Teamsters Training Director Chosen for National Academy of Sciences Panel

Teamsters Training Director Mark Johnson has been selected by the National Academy of Sciences to serve on a panel to develop a project statement and select an entity to conduct research into the feasibility of a single transportation workers identification credential.

Tightening of security after September 11 resulted in multiple federal security credentialing requirements for workers in the transportation sector. Drivers are required to undergo and pay for multiple background checks to meet security credentialing to do their daily job. These include the Hazardous Materials Endorsement for their CDL, the Transportation Workers Identification Credential (TWIC) for all port facility workers, long shore workers, truck drivers, and others. Additionally, there are a myriad of state and local security requirements that have become burdensome and costly for the transportation worker. 

The research would consider the costs and benefits of the current programs as well as the alternatives, and address tradeoffs that may exist between safety and security in the various options. The research will also attempt to identify overlapping requirements and analyze the steps needed to convert the Commercial Drivers License (CDL), or similar licenses and credentials into a single transportation worker card that would be universally recognized. 

"I like the objective of this research and my hope is that it leads to results that make it easier and less costly for workers to meet all security requirements in the transportation sector,” Johnson said.