Trucker shortage likely to worsen with new Sept. 11 security rules

Daily Record, The (Baltimore), Jul 15, 2005 by Kathleen Johnston Jarboe

Truck driver Bill Vodopia isn't against improving security for the 800,000 shipments of hazardous materials each day. But the Columbia resident thinks many of his co-workers will exit the business rather than submit to the fingerprinting and background checks required for drivers under new federal security laws passed after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

There are a lot of people in this industry who don't have pristine records, Vodopia said. They're not going to be terrorists. But they're going to be American citizens who made mistakes earlier in their life, and they're only going to be able to haul regular freight.

Vodopia's comments echo concerns from trucking companies about how the new security requirements miss the mark and could worsen an already difficult shortage in truckers nationwide.

The American Trucking Association estimates the country is now short 20,000 long-haul drivers. The industry group predicts that number will grow to 111,000 by 2014 under current conditions and that about 20 percent of hazmat drivers won't renew their endorsements in the next five years as they expire.

The new checks search through federal and international databases to find questionable driver histories. The search comes with a charge to drivers of $88 in Maryland and at least a two-week wait to hear if they passed.

Some states have just one place to get the service done, which can mean hours of driving to comply with the routine. Maryland at first only offered fingerprinting at the Glen Burnie Department of Motor Vehicles location. Now the Bel Air and Waldorf locations accept applications too, and the department plans to open Salisbury and Frederick locations soon.

Still trucking associations find the costs and inconvenience troubling. They also worry that some drivers, who would qualify, will just not renew for the intrusiveness of the process.

It's an extra hurdle to go through - for a driver where time is money, said Anne Ferro, president of the Maryland Motor Truck Association.

But much of the frustration stems from a view that the new screening could have been done better. Many materials are classified hazardous that can't easily be transformed into a weapon. But still the products get the diamond-shaped label since special handling would be required in the case of a spill. Hazardous materials include anything from gases and corrosives to paint, nail polish remover and cleaning supply fluids in high enough quantities.

It doesn't make sense to treat a truckload of explosives the same way you treat a truckload of paint, said Richard Moskowitz, assistant general counsel and regulatory counsel at ATA.

And the checks wouldn't stop a determined terrorist, according to many, who doubt a terrorist would go to the trouble of qualifying to haul hazardous materials.

If you're willing to kill yourself, are you really going to bother to get a driver's license? said Kevin McNeil, owner of Fleet Transit Inc.

McNeil's Baltimore trucking company is now short 20 to 30 drivers. The company only hauls materials classified as hazardous, such as petroleum, cements and coal and tar products. Fleet Transit encouraged its drivers to renew early to avoid the new regulations and higher fees for at least another five years. It offered to pay the fee for drivers who renewed before the May 31 cutoff that imposed the new regulations. New hazmat drivers have had to get the security clearances since Jan. 31.

Trucking associations say the process would be more efficient and less costly if it were merged with other industry screenings, like those in the aviation industry or if the fingerprinting portion could have been at least partially postponed until a pilot program being tested by the Transportation Security Administration came on line. The program aims to provide a system-wide credential for all transportation workers from ports and airports to trucking and rail facilities.

In the meantime, Vodopia hopes the troubles with the new credentials could benefit him. With fewer qualified drivers, the changes could mean more leverage for the smaller pool of truckers who can haul hazardous products. I'm hoping it will translate into higher salary, Vodopia said.