One such innovation is the mobile truck-mounted radiation detectors that recently made their way to U.S. ports. The devices mounted on these trucks, formally known as mobile radiation portal monitors, detect attempted smuggling of nuclear devices or “dirty bombs” into the United States.

Each device is a self-contained, mobile platform that operates independently of permanent infrastructure at a port. The vehicle is designed to scan cargo containers on the ground or on trucks. Sensors measure key parameters such as speed of the vehicle, distance from the item being scanned, and emitted radiation. On-board computers analyze, display, and record information within easy reach of the vehicle operator and facilitate communication with the base of operations.

Photo Credit: John Demers

The Mobile Radiation Portal Monitor shown in Mobile Mode. In Mobile Mode, one or more Mobile Radiation Portal Monitors scan stationary cargo by driving past the container set on the ground or on a parked truck.

In April, it was widely announced that the Department of Homeland Security signed a $20 million contract with defense contractor Burtek, Inc. to provide 200 of those detectors. The first of the trucks deployed at the Port of New York/New Jersey in early May, and additional devices will soon appear at ports across the country.

In a radio interview, Burtek CEO Bruce Burton explained how the process works. “There are two big monitors mounted on the side of a Ford F-650 truck,” he stated. “And what the Customs (and Border Protection) officers do is they have the (sea) containers drive between the trucks, and they can detect radioactive materials and nuclear weapons using these devices.”

According to Burtek, key benefits of the monitors include:

• Safe environment for operators
• Rapid deployment and setup
• Effective detection of radiological materials
• One- or two-person operation (depending on the amount of cargo to be screened in a day)
• Easily redeployed to new locations, or to deal with temporary screening or peak demand
• Adaptable to existing port operations; does not require operational changes
• Cost-effective screening for low-volume, multiple locations

The technology is the same as CBP already employs at several busy border crossings, but is adapted to be mobile enough to be placed on a truck.

A press conference to unveil the technology was held on April 24 and featured a representative from CBP, Ken Hammond, Rep. Candice S. Miller (R-MI), and Burton. In a radio interview that morning, Miller called the device “snazzy,” noting that it is “an ingenious high tech product which is great news for national security, particularly port security.”

A U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, developed the monitors specifically for CBP. The portal monitors are manufactured by Science Applications International Corporation/Exploranium; the commercial trucks are manufactured by Ford Motor Company; and Burtek Inc. designed and assembled the completed vehicle.