In The News
Highway Watch future uncertain as partners asked to ‘cease all training’
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The executive director and chief counsel of the American Trucking Associations’ Highway Watch Program has asked all ATA’s Highway Watch partners “to immediately cease all training†in the program.
According to Prasad Sharma, the decision was based on the Department of Homeland Security’s awarding the FY 2008 Trucking Security Grant Program funds to HMS Company, which leads a team that includes the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) and the Teamsters.
“At this time, ATA does now know how the new awardee intends to use the funds,†Sharma wrote in a memo to partners. “For the last four years, ATA’s Highway Watch program has been a cooperative venture that was primarily funded by the DHS Trucking Security Grant Program.â€
Highway Watch is described by ATA as the roadway sector's national safety and security program that uses the skills, experiences and "road smarts" of America's transportation workers to help protect the nation's critical infrastructure and the transportation of goods, services, and people.
The program conducts anti-terrorism and safety awareness training for highway professionals, and then shares and analyzes observations collected from its members though its Highway Watch Information Sharing and Analysis Center, according to ATA.
Attempts to contact HMS Company were not successful.