Satellite Security Systems (S3), a global provider of asset security and logistics control, in cooperation with the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and InterState Oil Company, demonstrated the first wireless remote shutdown of a fully loaded moving petrochemical tanker truck, the company said.
From S3's headquarters in San Diego -- 530 miles from the demonstration site -- satellite communications were used to disable the truck upon command. The event was conducted on CHP Academy grounds in Sacramento and administered by the CHP.
The California Highway Patrol has been asked by the state’s legislature to study the feasibility of disabling trucks remotely. Lawmakers may vote as early as January on Assembly Bill 575 which would require truck disabling devices, global positioning or other "location reporting systems" on hazardous material haulers.
InterState Oil Company, a wholesale distributor of petroleum and related products, recently deployed S3's GlobalGuard and FleetGuard to its entire fleet of trucks. FleetGuard is a desktop application that works with GlobalGuard to view, command, and control vehicles. GlobalGuard is a security communications system that relies on Motorola ReFLEX, a two-way satellite communications system stretching across North America and is also available throughout Europe and Asia.