Highway Watch Number - Anbody got one?

[Jogeephus]

Went to renew my CDL license today and learned I HAD to become certified under the Highway Watch Program to renew my CDL. Ended up spending the rest of the day learning how to sniff out terrorists and how to dial 911. Gee, I really learned a lot. After 5 hours and 80 miles of driving, I finally got my license renewed. (Oh, all this training didn't cost me a thing. :roll: )

Why is it that I feel like I've been USED as a funnel to fill a pork barrel?

 

[Frankie]

Went to renew my CDL license today and learned I HAD to become certified under the Highway Watch Program to renew my CDL. Ended up spending the rest of the day learning how to sniff out terrorists and how to dial 911. Gee, I really learned a lot. After 5 hours and 80 miles of driving, I finally got my license renewed. (Oh, all this training didn't cost me a thing. :roll: )

Why is it that I feel like I've been USED as a funnel to fill a pork barrel?

Is that part of the Patriot Act?

 

[Jogeephus]

Frankie, I don't know. Never heard of it till this morning. Read a little about it on the net and it seems it is voluntary in some states but not here. Homeland Security is who the instructor worked for.

 

[Frankie]

Frankie, I don't know. Never heard of it till this morning. Read a little about it on the net and it seems it is voluntary in some states but not here. Homeland Security is who the instructor worked for.

Apparently it is; at a cost of $19 million in 1994, $21 million in 2005. And you didn't get a cent of that money. That doesn't seem fair.

 

[Jogeephus]

I'm sure the State of Georgia got a chunk and I'm sure they will reduce my taxes accordingly and reimburse me for my time and expenses. :roll: You know, I don't have a problem with watching out for suspicious things and reporting them. I just don't like HAVING to get licenced, certfied etc etc. Seems to me they could have done it a different way instead of forcing this on us.

If Homeland Security would just let me know where these suspected terrorist cells are, I'll be more than happy to go pay them a visit to insure we don't have any trouble in the future.

 

[Outrigger2]

that would be nice if they would tell us that...

 

[Alice]

Jo, is everyone that renews their CDL required to do this in GA now, or were you designated for some reason or other...or maybe even randomly picked? I mean, I'm like you here...it would've been ok if they'd said "Would you like to do this, Mr. Jojeephus?"...rather than, "You shall, Mr. Jojeephus..."

Giving you a choice would have been nice....

Of course, if you'd have refused, think of the lists you might have wound up on...that Cherthoff is one scary lookin' dude.

Alice

 

[Carlos D.]

whats CDL licence

carl

 

[john250]

Mr Jo--Since you have had the training you can help us all out. HOW do I spot a terrorist on the hwy? Is it the church van doing 55 in the fast lane? The 17 yr old girl in a Cavalier doing 90 in the slow lane? The log truck running 80 on a two lane? The farm tractor with the "folds to 16 feet" corn planter on a 10 ft total county road? Hell, I'm terrified everytime I take to the road. I haven't even mentioned the rock trucks that run past here.

 

[Outrigger2]

so basically that training sounds like profiling, and we can't have that can we?

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

whats CDL licence

carl

CDL = "Commercial Driver's License"

Required for anyone driving for hire, school bus drivers, semi-truck drivers, delivery truck drivers, etc.

 

[jw]

CDL is "Commercial Drivers License"

 

[jw]

Sorry Bill, I'm A minute slower than you!

 

[Jogeephus]

Alice, I'd like to say I was selected due to my keen observation skills and intellegience. However the truth is EVERYONE with a CDL in Georgia will HAVE to take this training to keep their license. From what I've read on the Net, its voluntary in some states. My guess is our state held its hand out for some of that pork money.

On a serious note, they seem to be concerned about our infrastructure and the possiblility of someone using a truck to blow up a bridge or a building. They pointed out how important trucking was to our country's economy and how each driver should watch for suspicious activities and report them.

John250, they warned against profiling since a terrorist may not look like an Arab. Europeans or people who look American are being recruited. They showed us some pictures of terrorists who had been captured and some looked like regular folks.

The key thing in the training was to watch out for anything on the highway that just doesn't look right. A truck parking under an overpass (or in front of a building) and the driver getting out and being picked up by another car then speeding off. Or a person taking pictures of a bulk plant or the underside of a bridge. These are the things they want to know but I think a reasonable person with reasonable intelligence would report this type thing anyway.

Personally, I don't know why they couldn't have sent everyone with a CDL a brochure with this information in it and asked us to help. I think most of the CDL holders are about as patriotic as you can get and would be glad to help. My peeve is being forced yet again to take another test to keep my CDL license. Its difficult enough as it is. On top of that, I have to go to continuing ed courses to keep three other licenses and even had to take a course on hunter safety as though I hadn't already been instructed well enough. Its not that I'm not patriotic its just I'm tired of all this stuff getting in the way of my trying to make a living. I'm beginning to believe if I have to get one more certification I'll be certifiable. :lol:

 

[ga. prime]

That's a strange story, Jogee. I had to renew my CDL in February and about 3 or 4 months before then I was sent a letter telling me I had to be certfied under the Highway Watch program before I could renew. Went to the website as instructed in the letter and signed up. Was sent a short DVD(the training) telling how to spot terrorists and what to do, etc. Then took an on-line test covering the DVD. Printed off a copy showing I had taken the test. Took the copy to State Patrol office and got a new liscence.

 

[Jogeephus]

I wish I had gotten a letter. Would have saved me two trips to the State Patrol Office. The first I heard of it was when I got there. In all, it cost me 5 hours of my time.

 

[ga. prime]

Yeah, too bad. The on-line thing was simple. Done at your own leisure.

 

[Jogeephus]

Yeah, that's what I did. The lady at DMV said it would take an hour which it probably would have but the connection was bad for some reason and it took 2 1/2 hours to watch a 60 minute video. They said not to turn it off or fast forward to the test cause you could only do it from your e-mail address once. (?) Anyway I sat there needing to do other things but couldn't.

You can also do it through mail. They will send you the cassette or dvd but the lady I talked to said I wouldn't be able to get my number back in time to renew my license. It was my understanding if I let it expire I'd have to take the CDL stuff all over again.

Anyway, I think it was good information but could have been given out in a different manner. I only spoke to one person in my area that knew anything about this and they worked for the state of Georgia.

 

[CUZ]

. . . These are the things they want to know but I think a reasonable person with reasonable intelligence would report this type thing anyway.

Jo - You are right, but as an average (below average?) Joe, who would I report it to? A local cop? The county sheriff? The State Highway Patrol? The FBI? PETA? Are they going to just take the info and sit on it, or are they going to come right out and start asking questions, or are they suddenly going to be interested in ME? Frankly, I'm glad to know truckers now have a clue what to do, since I don't. We all see oddball stuff but really have no way to really know what "those idiots" are doing.

Cuz

 

[Susie David]

Up here you supply your SSAN for your CDL. Just to make sure that you arn't behind on thoes child support payments....