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Two trucks hauling U.S. weapons crash
©Associated Press, WASHINGTON -- Two trucks hauling weapons for the military -- including a load of Navy missiles -- crashed within 14 hours, raising new concerns about a system that makes 42,000 ammunition deliveries a year. The Army's Military Traffic Management Command, which oversees the shipments, had already tightened security not only because of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks but also in response to a report that criticized security lapses, spokesman John Randt said. On Friday, a flatbed semitrailer truck carrying eight Navy missiles outside Frederick, Md., hit a concrete barrier, slid down an embankment and overturned. No one was hurt, but the driver, 49-year-old Danny Harkey of Joplin, Mo., was charged with negligent driving, Randt said. The missiles were covered with a tarp and strapped to the flatbed trailer. They were not armed and did not explode. Thursday night, a truck carrying 42,000 pounds of explosives used to fire 155mm artillery shells crashed in West Virginia. Officials said the driver of that truck lost control during a coughing fit after a sip of coffee. Authorities evacuated surrounding areas and called in special military explosives disposal teams after the crashes. Both trucks were operated by Tri-State Motor Transit, a Missouri company that is one of the largest haulers of ammunition and other hazardous cargo for the federal government. "We have a very good safety record, but we didn't have a very good day today, that's for sure," company vice president Ralph Nelson said Friday. The traffic command oversees shipments of all kinds of weapons from missiles to 9mm handgun ammunition, Randt said. Most shipments are handled by private companies like Tri-State. The command oversees some 42,000 shipments throughout the country each year, averaging only about one reportable crash per month, Randt said. The trucking companies must comply with safety and security regulations, such as having two drivers in the truck to keep each other awake and alert, Randt said. Only shipments of "Risk One" material -- missiles -- require a security escort in another vehicle.
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From the Times wire desk
From the AP |
