[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 59 (Tuesday, April 15, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E610]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




IN HONOR OF BRENNY TRANSPORTATION'S COMMITMENT TO OUR HOMELAND SECURITY

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                         HON. MICHELE BACHMANN

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 15, 2008

  Mrs. BACHMANN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend Todd and Joyce 
Brenny, owners of Brenny's Transportation and Brenny Specialized in St. 
Cloud, Minnesota, for their participation in the U.S. Department of 
Homeland Security's Highway Watch program. By dedicating the time and 
effort of their drivers, Todd and Joyce Brenny are helping to keep our 
Nation safe.
  Highway Watch is a program through which truck drivers are trained to 
spot suspicious activity while on the roads and to report it to a 
national call center so that public safety officials can both address a 
particular issue and detect early if a pattern is arising. Minnesota 
was one of the first three states to join this program when it was 
first started by the American Trucking Association, ATA, in 1998. Then 
it was a safety awareness program, teaching drivers to report road 
hazards and accidents.
  Following 9/11, the Department of Homeland Security worked with ATA 
to add an anti-terrorism component to the program's curriculum. Since 
2004, about 800,000 drivers, State transportation workers, and toll 
booth operators, including 9,921 drivers in Minnesota alone, have been 
trained. That turns out to be a cost of about $31 per driver. In 2007, 
more than 3,000 calls were logged as part of the program nationwide, 
including 1,700 security-related calls.
  All 60 of Brenny's drivers and office employees participate in 
Highway Watch. They have taken a real interest in supporting our 
efforts to keep our Nation safe and I commend them and all their fellow 
trucking companies who take part in this program for their efforts.

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