Many transportation shipping facilities, including a handful of petroleum refineries and terminals not included under the federal Transportation Worker Identity Credential (TWIC), are requiring drivers to present TWIC cards in order to get beyond the facility gate, the New England Fuel Institute has reported in its newsletter, NEON.
Although TWIC cards are only required at specific marine ports as designated by the US Coast Guard, the non-port facilities are voluntarily turning to TWIC identification requirements in order to meet their personnel security obligations under the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Chemical Facility Anti-terrorism Standards, according to the NEON report.
These facilities are increasingly requiring TWIC even though the background check to obtain a commercial driver license (CDL) hazardous material endorsement is identical to the TWIC driver security assessment procedure. The NEON report also points out that voluntary compliance by non-port facilities places an enormous burden on hazmat drivers, who may find it difficult to obtain a TWIC card since DHS credentialing centers are located only in ports covered by the TWIC requirements.
The information is posted online at nefi.com.