In April members of the AEMCA legislative committee attended a TSA security conference in Virginia with attendees representing over 50 trucking associations throughout the country. Introductions were made with key members of the TSA who are assigned to our industry and, thanks to AEMCA’s persistence, your legislative committee met with members of the TSA in Washington, D.C. on July 20, 2004.
Representing AEMCA were Jim Weiland, Butch Burleson, Fiona Morgan, and myself. There were six members from the TSA at the table representing the cargo security, aviation and policy departments along with the branch chief.
Our primary goal was to establish a direct relationship with the TSA so that our advice and suggestions are taken into account as they continue to develop and fine-tune cargo security procedures. In addition, we were hoping to get some direction and clarification on the following issues:
- An AEMCA self-accreditation security program and how that can fit with the Indirect Air Carriers accreditation program.
- Expectations of the TSA from our members with respect to cargo security.
- Relationship between the cartage agent and the IAC’s.
- General information regarding the TSA and their ongoing role within the Department of Homeland Security and cargo security industry.
I am pleased to report the meeting was a resounding success and that the AEMCA truly now has a voice within the TSA. We were very pleased to learn that the TSA had initimate knowledge of our industry and our role in the supply chain process. Below is a brief summary of the results of the meeting:
- Many of our members have questions regarding our role with current security procedures, which we found out will be made clear in the upcoming Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM). It is expected that this NPRM will be released prior to the end of this year, and the new cargo security procedures will be made available for public comment.
- Though we believe the NPRM will continue to hold the IAC’s accountable to our part in the supply chain shipment custody, the TSA understands and supports our members' desire to be more directly accountable and asked us to continue to work with them to this end.
- In the interim our members should hold the IAC’s accountable for any questions we have regarding current security questions and clarifications.
- As a result of the meeting, our association was invited to a transportation conference call chaired by Admiral Stone’s office every Thursday. AEMCA took part this past Thursday’s call and we expect that this venue will provide timely and current information on overall cargo security challenges and issues.
- The TSA strongly encouraged our members to communicate any security vulnerabilities that we can identify. They are truly looking for and encourage input and feedback from the stakeholders so that they don’t operate in a vacuum and are able to make decisions based on real work experiences.
- Since the meeting, Fiona has had numerous follow-up conversations with the TSA team we met.
This was an excellent start to what will be an ongoing direct relationship with the TSA. I am very pleased with the direction and advice they have given your legislative committee and we will be working diligently to that end. In the meantime, please feel free to contact me or other members of the legislative committee with any questions you may have.
Steve Murray
AEMCA Legislative Committee Chair
If you have questions, please feel free to contact Fiona Morgan at 703.361.5208 or fiona@aemca.org.
