������ý

Tank trucks filled with gasoline could be the favored surface transportation weapon for terrorists seeking to attack U.S. targets, according to a new study of potential terrorist uses of highway-borne hazardous materials.

The study, undertaken by the Mineta Transportation Institute and released this week, was done for the Department of ������ýland Security.

“Gasoline tankers theoretically offer terrorists several operational attractions,” the report said. “They vastly outnumber all other hazardous-materials shipments combined [and] operate in urban areas — target-rich environments. Their routes are predictable [and] they pose security challenges.”

John Conley, president of National Tank Truck Carriers, said tanker companies “have delivered over 50,000 loads of gasoline a day since the attacks of 9-11 with no use of a tank truck in a terrorist act.

“Nevertheless, we will have to continue to be vigilant,” he told Transport Topics.