Leave it to the Federal Government to streamline processes
Well leave it to the federal government to streamline processes, reduce redundancy and make our lives easier and more efficient . . . What? You don’t think the government absolutely excels in this arena?
Good news for some of us, a little relief may be on the horizon. Please see the excerpt below from the Petroleum Marketers Association of America (www.pmaa.org). The US Small Business Administration has identified the duplicative background checks and finger printing required for drivers HazMat Endorsement and TWIC ID as one of their top ten federal rules needing reform. Entrance to the ports requires the drivers have a TWIC card at the cost of $132 or $105 if you have already paid for your HME at a cost of $75.
PMAA Regulatory Report SBA 1- March 5, 2009
TSA Background Checks
The U.S. Small Business Administration wants the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to waive duplicative security background checks for drivers applying for both a CDL Hazardous Material Endorsement (HME) and the Transportation Worker Identity Credential (TWIC) identification. According to the SBA, the security background checks and finergprinting are identical and place unnecessary duplicative costs and administrative burdens of small business.The duplicative background checks add nearly $100 per driver in unnecessary compliance costs in addition to lost productivity due to the day long application and fingerprinting process.
The SBA is asking the TSA to waive the second security background check altogether, which is consisten with Section 1556 of the 9/11 Commission Act that states that drivers with a valid HME are deemed to have met the security requirements of TWIC (and vice versa). The SBA estimates that the cost of these duplicate background security checks could be as much as $28 million each year for small business trucking operations.
Now if we can find a way to get them to efficiently run some other segment of the government. Think TARP funds. . .
My Best – Mary