Post by BillyT on Nov 21, 2008 9:39:42 GMT -5
Port Workers Rushing to Beat Deadline
Updated: Nov 18, 2008
By Christy Hutchings
SAVANNAH, GA (WTOC) - They've had a year to get ready for it and now in two weeks it's going to get a lot harder to get on the Georgia Ports.
They'll need a TWIC, Transportation Worker Identification Card, from the Transportation Safety Administration and it doesn't look like everyone's going to get them in time.
"It's stressful," said Billy Moore who's waiting on his card to arrive.
It's stressful because without this card you can't get in the ports. Truckers, shippers, GPA workers, they all must have it.
"I'm nervous myself," said Vincent Hogan, "I am in the system but I don't know when I'm getting my card."
And having the card is crucial because just filling out the forms won't cut it.
And the problem for folks filing Monday was that the cards can take anywhere from two to eight weeks to arrive and there's mixed emotions on how the ports will handle this.
"I'm thinking it's going to be delayed thing because a lot of people are doing this at the last minute. In my mind they're going to give us until the first of the year but it's to make you get out of your bad and go and do it now," said Leroy Green.
Hogan doesn't agree, "People think it's laxy-daisy, other things in the past at the GPA, we'll give you this time, five passes, we'll do this, not so this time the feds are involved now a lot of people are going to find out on the first time this is no game."
TSA and the Coast Guard tell us no changes have been made and they must be in compliance by the 1st of December.
"There's no stay of execution, it is what it is," said Hogan.
People that need TWIC cards can make appointments so that they don't have to wait in long lines.
If you haven't gotten yours yet TSA says you need to do so.
Last month there were some problems with issuing the cards. TSA's server went down causing back-ups, but that problem has been resolved.
TSA has already enrolled more than 11-thousand people. Enrollment for the TWIC cards started November 15, 2007.