Homeland Security and the Trucking Industry

The University of Minnesota's Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Institute was contracted by International Truck to undertake an analysis of commercial vehicle operations (CVO) and to determine how new technologies and post-9/11 security programs and policies may impact the operational environment of the trucking industry.

The University of Minnesota and the American Transportation Research Institute, the research arm of the trucking industry, conducted a series of interviews, literature scans and analyses on security programs, industry trends and technology systems.

The following report attempts to document existing and developing trends in CVO economics and technology investment with an emphasis on onboard systems, and their inter-relationships with security preparedness and issues and implications associated with homeland security imperatives. An in-depth review of smart card applications, biometric verification systems and cargo management devices are included.