Tankers Seen as Potential Terrorist Threat, Report Says

Tank trucks filled with gasoline could be the favored surface transportation weapon for terrorists seeking to attack U.S. targets, according to a new study of potential terrorist uses of highway-borne hazardous materials.

The study, undertaken by the Mineta Transportation Institute and released this week, was done for the Department of Homeland Security.

“Gasoline tankers theoretically offer terrorists several operational attractions,” the report said. “They vastly outnumber all other hazardous-materials shipments combined [and] operate in urban areas — target-rich environments. Their routes are predictable [and] they pose security challenges.”

John Conley, president of National Tank Truck Carriers, said tanker companies “have delivered over 50,000 loads of gasoline a day since the attacks of 9-11 with no use of a tank truck in a terrorist act.

“Nevertheless, we will have to continue to be vigilant,” he told Transport Topics.