The American Transportation Research Institute and the University of Minnesota jointly issued a report highlighting the role of trucking in national security and how security technologies can be incorporated into the trucking industry.
Titled Homeland Security and the Trucking Industry, the report documents developing trends in commercial vehicle operations pertaining to various economics and technology investments, and their requisite impact on preparedness and homeland security. It provides an in-depth review of smart-card applications, biometric verification systems and cargo management devices. It also documents the security implications of such industry trends as the driver shortage as well as rising fuel and insurance costs.
ATRI and the University of Minnesota were contracted by truck manufacturer International Truck and Engine Corp to analyze commercial vehicle operations and determine how new technologies and post-9/11 security programs and policies impact the operational environment of the trucking industry. To accomplish the task, ATRI and the University of Minnesota's Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute conducted a series of interviews, literature scans, and analyses on security programs, industry trends, and technology systems.
A copy of the report is available at www.atri-online.org/research/results/index.htm.