Air cargo ?ready? for U.S. screening deadline

Air cargo æreadyÆ for U.S. screening deadline    Cargo transport on passenger airlines will not turn to gridlock after Aug. 1 when the Transportation Security Administration's requirement to physically screen all shipments at the individual package level goes into full effect, industry and government officials say.
   Lawmakers who pushed the rule change and many shippers are concerned the new mandate could overwhelm airlines because many companies have not taken advantage of an alternative program to certify their facilities and self-screen their cargo so it can bypass the screening line at the airport. Shipments that have not been prescreened and securely delivered to the airline must be screened prior to loading. Unitized loads have to be disassembled so that each piece can be checked, adding time to the process.
   On May 1, TSA implemented an interim requirement that 75 percent of cargo on passenger planes be screened by non-intrusive detection equipment or manual checks. To date, only 2 percent of the volume has been screened by shippers and independent cargo screening facilities, according to the agency.
   'I don't think there's enough shipper participation. There's no federal funding. So we've fallen short of having an adequate number of screening facilities and as a consequence a lot of companies will rely on the airlines, and not all the airlines are equipped to handle that volume,' said Joe De La Luz, general manager of trade compliance at NEC Corp. of America.
   'And if the shippers didn't have the foresight to get certified by TSA, there's not enough facilities to do the screening without impacting the flow of goods come Aug. 1.'
   But TSA and logistics industry officials say reports that the air cargo sector will experience huge delays or that unscreened cargo will make it on planes and pose a terrorist threat are over-hyped.

Sammon

   'Both we and the industry are ready — as of Aug. 1, 2010, no unscreened cargo will be uploaded onto a passenger aircraft departing an airport in the United States. Quite simply, if it isn't screened, it won't fly. All segments of the air cargo community are prepared, and we expect this to happen with little disruption', TSA Assistant Administrator John Sammon testified at a House hearing in late June.
   TSA officials have acknowledged that inbound freight will not be screened at the 100 percent rate for several more years because of difficulties working through other governments to gain their cooperation.

Brooks

   'There's not going to be a supply chain meltdown. The earth's not going to stop its rotation,' David Brooks, president of American Airlines Cargo told AmericanShipper.com. American has been preparing for the new security regime for three years and has invested in large X-ray machines that can handle some types of pallets, as well as training and customer outreach.
   Delays will be relatively isolated, predicted Bandon Fried, executive director of the Airforwarders Association. 'I think, generally speaking, this will go off smoothly.'
   International mail consolidator Pitney Bowes is also prepared for the screening deadline, said Robert DiVincenzo, president of international services. The company has small X-ray and explosives trace detection machines at three facilities — Elk Grove, Ill.; Corona, Calif., outside Los Angeles; and Newark, N.J. It is in the process of getting another facility in the Chicago area certified.
   Pitney Bowes is not adding any surcharges for the screening at this time because it considers the service as a prerequisite to ensure their packages aren't delayed. ' Eric Kulisch