DRPA Stopping & Inspecting Trucks

With the nation on high terror alert, the Delaware River Port Authority is keeping up its end on security.

Officials are stopping trucks to make sure the rigs and their drivers are where they're supposed to be and hauling what they are supposed to be hauling.

The Port Authority Police are moving from bridge to bridge, making random stops of trucks at any hour of the day. Port Authority Police said they are reacting to the call for increased vigilance and security during an orange alert.

"We're making sure the driver of the vehicle are supposed to belong to the vehicle. Making sure they know what's in the vehicle. If things add up, we get them right on their way," said Sgt. Joe Zito, of the Port Authority Police.

Officials say 20,000 trucks a day cross DRPA bridges, and some of them carry cargo that could be deadly if used improperly.

"We have fuel trucks. We have propane trucks. There's a lot of things on the road we should be worried about," Zito said.

It doesn't matter what size the truck is or if it is marked, they all get stopped for an inspection.

"(We ask about) his trip destination, where he picked up his load. Certain information he should know right off the bat," said Bill Kephart of the DRPA Police.

There may be a pattern to the inspections, but police don't want to give it away. They may stop trucks on just one bridge in a day, or they may stop trucks on all four bridges.

Inspections will continue until the national terror alert level goes down.

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