EASILY OBTAINED PERMITS A THREAT TO NATIONAL SAFETY, SECURITY

EASILY OBTAINED PERMITS A THREAT TO NATIONAL SAFETY, SECURITY    An association has warned the Office of Homeland Security that more stringent rulings need to be placed to insure safety on America’s highways, particularly in the area of drivers’ permits that are issued to foreign nationals.
   In a letter to Tom Ridge, director of the Office of Homeland Security, James J. Johnston, president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, said recruitment practices need to be stepped up to make sure truck operators, particularly foreign nationals, are cleared effectively for security reasons. “The most important factor in truck safety is the experience and quality in the person behind the wheel,” said Johnston in the Oct. 9 letter.
   “The foreign recruitment of drivers makes it easier for foreign nationals to come into the country where they easily gain access to 80,000-pound vehicles and all of the goods, raw materials, chemicals, fuel, and munitions that are shipped by truck on our highways,” Johnston said. He noted the quest for cheap labor has led U.S. carriers to look overseas in their recruitment efforts.
   The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, based in Grain Valley, Mo., is a professional trade association of over 68,000 small business, independent truck owners and operators.