Tanker Truck Shut Down Wirelessly in Test

California Assembly Bill 575 would require a position-locating reporting system to be installed in any truck carrying hazardous materials, and a device to enable immediate disabling of the vehicle.

Recently, a remote disabling device was tested by the California Highway Patrol (CHP), InterState Oil Company and Satellite Security Systems (S3). From S3's headquarters in San Diego -- 530 miles from the demonstration site -- satellite communications were used to disable the truck.

The event, conducted on CHP Academy grounds in Sacramento and administered by the CHP, addresses ongoing concerns about the affordability of effective security technology, stealthiness of such a security device, and how locational monitoring can be incorporated safely into law enforcement protocol.

The need to secure trucks carrying hazardous waste or petrochemical products is of paramount concern to trucking companies, California Independent Oil Marketing Association (CIOMA) members, and state and federal departments. While the California state government may be voting as early as January on AB 575, the CHP has been tasked with researching various technologies to support these regulatory initiatives.

The communications backbone for S3's GlobalGuard system is the Motorola ReFLEX satellite communications system, a secure, two-way messaging infrastructure that stretches across North America and is also available throughout Europe and Asia. Compared with competing data networks, ReFLEX's capabilities provide a wide range of crucial technical and economic advantages. S3 adds the government's GPS data to keep decision makers fully aware of operational circumstances. A 24-hour, seven-day-a-week monitoring and support center is staffed with trained professionals to respond immediately to emergency situations.