Security Threat Assessment Policy Threatens the Number of Hazardous Material Truck Drivers
By Tara Fehr
WASHINGTON, Nov. 4 – Consumers around the country could see a decline in soft drink, perfume, paint and nail polish products if trucking industries cannot find enough drivers to transport these items, which the government classifies as hazardous materials.
In January the Transportation Security Administration of the Department of Homeland Security implemented a new, fingerprint-based background check for drivers hauling hazardous materials, a move that has drawn criticism from the trucking industry.
With a name-based background check already in place, many within the industry see the fingerprint process as redundant and inconvenient, and, they argue, it could cut down on the number of available truckers..
Officials from the Transportation Security Agency estimate that requiring drivers to receive a “Determination of No Security Threat” notice from the department before renewing or getting a hazardous material permit may reduce the number of such drivers by 20 percent. But the trucking industry fears the decline will be much steeper.
“We estimate that number to be significantly higher based on experiences our fleets have been having with the drivers, now that this has been implemented,” said Rich Moskowitz, regulatory affairs councilor for the American Trucking Association.
In order to transport hazardous materials drivers must obtain a transportation worker’s identity card, which is only distributed after federal background checks. Industry members fear that when the estimated two million currently-licensed drivers need to renew their endorsements that they just won’t bother acquiring the license.
“This is all designed in a way that kicks the driver in the head,” Michael Riley, president of Connecticut’s Motor Transport Association said. “I haven’t heard that there’s an effect on the employment rolls, but they’re not working it in the right direction to keep people in the field.”
In Connecticut, drivers pay a $90 fee and lose time from work because the state only has one fingerprinting site, a problem shared by many other states in the country.
Until last week, Connecticut had fingerprinting facilities in Rocky Hill and West Haven, but the motor vehicle department closed the West Haven site suddenly and without informing drivers of the change.
“Drivers went there to be fingerprinted and were told ‘we’re not doing this anymore,’” Riley said. “We’re trying to figure out what happened, why it happened and what we need to do to fix it.”
One potential solution is to narrow the definition of hazardous materials. Syrup for soda, paint, batteries, perfume and nail polish are among many everyday products that the government classifies as hazardous.
“We think that background checks should be required only for drivers who are transporting hazardous materials that can be easily converted into a weapon,” Moskowitz said.
Instead, the costs and inconvenience of the program are causing drivers to avoid seeking hazardous material endorsements.
“Companies are beginning to see their number of hazmat-endorsed drivers go down, which diminishes its ability to haul hazmat,” Stephen Russell, chairman and CEO of the Celadon Group, told a recent congressional hearing, speaking on behalf of the American Trucking Association.
As of Nov. 1, Connecticut has 15,686 hazardous material endorsed drivers, as compared to the 16,088 endorsed drivers earlier this year, said Bill Seymour, director of communication for the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles.
Riley said he has not seen this impact in Connecticut yet, but he would not be surprised.
“We’re having a very difficult time finding drivers,” he said. “We want only the best drivers operating cargo that’s hazardous and we should be working hard to make this a convenient program.”
Under the current statute, states and the industry have little flexibility when complying with the new program, but department members have expressed a willingness to work on its policy.
“We welcome the opportunity to look at how we conduct background checks,” Justin Oberman, TSA assistant director of transportation of threat assessment and credentialing, said at the hearing Tuesday.
But this can only happen if Congress changes the statute. In the meantime, the industry hopes that the policy does not spur a further decline in drivers.
“Truck drivers are resilient people,” Riley said. “They just do what they have to do.”
