Drivers needed to transport nuclear weapons across US

Government agency seeks long-haul truckers for nuclear materials

Pictured is one of the tractor-trailers used to haul nuclear materials across the nation’s highways. (Photo: National Nuclear Security Administration)

A recent U.S. government job posting is a reminder that trucks carry some pretty interesting cargo across the country.

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is seeking drivers based in Amarillo, Texas, and Albuquerque, New Mexico, to transport nuclear weapons and other materials across the country. 

The job posting for “nuclear materials couriers” closed on Tuesday and is currently reviewing candidates, according to NNSA. The salary ranges from $52,248 to $76,981 a year and candidates would need to obtain a top-secret security clearance.

Atomic analyst Stephen Schwartz tweeted about the job opportunity on Wednesday, saying that “nuclear weapons and weapons materials are regularly in transit on U.S. highways, moving between Department of Defense operational bases and National Nuclear Security Administration facilities like the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas, and the Y-12 plant in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.”

Some of the duties for an NNSA “nuclear materials courier” include protecting some of the country’s most important military secrets, coordinating with law enforcement agencies to investigate potential criminal or terrorist acts and potentially even using “deadly force to prevent theft, sabotage or takeover by unauthorized persons.”

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Noi Mahoney

Noi Mahoney is a Texas-based journalist who covers cross-border trade, logistics and supply chains for FreightWaves. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in English in 1998. Mahoney has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working for newspapers in Maryland and Texas. Contact nmahoney@freightwaves.com