Florida Seaports Struggling To Provide Truck Driver IDs

Florida's 14 deepwater ports are scrambling to conduct criminal background checks and issue identification badges to port workers and frequent customers, including truckers, one month after a state law requiring beefed-up security measures went into effect.

Port officials say the short time and limited funds to tackle all security issues since the law's passage last summer made it difficult to meet the ID deadline or create a universal badge permitting entry at all ports. As an interim measure, individual ports are to issue their own credentials.

So far, the major ports have begun taking fingerprints for background checks, but have only issued a small number of badges. Some smaller ports are still waiting for equipment to implement the procedures.

For the full story, see the Feb. 11 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.