In the months ahead, shippers moving hazardous cargo by motor carrier will cope with added delivery delays now that the federal government has begun scrutinizing truck operations in the wake of September's terrorist attack.

Late last month, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued a directive to local law enforcement officials to begin stopping and checking trucks and drivers hauling gasoline, explosives, chemicals, and other dangerous materials. The government's directive was apparently triggered by reports that an individual with alleged ties to a terrorist organization had obtained a commercial driver's license to haul hazardous materials.

An increase in motor carrier roadside inspections raises the distinct possibility that hazardous shipments will be slowed nationwide. The federal Department of Transportation says that companies move 1.2 million shipments of hazardous material daily across the nation via truck and rail. "Anything that relates to inspections and stopping trucks has an impact on a collective basis on the movement of goods," says Alan Roberts, president of the Hazardous Materials Advisory Council, an industry organization devoted to hazardous materials safety.

At press time, the motor carrier industry was taking the heightened scrutiny in stride. "The ATA [American Trucking Associations] is urging its members to cooperate," says the group's spokesman, Mike Russell, "At this initial stage, it may slow the shipping process for some affected shippers, but it's too early to tell to what degree."

In addition to carrying out highway inspections, the FMCSA says it plans to conduct field visits of motor carriers and private fleets hauling hazardous materials over the next few months to review their procedures and make recommendations for improved security. (For more on this initiative, visit http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/hazmatsecure.htm.) And the FMCSA is apparently not the only agency that intends to get involved. "The FBI has also notified all companies that ship hazardous materials and their carriers that [it] will start looking at all drivers' licenses to ensure that they are legitimate," says Kathy Luhn, vice president of public affairs for the National Industrial Transportation League, the nation's largest shipper group.

With more trucks subject to more roadside inspections and tougher rules in the works, hazardous materials shippers will have little choice but to adjust to transit delays. Indeed, some shippers may soon find that they need to rethink their lean supply chains and increase buffer stocks. "This will increase the ... length of the pipeline in terms of order and delivery time," warns Peter Stone, a general manager in the transportation consulting firm Reebie Associates of Stamford, Conn. "You will have to wait for an order just the way you'll have to stand in line longer now to get on an airplane."