The U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and other groups last week tested intelligent transportation systems as part of a government plan to track all hazmat shipments in the United States and possibly stop the vehicles remotely if they were to be stolen by terrorists.

The FMCSA has been installing and testing technology and equipment in various locations the past six months. The team is now entering the final stages of its 18-month, $5 million deployment test program, according to news accounts.

The testing is of smart cards that are used by drivers in conjunction with fingerprint scanners to validate driver identities and record drop-off, pickup and truck start-up.

The cards contain predetermined driver-specific information and a biometric fingerprint template for each driver, and are integrated with a global login system, which will record each verification event and alert dispatchers if an unauthorized person attempts to operate the truck.

FMCSA is also looking at truck ignition and braking systems that can be controlled remotely by dispatchers in the event of an alert.

The field test team includes enforcement groups such as the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance; shippers and carriers such as ExxonMobil, BP Chemical and Roadway Express; truck and engine original equipment manufacturers such as Caterpillar, Cummins, Detroit Diesel, Freightliner Trucks, and International Truck and Engine; and ITS technology providers such as Qualcomm, which is producing the global login system, and Saflink – formerly the Biometric Solutions Group – which has developed a fingerprint hazardous materials tracking system.