TWIC Running Smoothly at U.S. Ports Despite Initial Glitches, Officials Say

This story appears in the Nov. 2 print edition of Transport Topics.

After several initial delays and glitches, freight hauling and government officials say the Transportation Worker Identification Credential program is moving along smoothly at U.S. ports, and they project additional security measures could be incorporated in coming years.

About 1.3 million dockworkers and truck drivers have enrolled in TWIC since it was developed following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. More than 1.17 million cards have been issued, and Cmdr. David Murk, head of TWIC compliance for the Coast Guard, said that as of Sept. 28, about 225,000 of those  cards were for truckers.

Since April 15, only individuals with a valid TWIC are eligible for unescorted access at U.S. ports. Officials from the Coast Guard and the Transportation Security Administration — both of which have authority over TWIC — and port officials said operations for the most part have run smoothly since that time.

George Cummings, director of homeland security at the Port of Los Angeles, attributed TWIC’s success to years of outreach and collaboration.

“When you look at the number of longshoremen, truck drivers and other people who have legitimate need to be here, it is a huge undertaking. We felt that it went quite well,” Cummings said.

Matt Schrap, director of environmental affairs and intermodal conference manager for the California Trucking Association, said the economic downturn has eased the transition.

“Right now, we’re about 40% down in cargo volume. It is a good time to be getting the kinks worked out,” he said.

There have been a few glitches along the way. For example, TSA was criticized for delays in processing applications, but agency spokesman Greg Soule said it has improved.

“In the beginning of this year, TSA took significant steps to address the initial adjudication backlog. Adding staff and resources, we have reduced this backlog to virtually zero, and we are now focusing additional resources on processing appeals and waivers within 30 and 60 days, respectively,” Soule said.

Because of remaining application backlogs, the Coast Guard issued two extensions, one that expired in May and a second allowing entry through July 15, for workers who had passed security screenings but hadn’t received their cards.

“We monitored the backlog, and as the backlog came down to a normal level as cards were being processed as advertised, we decided it was time to turn off that equivalency,” Murk said.

At present, workers are receiving cards three to four weeks after enrollment, but delays can occur if they provided insufficient paperwork or had issues with the background check.

Those delays are a cause of concern for groups such as the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. Craig Merrilees, ILWU communications director, said TWIC “has destroyed the lives of many hardworking employees who are caught in a morass of bureaucratic ineptitude as they try to get clearance needed to go back to work.”

A July report from the National Employment Law Project said delays in “background checks have left thousands of longshoremen, truck drivers and other port employees jobless as they remain caught up in a backlogged, inefficient and often inaccurate screening process.”

Laura Moskowitz, co-author of the report, said problems with the FBI’s records, insufficient staffing and poor TSA screening protocols caused the delays.

As a result of the report, Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.) added language to the TSA Reauthorization Act of 2009 that would require the TSA to process TWIC cards within 30 days and respond to appeals within 30 days.

The measure passed the House and at press time was awaiting action in the Senate.

Soule said the NELP report, which was based on data from 450 applicants — or about 0.035% of all individuals pro-cessed — used a small pool that didn’t give a good representation.

Soule said only 4.5% of workers who submitted applications have been issued initial disqualification letters — and they can request an appeal, waiver or time extension.

Currently, drivers show their TWICs to gain entry to the port, a practice commonly referred to as “flash and pass.” However, to make the cards more secure, the next major step is to install card readers at facilities to capture data and biometrics.

“The electronic reader logs names and adds in the ability to verify that it is, in fact, a real TWIC card that hasn’t been recalled. You can use the biometrics to verify the cardholder is the person who should be using it and also tie it into the scheduling to verify the person has the authority to be there at that given time,” Cummings said.

In its initial proposal, the Coast Guard created three different risk groups and would require biometric data from two of them — people who work with ships carrying hazardous cargo and those who work with ships carrying more than 500 passengers.

Truckers who carry shipments to or from container ships that carry consumer goods and manufactured products would not have to obtain the biometric card.

In comments filed on behalf of American Trucking Associations with the Coast Guard earlier this year, Boyd Stephenson, manager of security and cross border operations, applauded the Coast Guard for choosing a risk-based system.

A pilot project testing readers already is under way at the Port of Brownsville, Texas, and is slated to launch at three terminals at the Port of Los Angeles in November.

“We want to observe firsthand what the impact of using the card in this way will be on port operations,” Cummins said. “Will it result in delays at the gate or moving cargo in and out of the port?”

George Gavito, chief of police and security at the Texas port, told Transport Topics that the readers have not slowed entry or the movement of cargo. “It takes as long as it would to stop and show me an ID,” he said.

Brownsville has 15 fixed and six handheld units and requires workers to swipe their cards. Under the current security levels, fingerprinting is not required, but the port has tested it and Gavito said it did not add to entry time.

For the biometrics data to work, the port has to register each card, which Gavito said takes only seconds for workers who know their personal identification numbers.

“A lot of people don’t know theirs, and that is what takes time,” Gavito said.

The only time workers need to enter their PIN is when registering with the port, he said.

Stephenson said the Coast Guard had considered requiring workers to enter their PIN every time they sought entry to the port, but that requirement wasn’t included in its recent notice, which ATA supported.

“Matching the biometric on the card to the person should be enough to authenticate identity. This will be especially important for irregular visitors to the ports, such as longhaul truck drivers,” Stephenson wrote in his comments, noting that infrequent visitors may not remember their PINs.

“If PINs are required,” he wrote, “then these drivers will be forced to visit a TWIC enrollment center for a PIN reset, losing valuable time” that otherwise could be spent dealing with cargo.

A registered TWIC card isn’t enough on its own to get a worker into the port. Workers also must have a reason to be in a particular area at a certain time of day to gain entry.

“If you only work on a dry dock, that is the only place your card is going to work,” Gavito said.

The biometric readers download TWIC information every eight hours and reference it with the cards as workers enter. The port is alerted to any cards that have been placed on a “hot list.” When a “hot” card is identified, the port detains the holder and contacts the Coast Guard.

Soule said the TSA will keep gathering information to improve the program. “We continually analyze data from the field to find ways to streamline processes, refine the technology and make TWIC easier and more convenient for workers,” he said.