DHS planning to plan: freight security initiative has title, intentions but shippers are anxious for specifics.(Government & Regulation)(Department of Homeland Security)

Shippers looking for details of the secure freight initiative" announced as part of the Department of Homeland Security reorganization are finding there's not much to the initiative beyond the title.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced the program July 13 when he unveiled changes for the agency he has headed since March. He said DHS will focus on gathering more information from the supply chain in its efforts to shore up cargo security. But Chertoff did not detail what data he wants to collect, who is going to provide it and when the data will come in.

That left shippers, who have complained about vague and often contradictory security …