Onboard Spill Reporting for Trucks
An onboard spill reporting system for trucks is available
from Spill Center that enables drivers to quickly
activate company response systems after spills of hazardous materials and
initiate reporting and remediation actions. The system is designed to speed up
response during spill emergencies and help fleets contain costs and avoid fines
due to late incident reporting.
Called QAlert®, the new onboard spill reporting
system is integrated into a truck's QUALCOMM® satellite-based
wireless communications system. A pre-formatted, electronic "spill macro"
loaded into the truck's OmniTRACS® or OmniExpress®
terminal enables the driver to quickly fill in details of the spill and
transmit it along with the truck's location.
The message travels from the truck to QUALCOMM's Network
Operations Center in San Diego, Calif., which forwards it to the carrier and
Spill Center's 24/7 call center in Hudson, Mass. QUALCOMM's Multiple Access
Software System (QMASS®) enables the automatic sharing of data with
Spill Center once authorized by the carrier.
When Spill
Center receives the spill
message, a staff member trained to design spill response and remediation
activities, activates the carrier's pre-filed spill contingency plan. The plan,
custom-tailored to each Spill
Center subscriber,
contains spill-handling instructions and contact information.
Immediate Telephone Notifications
Spill Center immediately calls the
carrier and - at the carrier's direction - the appropriate authorities to alert
them of the spill, the location of the truck, type and amount of material
spilled and whether any special protective gear or precautions are needed on
scene.
Spill Center completes all required
telephone reports on the carrier's behalf, relying on its regulatory reporting
database of over 3,300 local, state and federal jurisdictions. Meanwhile, the
carrier is provided with a list of clean-up contractors in the vicinity of the
spill who are qualified to handle remediation and disposal of the spilled
material. Spill Center, which receives no compensation
from contractors, maintains a list of more than 3,000 for-hire emergency
response contractors throughout North America.
QAlert is designed to improve private and public sector
response to hazmat incidents and increase efficiencies in the resolution of
spills by quickly providing critical information needed to frame an appropriate
incident response. The system is based on homeland security technology
developed by Spill
Center as part of
post-Sept. 11 efforts to prevent commercial trucks carrying hazardous materials
from being used by terrorists.
Avoiding Fines for Late Reporting
QAlert Onboard Spill Reporting was developed with the
cooperation of QUALCOMM and Pottle's Transportation, a 36-year-old truckload
carrier based in Bangor, Maine, which has deployed the QAlert system
throughout its fleet of 109 company tractors. The addition of QAlert recently
helped Pottle's avoid a hefty fine from the Mass. Department of Environmental
Protection (DEP) for making a late fuel spill incident report. An $11,500
penalty was substantially reduced as part of a Special Enforcement Project
settlement, contingent on deployment of QAlert throughout the fleet.
We hope you found this information useful. We plan to provide industry
updates and tips on containing costs and limiting liability after hazmat
incidents on a regular basis. Visit the Spill Center
website
www.spillcenter.com or call me directly if we can be of service to your company or if you
have questions about Spill
Center subscriber
services. My direct number is 978-568-1922, X222. E-mail me at
tmoses@spillcenter.com.
Sincerely,
Tom
Moses
President
Spill Center
22
Kane Industrial Drive
Hudson,
Massachusetts 01749
