A new light is being shed on the Office of Secure Transportation (OST) and their trucks that are transferring some of the most sensitive cargo in existence including nuclear materials. Even though there are government plates on these special trucks, people have no idea that inside the cab an armed federal agent operates a host of electronic countermeasures to keep outsiders from accessing his heavily armored cargo. Inside these trucks could be a nuclear warhead with enough destructive power to level downtown San Francisco. The trucking routes for traveling bombs and nuke materials are on some of the busiest highways in America, including metropolitan areas such as Atlanta, Denver and Los Angeles.
If transporting these dangerous materials public area is not concern enough, many of the drivers have had a horrible track record. Reporte behaviors by drivers include spills, drinking on the job, weapon violations and even criminal activity.
The OST claims that they do not hire the typical truck-stop 18-wheeler jockeys. The agency seeks to hire military veterans, particularly ex-special operation forces. The process of unsafely transferring nuclear weapons and substance on the highway costs US taxpayers $250 million a year.
Title: “Nuclear Weapons on a Highway Near You”
Author: Adam Weinstein
Publication: Mother Jones, 15 February 2012
URL: http://motherjones.com/print/161021
Student Researcher: Monica Mosley (Sonoma State University)
Faculty Evaluator: Charles McAuley (Sonoma State University)