TWIC

As I stated previously yes the TWIC credential says you are approved due to a background check BUT good people do turn bad. What difference does it make if it's a banana port or a container port or a break bulk port? It doesn't in my estimation.

I think the biggest issue with drivers is the cost and time associated with acquiring a TWIC, a FAST, a Haz-Mat or what ever credential you require. That is a problem between yourself and your employer. There are many employers either bearing the cost of OR re-imbursing the driver the cost of the required credentials. Maybe it's time some drivers shopped employers if they aren't seeing remunerations for costs incurred.

 

It would have been much better if they had just required background checks for getting the CDL. If they did that we would not need a TWIC, hazmat or any other check. By the way, I see a lot of foreigners pulling containers in and out of ports, especially around New Jersey. I had someone tell me last year that the reason some shippers require TWIC to pull their freight is because the Coast Guard requires it. If they are checked and find those who don't have a TWIC they are fined about $1,400 per incident. These are shippers who send freight through the ports. I found that rather interesting. In my opinion, they are still concentrating on the wrong aspect of the problem. If something is going to happen at one of the ports it is more likely it will come from outside the country and enter in one of those containers. The threat is not likely to come from native born American citizens.

 

In the last 10 years,

domestic terrorism has become our biggest problem !!!!

 

Right, Timothy McVeigh was a Lebanese.

 

That would be nice, but won't happen anytime soon. My company paid for our TWIC cards for the drivers that wanted them. The good thing about having it is I'm allowed unlimited entry in any port (Jacksonville, FL) while a driver without one is limited to 5 escorted entries in a 90 day period. What does that mean? A buddy of mine that works at the same company with me was denied entry into the port while I was allowed to go in. He had to lay over a day for another load and I was 900 miles up the road.

 

You got your TWIC card paid for by the carrier...GREAT, that's the way it should be and yes you were down the road while the other guy, well...Smart thinking JohnBoy.

I don't get the "piss and moan" mentality...it's all about choices people. Spending $135 on a TWIC isn't my idea of a great way to spend MY after tax dough BUT if it's going to a) make me MORE money, then count me in OR b) get me a better job, then again count me in! If neither then why bother doing it and maybe it's time to dust off your resume and find a better place of employment! It's all about choices people!

 

Here's more information about the scam. One of the last things the Bush administration signed into law was for the Homeland Security Dept to add the TWIC card idea to their department for keeping a database on everyone entering a Port. The program is run by no other that Dick Cheyney's company Haliburton and all his cronnies he's in bed with. Oh yeah, for every TWIC application processed by Haliburton they get $75 of the application fee. Got to love the idea of doing this for the safety of our country, or is it really for the pockets of said Haliburton Companies?

 

We do have US Customs and food inspectors checking all incoming freight. They are assuming a problem is going to happen from the inside.

Look at Timothy McVay. They took diesel and mixed it with fertilizer and blew up the federal building in Oklahoma.

Any terrorist can move to this country, become a farmer, and buy all the diesel and fertilizer he wants and nobody would suspect any different if stock piled a little here and there. He doesn't even need a CDL to drive a truck.

We can waste billions on trying to stomp out terrorism while this country goes into reccession. You can't kill them all and they will regroup. No matter what we do, someone can slip through the cracks and do some damage. I think our country's money can be better spent and the current TWIC program is useless.

 

Just because you have a TWIC card doesn't necessarily guarantee you will be granted entry into ALL ports. You need a TWIC to get into the New Jersey ports, but you can't until you buy their card. Another scam.

 

You will never completely stop criminal activity. You will never be able to legislate safety. No matter how many laws you enact, no matter how many safeguards you put in place, you will never have 100% safety. Terrorism of 9/11 has fueled a new industry of anti terrorism. Frankly, I think we are wasting a lot of money and time on things that we cannot control. Rather than targeting those most likely to be involved in terrorism, the government is targeting native citizens who don't meet any terrorist profile. And don't forget about all those granny's and their wheelchairs.