Truckers Not Properly Screened at N.Y./N.J. Port, Paper Says

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he Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is not properly screening truck drivers going into port terminals, the New York Times reported Thursday.

A new federal report found that nearly half the drivers whose backgrounds were checked had possible criminal histories, the Times said.

Most of the histories involved minor crimes, but there were also many felony convictions on drug or weapons charges, the paper reported.



The report, prepared by the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement division, suggested that the failure to screen drivers left ports vulnerable to criminal acts and even terrorism, the paper said.

The examination of the drivers' backgrounds was initiated after DHS — which operates radiation detectors at the New Jersey terminals — noticed that some of the drivers whose trucks had sounded false alarms had criminal records, the Times reported.

DHS subpoenaed the Port Authority for records from its Sea Link program, which is intended to help move truck traffic quickly past security gates by clearing drivers before they arrive, the paper said.