Officials Want Security Review After Air Cargo Explosives Scare

This story appears in the Nov. 8 print edition of Transport Topics.

The recent discovery of explosives in overseas packages is triggering a fresh look at cargo scrutiny measures that could involve truckers and airlines, government officials and experts said.

Congressional leaders last week said they wanted to change the current security regime, and the Department of Homeland Security announced it had made unspecified security procedure changes following the Oct. 28 discovery of U.S.-bound packages from Yemen.

Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), the likely next chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, used the incident to call for a shake-up.

“Our security measures are still reactionary,” Mica said. “We should be directing our resources to where the real threat exists: foreign departure sites.”

Peter Gatti, executive vice president of the National Industrial Transportation League — whose members are cargo and package shippers such as retailer J.C. Penney — said he anticipates security system changes.

“The question is, what impact will eventually be felt by shippers as well as their suppliers?” Gatti said on Nov. 2.

“We’re asking the same questions as we did in the aftermath of 9/11,” Gatti said. “Are we going to look at every haystack to see if there’s a needle in it? The answer is that we created redundant systems that we needed to eliminate the haystacks without a needle in them.”

Mica called the Transportation Security Administration “top heavy,” with 3,500 administrative employees. He called on TSA to “align its resources to meet security threats.”

However, one step Mica doesn’t favor is 100% screening of cargo.

In a statement to Transport Topics, he said, “It’s very difficult, if not impossible, to screen 100% of cargo, and requiring it would endanger a number of jobs.”

Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) signaled his intention to make one last stab at convincing Congress to approve 100% screening on all-cargo flights. Markey, who lost a bid for re-election, has tried without success to get that measure passed for at least five years.

Other Democrats called for a fresh Government Accountability Office investigation of cargo security.

DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano has pledged to work with package carriers on security procedure changes through its units including the Transportation Security Administration.

“TSA continues to work closely with our security partners,” said spokesman Jim Fotenos. “We continue to share information with our stakeholders across the trucking and hazardous material sectors and strengthen our trucking security initiatives.”

DHS currently screens all cargo on domestic passenger flights before departure, as well as “high-risk international inbound air-cargo packages” before they arrive in the United States.

Part of that effort has been to certify more than 1,200 private facilities to screen domestic cargo, where workers must pass a federal background check.

Package carriers — including UPS Inc. and FedEx Corp. — touted cooperation and efficient inspection systems, without saying if their procedures have changed.

“UPS is fully cooperating with authorities around the world, as they investigate potentially suspicious packages being shipped through cargo networks,” spokesman Norman Black said.

“We have processes, systems and procedures in place designed to protect our people, aircraft and customers’ shipments,” Black said. “It would be counterproductive to the effectiveness of our security efforts to discuss them publicly.”

FedEx spokesman Jim McCluskey said, “We are continuing to work very closely with the authorities. Security is always something that we focus on. We can’t disclose publicly what our security processes and procedures are — for obvious reasons.”

“[Truckers] already are facing a number of security regulations,” said Martin Rojas, vice president of security and operations for American Trucking Associations. He specifically cited cross-border, hazardous materials and air-cargo related rules.

“We’ve come a long way in achieving security improvements,” Rojas said, noting that he didn’t expect any changes in cross-border security because there already are extensive systems in place there such as radiation screening.

But Gatti disagreed, saying shipments from Canada and Mexico could be in line for tighter scrutiny because of the potential threat.