The Department of Homeland Security, in conjunction with the American Trucking Association, is issuing an alert to truckers and motor carrier companies, warning of possible terrorist attack planning involving the trucking industry.
The warning is going to truckers and carriers in the Eastern Lake Erie Region and also in North and South Carolina.
The DHS has made “observations over the last months, increasing in frequency over recent weeks, of certain types of activity that may represent the characteristic operational acts of active terrorist planning.”
Law Enforcement in these areas should be on the lookout for any unusual activity or signs of operational planning.
Possibilities include fuel and chemical tanker operations within close proximity of fuel and chemical production plants, storage facilities and terminals in the Lake Erie area, as well as in North Carolina and in South Carolina. Areas near military bases in North Carolina and South Carolina are also potential targets.
ATA and DHS are encouraging carriers to tell their drivers to be on the lookout for any unusual activity mentioned above -- especially at rest areas, overnight stops, and in areas near terminals or storage facilities.
Companies with these types of operations have been asked to review their perimeter security and increase their security procedures and effectiveness, and to report any suspicious activity to the Transportation Security Coordination Center Watch at (703) 563-3236.