Crossborder Hazmat Security Decision Still Pending

      The Transportation Security Administration has less than two months to come up with a way to ensure that Canadian and Mexican hazmat drivers comply with U.S. security requirements.
      Heavy Duty Trucking went to press there was no word from TSA on how this would be accomplished.
      The agency's plan for a Transportation Worker Identity Credential will declare that the background check for the Free And Secure Trade (FAST) card is comparable to the check for the TWIC and the U.S. hazmat endorsement. But the FAST program, in which Canadian and Mexican companies that meet security standards get quicker border clearance, is voluntary – and U.S. law requires that the background check be mandatory.
      The Canadian Trucking Alliance is pressing the United States to make the FAST card the credential that meets the U.S. requirement.
      "We saw it as a win-win proposition," said David Bradley, CEO of the alliance, in a statement. "It would satisfy the U.S. government concerns about security checks for hazmat drivers and it would provide further value to the FAST card."
      CTA said it expects the Transportation Security Administration to approve the FAST card on an interim basis, and is urging Canadian hazmat drivers to apply for a card as soon as possible. Some 65,000 Canadian drivers have FAST cards now, according to CTA.
      "It is not the ideal situation, and we know sending drivers now to obtain a FAST card comes with some risks," Bradley said. "But the continued delays have pushed the industry into a corner. Those who don't act now could find their hazmat drivers shut out of cross-border traffic in less than three months."