Enrollment has begun for the Transportation Worker Identification Credential, or TWIC program. The port of Wilmington, Del., began enrollment Oct. 16 followed by Corpus Christi, Texas, on Nov. 1. Ten more ports will start enrollment within 30 days and others will phase in through 2008. The Transportation Security Administration has posted a complete enrollment schedule for every port on their website, listed below.
This program is critically important to everyone in the intermodal industry because eventually the identification credential will have to be carried by truck drivers and others who want to move around secure areas of a port without an escort.
TWIC was established by Congress through the Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA) and is administered by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and U.S. Coast Guard. TWICs are tamper-resistant biometric credentials for workers who require unescorted access to secure areas of ports, vessels, outer continental shelf facilities and all credentialed merchant mariners. It is anticipated that more than 750,000 workers will be impacted. To obtain a TWIC, an individual must provide biographic and biometric information such as fingerprints, sit for a digital photograph and successfully pass a security threat assessment conducted by TSA.
Workers can avoid lines and save time during the process by pre-enrolling online. In the pre-enrollment process, workers provide biographical information and make a reservation to complete the process in person at the port. Pre-enrollment information is available at the TSA website.
www.tsa.gov