One Check, Not Two, For Truckers

The federal government should eliminate a rule that forces some truck drivers to undergo duplicate, costly security checks, the Small Business Administration said Feb. 27.

The SBA targeted a Transportation Security Administration rule that requires truckers who already hold a Transportation Worker Identification Credential to undergo a second background check when they apply for a Hazardous Materials Endorsement for their commercial driver's licenses. Those checks cost nearly $100 per applicant, and cost the trucking industry up to $30 million a year, the federal agency said.

As many as 300,000 truck drivers apply for an HME each year, according to the American Trucking Associations. Without one, they cannot haul hazardous materials.

The SBA added the TSA requirement to its top 10 list of burdensome federal regulations. "TSA should revise its regulations," the agency's Office of Advocacy said Feb. 27. "The change would be consistent with Section 1556 of the 9/11 Commission Act, which states that an individual who has a valid TWIC is deemed to have met the security background check required to obtain an HME."

The SBA submitted its analysis to the TSA and Department of Homeland Security for review.

Mandatory federal fingerprint-based background checks for HME applicants began in 2005 and are valid for five years. It is estimated that as many as 1.5 million truckers will hold HMEs once the program is fully implemented in 2010.

ATA brought the rule to the SBA's attention. "Not forcing some TWIC holders to undergo two identical background checks will bring much needed relief to all motor carriers, especially the vast number of small carriers in the industry," said ATA Chairman Charles Whittington, president of Grammer Industries, Grammer, Ind.

"Although implementing Section 1556 does not solve the overall balkanization of transportation security, it represents a significant first step in moving towards a single uniform credential for transportation security," said Whittington.

The SBA's r3 initiative identifies federal regulations that are ineffective, duplicative, or out of date. The agency picked the truck driver rule from 38 nominations. It replaces one of two regulations on the 2008 Top 10 list that federal agencies reviewed and reformed.