State's trucking industry begins new highway safety program

The Missouri Motor Carriers Association and the American Trucking Associations have rolled out their new Highway Watch safety and security program.

Missouri-based professional truck drivers, in cooperation with the Missouri Highway Patrol and the Missouri Department of Transportation, are receiving special Highway Watch and anti-terrorism security training designed to enable them to observe and report national security and highway safety threats to proper authorities.

"I'm proud to see Missouri truck driv-ers joining their counterparts across the nation in answering President Bush's call to serve their country," said George Burruss, president and CEO of the Missouri Motor Carriers. He noted that assisting in providing safety and security on the nation's highways is an extremely important duty of truck drivers.

"Keep in mind that Missouri truck drivers pick up and deliver freight all over the country, not just in Missouri. MMCA member companies haul many sensitive loads, including food, explosives and other hazardous materials," he added.

Because trucking companies and commercial truck drivers continue to further utilize communications technologies, the MMCA maintains that there is a tremendous opportunity for them to help save more lives via fast and accurate reporting of accidents, impediments or dangers on the nation's highways.

Missouri High-way Watch will enlist the help of truck drivers to report incidents such as drunk and reckless driving, hazardous road conditions, vehicle accidents and any criminal activity, including terrorism.

Specific Highway Watch methods are not being released to the public for security reasons, but according to the MMCA, truck drivers will learn to pay special attention to interstates, bridges, tunnels, seaports and other parts of the transportation infrastructure where major damage could be wrought by terrorists.

Other program participants include the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administra-tion, the Missouri Highway Patrol, the Missouri Department of Transportation and the American Trucking Associations.