First Observer – Truckers Learn To Watch Out For Terrorists

A local truck driving school became the first on the West Coast to be trained for a new federal anti-terrorism program, the school’s owner and the instructor said. Robert Hertan, an instructor from Maryland-based Total Security Services International, Inc., led the three-hour class at Vallejo’s Falcon Truck School recently. He said the federal Transportation Security Administration hired his firm to train transportation professionals for the “First Observer” program.

“This is a Department of Homeland Security program, funded by FEMA and administered by the TSA,” Hertan said.

The heart of the training is to use truckers to keep an eye out for — and report — suspicious behavior that could be part of a terrorist operation or some other attack like that on the state capitol eight years ago.

Timing and convenience combined to make Falcon the first school to get this training, but it’s spreading nationwide, Hertan said. Some trucking and school bus firms have been trained, and though specific results are unavailable, it’s working, he said.

First Observer ™ is a highway security program, funded by FEMA and administered by TSA. Its mission is to promote the security of our critical infrastructure within the United States by training people to observe, assess and report risks and security breaches.

First Observer Website

“We wouldn’t be doing it if it wasn’t providing some value,” Hertan said.

“The TSA clearly recognizes the vital role America’s critical infrastructure plays in maintaining and preserving our American way of life and has made protecting that infrastructure a top priority,” according to the program’s literature.

“First Observer engages surface transportation professionals — truck drivers, school bus operators, mass transit workers, port workers and others — in maintaining the safety and security of America’s bridges, tunnels and roads.”

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TSA Warns Truckers Of Violence In Mexico

Drivers in cross-border operations to Mexico and along the U.S. Southwest border are being advised to take precautions to avoid being caught in the drug violence in the region, a Transportation Security Administration contractor said.

According to Total Security Services, Inc., which operates TSA’s Highway Information Sharing and Analysis Center, the violence among Mexican drug cartels has killed more than 200 Americans since 2004, and truckers may be victims of crimes ranging from hijacking and kidnapping to murder.

The Highway ISAC is recommending that drivers with deliveries in Mexico keep in scheduled contact with dispatchers and report in at every scheduled and non-scheduled stop. Drivers also should avoid unsafe highways, and establish a verbal “duress code” to use on the phone when they in the presence of people who may have criminal intent.

Interested parties may receive a copy of the report “Border Violence” by calling the ISAC at 1-703-563-3275

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