Final costs set for TWIC

The Transportation Workers Identity Credential (TWIC), after a year of setbacks andconfusions, has finally settled one issue: the cost of the biometric card to the truckers and dock workers. Earlierreports suggested that the price would be $139, but according to the Federal Register, the correct price is $137 (a $43 enrollment fee, a $72 production and security threat assessment, and a $22 FBI fee). There is also a $32 discount for those who have already undergone comparable background checks. But although everyone can cheer for saving $2, even if it does not amount to much of anything, the fees are nearly $10 higher than the Transportation Security Administration predicted in May 2006. All told, the “TWIT” program will enroll 850,000 port and maritime workers, and many critics are concerned that the program willl be disruptive to workers, partly due to costs and bureaucratic paperwork, and partly because many truck drivers are illegal immigrants and will not be permitted to participate.