You've Probably Passed A Nuclear Weapon On The Highway And Didn't Even Know It

Screenshot: Oppenheimer (2023) / Universal

If you’ve spent much time traveling the United States using the country’s vast network of interstates, it’s entirely possible that you’ve driven alongside or past a nuclear warhead and didn’t even know it. There are 5,244 of Uncle Sam’s nukes hiding around the world, most within the bounds of this nation’s borders, and they don’t always stay in the same place. More often than you’d think, these mass genocide devices get loaded into trucks and taken in for routine maintenance.

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Screenshot: Half As Interesting on YouTube

Okay, so they aren’t just regular trucks. The vehicles, known as U.S. Safeguards Transporters, are specially equipped to protect the bomb, and innocent Americans, from accidental detonation. USSTs look like regular semi trucks on the roadways, but they are equipped with trailers made of bulletproof and fireproof 12-inch thick steel. There are special tires built to prevent blowouts, axles that lock up if someone tries to steal the truck, and quick expanding foam prevents the bomb from impact if the truck tips over. Oh, and they’re allegedly built to electrocute anyone trying to access the truck without permission, and there’s a “robotic gun turret” in the back in chase someone does get in.

How the US Transports Its Nuclear Weapons

You probably wouldn’t notice this truck on the interstate, as it just looks like a regular semi with a regular trailer. The driver isn’t wearing a Department of Energy jacket or anything, and the trailer carries no markings. The truck is shadowed by a pair of unmarked SUVs that would probably just blend into regular traffic as well. And you certainly wouldn’t notice the surveillance and death drone flying overhead — until it was too late.

NNSA’s Office of Secure Transportation

There isn’t a lot known by non-government entities about the procedures the U.S. uses to move its nuclear arsenal, but it’s clearly a serious operation that you don’t want to mess with. So if you see a big truck with government plates and a pair of chase vehicles, give it a wide berth.