The American Trucking Association (ATA) commended Senate leaders in the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee for introducing security legislation that included efficiency and security improvements of the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) Program.
As it stands now, professional truck drivers are still subject to a number of duplicative background checks and other hurdles in order to move America’s most hazardous freight and access sensitive areas of the supply chain,” ATA President and CEO Chris Spear said. “This bill is a good first step toward improving the credentialing process and we look forward to working with the Committee as it moves forward.”
The Surface Transportation and Maritime Security Act, recently reintroduced by U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-SD), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Deb Fischer (R-NE), and Cory Booker (D-NJ), seeks to address a number of issues within the Transportation Security Administration, including the reform of the TWIC program. It calls for a complete assessment of the TWIC program and includes language allowing current TWIC holders to easily obtain their hazmat endorsement without the need for additional background checks.
In addition to the ATA, the legislation has drawn praise from other trucking groups, such as the National Tank Truck Carriers (NTTC) and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association.
“The area of surface transportation security is one that has been overdue for an overhaul,” NTTC President Dan Furth said. “Our members move freight that is among the most tightly security-regulated commodities, so if we can ease the burden of duplicative security screenings on our drivers, we can improve the security and efficiency of our industry.”