The Department of Homeland Security has awarded a $15.5 million trucking security grant to an Alexandria, Va., firm, effectively ending American Trucking Associations’ four-year-long Highway Watch program.
The 2008 fiscal year grant was awarded to HMS Company from a field of 11 competitors, according to the Transportation Security Administration, which is part of DHS. It was the first year it was up for competitive bidding.
ATA said in a statement that it was “disappointed” that it was not selected to continue the program and that it was proud of its past accomplishments.
It is unclear how long Highway Watch will continue to operate, but a research component of program evaluation and assessment will continue through the 2008 calendar year, ATA said.
“We have expanded the number of individuals trained under the program from 10,000 to over 830,000 and fielded over 10,000 incident calls,” ATA said. “The program has been a valuable source of reporting and intelligence regarding incidents and potential threats to the nation’s highway and motor carrier sector. We believe the Highway Watch program has contributed to America’s safety and security.”
