Overlapping Security Requirements Impede Flow of Goods, Trucking Groups Say

he Customs and Border Protection Agency said it had increased security measures at the nation’s land borders, while truckers and other transportation groups said overlapping security requirements at ports, airports and railroads slowed the flow and movement of goods.

Randy Mullett, vice president of government relations for Con-way Inc., said efforts by federal agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security in 2006 to consolidate credentialing programs have shown that the U.S. government is interested in alleviating the burden that multiple programs place on the trucking industry.

However, these efforts have not yet resulted in a uniform national security program. Until a single security system is developed, carriers will continue to pay “several hundred dollars per driver” to comply with various regulations, said Mullett, an expense that “is not a good use of resources” for the driver, the company or the government.