Security procedures and devices for road transportation of high consequence dangerous goods

Abstract

Road tankers transporting high consequences dangerous goods (HCDG) may represent an attractive target for terrorists, travelling practically anywhere, without escort, and presenting the potential to give rise to catastrophic incidents with a number of fatalities. Different kinds of security devices are available, ensuring a number of useful functions (localization of the vehicle, communication, etc.): their cost may represent a problem, even if prices are progressively decreasing, but additional concern may be workers’ privacy, which should be safeguarded. The operating procedures should be carefully tuned to provide the needed protection level without bothering the driver with a number of time consuming tasks to be fulfilled. The driver may be taken as hostage by terrorists, and forced to obey to their orders, this eventuality should be assessed without endangering the worker’s life. The present work outlines some basic arrangements of security devices and proposes some procedures to prevent threats to security posed by road transportation of HCDG.