title: The North American Transportation Security Center
title: Fedtrak Specifications and Release Plan
titleType: Subtitle
Creators: name: Kreis, Steven Douglas
name: Barclay, Michael M.
Publisher: name: Kentucky Transportation Center, University of Kentucky
Year: 2009

description: Executive Summary

In April 2008, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) completed work on the TSA Hazmat Truck Security Pilot (HTSP). This congressionally mandated pilot program was undertaken to prove that a hazmat truck tracking center was feasible from a technology and systems perspective. The HTSP project team built a technology prototype of a hazmat truck tracking system to show that “smart truck” technology could be crafted into an effective and efficient system for tracking hazmat shipments. The HTSP project team also built the Universal Communications Interface – the XML gateway for hazmat carriers to use to provide data to a centralized truck tracking center.

In August 2007, Congress enacted the 9/11 Act (PL110-53) that directs TSA to develop a program - consistent with the Hazmat Truck Security Pilot - to facilitate the tracking of motor carrier shipments of security-sensitive materials. In June 2008, TSA took a major step forward in establishing a national hazmat security program by issuing guidance for shipments of Tier 1 Highway Security Sensitive Materials (HSSMs), the riskiest shipments from a security perspective. TSA’s Tier 1 HSSM guidance includes Security Action Items which specify security measures – including vehicle tracking – that TSA believes are prudent security measures for shippers and carriers to follow. Compliance with TSA’s Tier 1 HSSM guidance is voluntary but TSA is expected to issue regulations based on the Tier 1 HSSM Security Action Items that will make compliance mandatory.

Establishment of a Tier 1 HSSM truck tracking center is critical to implementation of a Tier 1 HSSM regulatory program based on the Security Action items by TSA. The HTSP technology prototype was an excellent first step toward an operational Tier 1 HSSM truck tracking system. However, it falls far short of what TSA needs in an operational system. In an earlier deliverable, the Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC) at the University of Kentucky examined the “gaps” between the HTSP technology prototype and an operational Tier 1 HSSM truck tracking system.

TSA needs a Tier 1 HSSM truck tracking system to support its regulatory ambitions, and FedTrak is being built to specifically serve as the implementing tool for TSA’s Tier 1 HSSM regulatory program.

Deliverables 1.1 and 1.2 laid the foundation for development of the Specifications and Release plan for FedTrak, a Tier 1 HSSM truck tracking system. The Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC) held joint application design (JAD) sessions in Northern Virginia (June 3-5), in Lexington, KY (June 23-26) and again in Northern Virginia (July 15-16) to support development of the plan. A representative from NIHS attended the meeting in Lexington. This deliverable summarizes those meetings and the development approach the KTC project team will follow in building the FedTrak system. Specifically, this deliverable:

    summarizes specifications arising from project team JAD sessions (Section 1.2 and Appendix A);
    describes how “gaps” identified in Deliverable 1.2 will be filled (Section 1.1); and
    describes the FedTrak project team’s architectural design and development approach (Sections 2, 3 and 4 ).

Release plans for the FedTrak shipper/carrier portals, the FedTrak electronic manifest application, and the FedTrak electronic route application are presented under separate cover.
description: Copyright:
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