I-65 Truck Search Prompts Explosives Scare

An 18-wheel truck pulling a flatbed trailer with altered identification tags was stopped on I-65 in the Birmingham, AL area and searched by local and federal law enforcement yesterday at approximately 10:30 a.m. The search intensified when explosives-sniffing K-9 units responded to the contents, prompting a shutdown of the North- and Southbound lanes for one hour.

The Dept. of Homeland Security and the Secret Service conducted the search and determined there were no explosives or hazardous materials. The driver was cited for several minor violations and released. According to MSNBC News the driver was issued a ticket for an improperly altered tag.

Birmingham and Fultondale Police responded to a tip from federal law enforcement officials about the truck with altered tags.

“Where there was an ‘8’ it was etched off on the left side to look like a ‘3’,” a Secret Service spokesperson told Fleet Owner.