In 2004 the Department of Homeland Security in conjunction with the American Trucking Association began funding a program aimed at utilizing a unique resource in the war on terror. Called “Highway Watch”, the program uses trained volunteers in the transportation industry to use the “road smarts” they have developed over the years to observe and report unusual or suspicious events or persons which might pose a threat to the nation’s transportation infrastructure. Originally started in 1998 as a road safety initiative, the attacks of 9/11 transformed the Highway Watch program.

Highway Watch is based on the common sense idea that transportation professionals know how things are supposed to look on the nation’s highways, city streets, transportation and hazardous materials facilities. They know what is out of the ordinary and can report when something is unusual.

So far more than 180,000 truck drivers, State DOT workers, mass transit workers, highway construction crews, first responders, hazmat workers, and even transportation office personnel have received the specialized training and become part of the Highway Watch program.

Once enrolled and trained the Highway Watch volunteer receives an individually numbered identification card and the phone number to the Highway Watch Call Center. The Call Center provides initial screening for volunteer reports of emergency incidents or suspicious activities. When a security-related call is made to the Highway Watch hotline the operator notifies local law enforcement authorities. A report of the incident is then generated and forwarded to the Highway Information Sharing and Analysis Center, Highway ISAC, where it is shared with government intelligence officials and other law enforcement agencies.

 

The Highway Information Sharing and Analysis Center (Highway ISAC) is a critical component to the Highway Watch effort and serves as the analytical and communications focal point for the Highway Watch program. In close cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and intelligence and law enforcement agencies, the Highway ISAC, a nationwide team of well-trained and experienced transportation security professionals, collectively detect, assess, report, process, analyze, and respond to incidents which might pose a threat to national security.

 

The objectives of the Highway Watch program are too:

In order to achieve these objectives the Highway Watch program integrates the volunteer observation and reporting elements with real life disaster planning and response exercises.

 

For example, this past December (2005), Highway Watch conducted the second in a series of three exercises, designed to simulate both terrorist attacks and natural disasters. The December scenario simulated a coordinated terrorist attack against four transportation-related targets. A water truck converted to a bomb, three separate tanker trucks at strategic locations attacked simultaneously, an automobile transporter carrying a car bomb detonated at a U.S.-Canadian border crossing and another bomb in a cargo container detonated while being transported by rail.

The purpose of the drill was to test the ability of the Department of Homeland Security, local emergency responders, and the transportation industry to respond to a series of coordinated attacks. The results of the exercise have not yet been released. Said Bill Jacobs, the Vice President of Highway Watch; “For decades, terrorists have targeted the transportation industry in countries around the world and it’s not unrealistic to assume that similar attacks can take place here on U.S. soil. The best defense that we can have for a future disaster is to be fully prepared.”

 

So far the Highway Watch program has recruited about half of its goal of a network of 400,000 trained volunteers. Motor carriers, drivers and transportation professionals interested in volunteering for Highway Watch can get more information by going to the Highway Watch website – http://www.highwaywatch.com, or by calling Highway Watch toll free at 1-866-821-3444.