Trucking of Hazardous Materials Scrutinized

A little over two weeks ago, the mission of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration seemed clear: prevent commercial vehicle accidents.

On Thursday, however, more than 400 field agents hit the road with a new mandate: to check out the security of 80,000 companies that haul hazardous materials, ranging from flammable liquids and gases to medical waste. At the same time, thousands of truck drivers carrying these materials were subjected to increased security checks at weigh stations on the nation’s highways.

The fear expressed by law enforcement officials in recent days is that a truck loaded with dangerous material could end up in the hands of terrorists similar to those who turned commercial airplanes into weapons of mass destruction on Sept. 11.

And as transportation officials scramble to ensure that the trucking industry is assuming a defensive stance, they also are struggling with a long-known and now pressing problem. For the right price and with the right connections, a commercial driver’s license can be obtained without any proof of skills, residency or driving record.

“We know there are problems, and steps are being taken to try to close those loopholes,” said Dave Longo, a spokesman for the motor carrier agency. “But one loophole that is very hard to close is the unscrupulous employee who’s willing to provide licenses for money.”

The latest such instance came this week in Pennsylvania with the arrest of 10 men charged with illegally obtaining commercial driver’s licenses, which also carried endorsements for hauling hazardous waste.

In that investigation, which began last year, court papers say that a state transportation official--working through a middleman identified as Abdul Mohamman--granted at least 18 fraudulent commercial licenses for as little as $50 each.

While FBI Director Robert Mueller said Thursday that those arrests were not related to the terrorist hijackings, they point to the tightened security measures in areas that might have a connection to terrorist plots.

And trucking officials said this week that concerns now being raised about the vulnerability of their industry are dealing with an intent the current system was never designed to prevent.

“The [commercial license] requirement is a safety requirement,” said Al Roberts, a former Department of Transportation official who is now president of the Hazardous Materials Advisory Council. “It’s basically limited to a driving background check--not going to the State Department to have a record run, not whether they rob banks.”

Because of a shortage of tens of thousands of qualified truck drivers in recent years and the promise of a good-paying job with a valid license in hand, the testing and licensing of truckers have proved to be prone to mischief.

In Illinois, dozens of people have been sentenced in a bribery scandal that reached high into state government ranks and provided licenses to scores of unqualified drivers, several of whom were later involved in deadly crashes. Investigators in that case also found a private Florida testing facility selling licenses, primarily to applicants who could not speak English. Commercial drivers are required to read and understand English, unlike automobile license applicants.

And in a recent case in Ohio, a private tester pleaded guilty to falsifying 248 commercial licenses.

“A lot of companies are hiring what we call ‘steering wheel holders,’ ” said Ron Tomasetti, a safety consultant to the trucking industry. “If you have a [commercial license] and you can get the truck out of the yard without ripping the yard up, they’ll let you drive.”

According to court documents in the Pennsylvania case, the men snared this week had a variety of obstacles to getting licenses through legitimate channels. One had a drunk-driving conviction, which made him ineligible, while another had failed the written exam.

Mohamman, also known as “Ben,” would take applicants two or three at a time to the state office building in Pittsburgh, where the licensing examiner would come downstairs to get a look at the people he was supposed to help. The examiner--identified in court papers only as CW-1--told investigators Sunday that he had started helping “Ben” six years ago and had fraudulently obtained licenses for as many as 30 people.

“I have heard the trucking industry described as a ticket to the American dream, and just about anyone can become a truck driver,” said Dave Barnes, a spokesman for the Department of Transportation’s Office of the Inspector General.

Barnes’ office has an investigation into fraud in commercial driver’s licenses, an issue that has been a top management concern since long before the terrorist attacks.

And the matter of hauling hazardous materials--about 1.2 million shipments each day, by industry estimates--is likely to be the subject of debate among legislators.

Tomasetti, who has worked in the trucking industry for nearly three decades, said he has always been concerned about the ease with which hazardous-waste endorsements are issued, even legally.

“It should be a lot tougher than it is. Right now, if I study the book I can pass the test,” he said. “I think they should do additional training and face additional security clearances if you’re going to be hauling around a tanker full of gasoline.”

The industry is already on heightened alert; trucking companies have been warned by federal agents to be vigilant about their vehicles, drivers and loads. Roberts cautioned that greater awareness is necessary, but he added that it will not be a cure-all.

“It is not possible for somebody to go out and guard all of the hazardous material that is shipped,” he said. “I don’t want this industry to be mischaracterized. You know, Timothy McVeigh did not need a commercial truck license to do what he did.”