Post by comcheckbob on May 9, 2009 20:27:32 GMT -5
savannahnow.com
No TWIC? With this company, no problem
By Mary Carr Mayle
Created 2009-05-07
It's entrepreneurship in the purest sense - see a need and create a business that fills that need.
That's what Barceneas Cosby has done with L.C. Enterprise Inc., a company that provides credentialed escorts to truckers and others who need access to Savannah ports but don't have the required biometric Transportation Worker Identification Credential.
"There's definitely a need for escorts," Cosby said Tuesday. "Especially for out-of-town companies whose drivers may only come into the port two or three times a year."
Cosby, a former Georgia Ports Authority employee, was laid off last year from his job with an industrial company when work the company was doing at International Paper concluded.
"I started looking around and realized that trucks were lining up along the sides of the road outside the port's gates because drivers didn't have the proper ID to get onto the port," he said.
"They were having to wait to be escorted by port police, but there were so many of them it was creating a real backup."
Cosby talked to his fiancee and, with her blessing, began L.C. Enterprises in January.
He's stayed busy since.
So busy, in fact, that he's looking to hire up to 30 more employees to join his current staff of 13, most of whom are longshoremen or short haul truck drivers looking to make some extra money as business around the ports slows down.
"There are days when we literally have trucks lined up waiting for escorts," Cosby said this week.
It's a win-win for people like Quentin Harris and Charles Trappio.
The young longshoremen, lacking the seniority to stay busy as cargo volumes have slowed at the ports, found Cosby's company the perfect way to supplement their incomes.
"This is a great way to stay working," Trappio said.
Lisa Grant agreed.
The local independent trucker, who said she's hauling fewer loads these days, learned about Cosby's enterprise by word of mouth.
"This is perfect for me, especially since I already understand the proper procedures and what's required to get into the gate at the ports," she said.
It's also a win-win for trucking companies like Land Star Global Logistics.
"The TWIC program is relatively new and all our drivers aren't credentialed yet," said Mario Maruthur with Land Star.
"L.C. Enterprises has done a good job for us, helping our drivers get in and out of the port smoothly and efficiently."
Maintaining security
For Georgia Ports, Cosby's service and others like it keep traffic moving smoothly through the gates at both Garden City and Ocean terminals.
But that doesn't mean anyone can be an escort.
"Since the beginning of the TWIC implementation process, the Authority has worked closely with the Department of Homeland Security to ensure full compliance while also contemplating the need for companies to provide escort-type services for access to our facility," said Curtis Foltz, GPA's chief operating officer.
"Anyone providing these services must be both authorized by the Authority through our credentialing process and hold a valid TWIC card. This provides a two-step security authorization that ensures the need to access our specific facility as well as a federally mandated background check."
In addition to carrying valid TWIC cards, Cosby requires all his escorts to undergo DHS training on recognizing and reporting suspicious behavior.
"Before we can take a truck in, we have to make sure they have the proper identification and documentation for their loads," Grant said. "Once we're inside the gate, we have to stay with the driver at all times and be aware of anything suspicious, like someone taking pictures or diagramming areas.
"If we have any concerns at all, we'll notify the port police immediately."
