WASHINGTON, (Dec. 18, 2003) — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security in conjunction with the American Trucking Associations (ATA) is issuing a warning to all motor carriers warning of a possible terrorist attack planning involving the trucking industry in the eastern Lake Erie region.

A report distributed to trucking companies in the region on both sides of the border, states DHS has made “observations over the last months, increasing in frequency over recent weeks, of certain types of activity that may represent the characteristic operational acts of active terrorist planning.”

Possibilities include the involvement of fuel and chemical tanker operations, or in the vicinity of fuel and chemical production and storage facilities and terminals in the Lake Erie area, as well as North and South Carolina.

ATA and DHS are encouraging carriers to discuss with drivers to look for signs of the characteristics mentioned above — especially at rest areas, overnight stops, and in areas of terminals or storage facilities. All companies with such operations are being asked to review perimeter and access security procedures and effectiveness, and report any suspicious activity to the Transportation Security Coordination Center Watch at 703/563-3236.