gov/for-industry/firstobserver. Its telephone hotline for reporting suspicious activity is: 844-TSA-FRST/844-872-3778.
