[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 5] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page 6084] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]IN HONOR OF BRENNY TRANSPORTATION'S COMMITMENT TO OUR HOMELAND SECURITY ______ HON. MICHELE BACHMANN of minnesota in the house of representatives Tuesday, April 15, 2008 Mrs. BACHMANN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend Todd and Joyce Brenny, owners of Brenny's Transportation and Brenny Specialized in St. Cloud, Minnesota, for their participation in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Highway Watch program. By dedicating the time and effort of their drivers, Todd and Joyce Brenny are helping to keep our Nation safe. Highway Watch is a program through which truck drivers are trained to spot suspicious activity while on the roads and to report it to a national call center so that public safety officials can both address a particular issue and detect early if a pattern is arising. Minnesota was one of the first three states to join this program when it was first started by the American Trucking Association, ATA, in 1998. Then it was a safety awareness program, teaching drivers to report road hazards and accidents. Following 9/11, the Department of Homeland Security worked with ATA to add an anti-terrorism component to the program's curriculum. Since 2004, about 800,000 drivers, State transportation workers, and toll booth operators, including 9,921 drivers in Minnesota alone, have been trained. That turns out to be a cost of about $31 per driver. In 2007, more than 3,000 calls were logged as part of the program nationwide, including 1,700 security-related calls. All 60 of Brenny's drivers and office employees participate in Highway Watch. They have taken a real interest in supporting our efforts to keep our Nation safe and I commend them and all their fellow trucking companies who take part in this program for their efforts. ____________________