TWIC; are you serious?

I've been to ports from TX to NJ and everyone had escorts. Not one company at some, but two. The part that made me mad is my company said I had to get the TWIC at my expense and I would be there picking up a load and there would be another one of our drivers getting a company paid escort. I had to get one escort when the TWIC first started. The guy took my money and pointed where I needed to go, lol. So much for an escort. Another place I went through a full truck search, search dog, ground mirrors and the works. So much for the TWIC.

When I got my TWIC I was impressed by the leased office in a shopping center with school chairs and folding picnic tables. The ladies computer locked up on her and I had to go to the back of the line and wait on another clerk who's computer was still working. Wasted an extra hour of my time. High tech place.

Then there's the deal for paying for a seperate hazmat background check. Why can't they combine the two and save us the time and the extra expense? I'm dropping both next renewal. Someone else can have them loads.

There are no past indications supporting the need for added security at ports. They already had guards and customs agents. Terrorist could care less about a ship load of freight. Tampering can be done at the export port. 911 has caused such a rippling effect, the terrorist chalk it up as a huge success. Exactly what they wanted. Is our country safer now? I doubt it as there are still many holes the terrorist can find. To me, TSA security at airports, good, the TWIC program is a joke.

 

All this stupid security only protects us from ourselves it seems.
Yea, I went to the "port authority" here in WI and it was 20miles inland. Hmm, that didnt make much sense to me .

But yup - same thing. Leased office and church chairs with a table and a paper table cloth.
At least the chic that took care of me was HOT-

 

I dont have my TWIC card and had to pick up a load at a port one time. The company paid for an "escort". All i did was park in a spacific area. There was no escort.

 

On a selfish note,or maybe not so much,anyway my TWIC card has gotten me two good loads out of Houston so far,thats it,and I have had it since Dec of 2010..-Not a good deal for me so far.

 

Chesapeake, VA does not allow escorts. Unless you have a TWIC you will not be allowed to pick up or deliver your load. That is the only port that I have been to that didn't allow escorts. Other ports in the area did allow escorts. All you need do is pay for 2 escorts over the life of the TWIC to come out ahead having the card. I don't like having to pay for the TWIC. I agree that it is only about the money, but you will pay one way or another. I would rather pay for the TWIC than pay a ridiculous amount of money for an escort. Some escorts charge by the hour. That could go over the cost of buying the TWIC with a single delivery.

I have a friend who refuses to pay for a TWIC. He does well without going to ports. He does go to Canada on a regular basis and had to get a passport. A passport isn't cheap, either. If you are going to be in this business you will need to either play by the rules or find something else to do. From what I have heard, access to military posts will eventually require a TWIC. These people can find out anything that they want by running your drivers license. There is no real need to have a separate TWIC, but that is the way our government has deemed that we must do business if we go to ports. The hazmat and TWIC background checks should be combined. Both are done by the same company, but I have been told that their computers don't communicate with one another. HOGWASH!!!!! I will see how much business that I generate having a TWIC. I have already had to buy a separate card to enter the New Jersey/New York ports. You can't get that card without a TWIC. The cost is $25. The alternative is to stay away from the ports. There is no shortage of drivers who are willing to pay the price. Many are foreigners. So much for security.

 

Someone up there said "redundant" /\. Apparently, the TWIC certification, FBI background check, fingerprinting, et al is not enough for some ports. Jacksonville, FL, for example. Roll up on Blount Island's JaxPort gate and flash your TWIC card without the JaxPort card (which is an additional application, fee & processing) and you can't get in. Used to be you had to go over into town and make the application, pay the fee and wait for the card. IIRC, it was around $80. 4 or 5 years ago when they started the program (before TWIC started). Don't know what it is now because I turned all my customers to other ports that were much easier to work with and accept the single TWIC card as the verification for entry.

I believe there are other ports in the southeast that require additional cards (Brunswick, GA?) as well but not sure. But after the TWIC program has gotten well underway, why is it that there are ports requiring other cards in addition to the TWIC card? Makes no sense to me and not one person at either place has taken the time to answer that question. Which leads me to believe...it's all about the Benjamins...and NOTHING else.

 

I haul out of the Baltimore,Md., Philadelphia, Camden,nj and Wilmington,de. ports quite often. Rates seem to be a little better when a twic card is required. For me the card has paid for itself many times over.

 

When I got the card for entry into the New Jersey ports I was told that I had to have a TWIC to get their card. I doubt that they even checked my background. All they wanted was my $25.00. That is all any of them want. I used some of the information from the broker whom I picked up my load rather than my own company. The person at the New Jersey port told me that it would take all day to get one through my company but if I used the broker's information that I could get it in an hour or two. I was also told that if I brought in a load or picked up one from another broker that I would need to change my card and pay an additional $25. If anyone actually believes that these cards are about security, including TWIC, you are sadly mistaken. It is all about the money. It is like organized crime has taken over all these ports and the so called security.

 

it gets even worse lol i ALREADY HAVE a current STA/ fingerprint check through homeland security/FAA/FBI/TSA due to my current job in aviation so i'm already in the system, already cleared, already deemed 'not a threat' and hold 5 different security clearance levels working with mail/aircraft/on airport, but now that i'm getting my CDL, i have go through the whole process and pay the money all over again just because i'm going to be on wheels instead of on wings. doesn't matter i'm already in the system and have been forever they won't just transfer the information. go figure. money money money in their pocket. i just accepted it long ago it's just a fact of being in this transportation business, no matter what your capacity.

 

<<<it gets even worse lol>>>
A few weeks ago, some media was hot-n-heavy with the phrase "government duplicity". You heard them talk about analyzing ALL the programs and combining or doing away with the duplicate bureaus and programs to save $$$.

[sarcasm]I have complete confidence that "they" are doing that right now.[/sarcasm]