Big Rigs: technology riding shotgun
Date: 2003-03-07
Think of it. A lone driver sets out from the terminal with a truck loaded with materials that could potentially make it a weapon of mass destruction. All that stands between the truck and would-be evildoers is this one individual--who has to take meal breaks, sleep, go to the bathroom …
This is a major vulnerability of the highway transportation system, but there are effective technological solutions that could greatly alleviate the problem. However, these technologies are not being implemented, says a spokesperson for a Georgia planning and engineering firm, because trucking companies are operating on very low margins of profitability. "There have to be incentives for the industry to invest in technology," says Marsha Anderson Bomar of Street Smarts, which recently completed a trucking study for the Georgia DOT.
The technologies include "driver Passwords" that need to be keyed in before a truck can be driven; "Theft codes" that can inform company headquarters if something is wrong, and global positioning technology that enables tracking at all times.
Footnote:
Using a federal grant program called Technology Transfer, Central Iowa police have been using satellite surveillance for several years. Employing devices similar to the anti-theft systems in some cars, police can track a vehicle without the driver knowing it by secretly installing the device on the vehicle. While police need a warrant to search a vehicle, they don't need one to hide a satellite tracking device under it. This is causing some concern to civil libertarians. (From an Associated Press report, February2, '03)
- Drivers.com on enforcement
- Drivers.com on Intelligent transportation systems
- Black boxes in automobiles
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