The Transportation Security Administration on July 16 announced a series of security recommendations for the transportation of certain quantities of hazardous materials. The voluntary guidelines were developed over a three-year period by TSA’s Highway and Motor Carrier Division in consultation with government and private sector partners.
“These recommendations will further enhance motor carrier security by helping the industry adopt security measures best suited for the size and scope of their organizations,” said William Arrington, general manager of TSA’s Highway and Motor Carrier Division. “TSA utilized a threat-based approach to develop security measures that are reasonable and effective for the industry as a whole.”
TSA’s security action items address general security; personnel security; unauthorized access; and en-route security. General security measures include conducting security threat assessments, security planning, protecting critical information and enhancing awareness of industry-security practices. Personnel security and unauthorized access refer to practices affecting the security of a motor carrier’s employees, contracted employees and its property. En-route security refers to the actual movement and handling of motor vehicles transporting highway security-sensitive materials.
Acknowledging that no single solution fits all motor carriers and circumstances, the security action items call for implementation flexibility based on the assessed vulnerability of a particular process or operation. TSA said affected motor carriers and shippers should implement the security action items to the fullest extent practical, and the agency will use feedback from the voluntary program to consider regulations.
A list of the security recommendations is available on TSA’s website. Direct questions and comments to the TSA Highway and Motor Carrier Division at [email protected].
