Some workplaces, such as ports, labs, national security sites, federal buildings, and hospitals, need employees to go through extensive security checks before entering. Thus, if you want to work as a truck driver, you’ll require a CDL TWIC card. In this CDL TWIC Card study guide, we’ll explain what a TWIC card is, how to obtain one, and a variety of other pertinent issues.

 

cdl twic card
CDL TWIC card study guide for truckers

 

1. What is a CDL TWIC card?

TWIC Cards are identification cards issued by the US Coast Guard and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

TWIC stands for Transportation Worker Identification Card, and the TWIC program provides truck drivers with biomedical identification cards that allow them to enter cargo warehouses, ships, and secure port facilities.

To enter secure areas without supervision, marine personnel frequently require a TWIC card. In addition, the TSA has issued 159,336 TWIC cards, with 69,301 of them activated.

 

>> Read more: How can DOT Affects CDL Driver’s Careers?

 

2. What are the requirements for TWIC Card?

Before beginning the application process for your TWIC card, you must ensure that you meet all the requirements. The following are the major prerequisites you must meet:

  • Provide confirmation of identity and residency in the United States or Canada.
  • The required charge must be paid.
  • You must successfully complete the TSA’s security threat assessment. Warrants, convictions, indictments for specific offenses, arrests, and other background checks are all considered in the security danger assessment.
  • You must be a citizen of the United States or Canada, a legal permanent resident, or a legal non-immigrant alien.
  • You must be a practicing marine professional or in the process of pursuing a maritime career that requires a TWIC clearance.
  • Legally recognized refugee

You can speed up the application process by ensuring that you meet these standards ahead of time and have these documents on hand. Even if all of the documentation is in order, government organizations anticipate that it will take roughly 12 weeks for candidates to finish the application procedure. However, certain circumstances may preclude you from obtaining the TWIC card.

 

cdl twic card for truckers
It takes 12 weeks for candidates to finish the TWIC Card application procedure

 

3. Who needs to obtain a CDL TWIC Card?

Truck drivers are required under the Maritime Transportation Act of 2002 to have unsupervised access to maritime facilities and vessels (ships, ports, and outer continental shelf facilities).

TWIC cards will be required for all longshore workers, port facility employees, and commercial mariners who need access to secure maritime vessels and facilities. Many other professionals, however, require TWIC qualifications to do their jobs efficiently.

A TWIC certification is required for anyone who needs access to secure cargo holds on ships, cargo warehouses, non-civilian port areas, or dockside storage facilities. Here are several vocations that require a TWIC certification:

  • Customs agents
  • Personnel from the Coast Guard
  • Maritime security personnel
  • Merchant seafarers with credentials
  • Employees on cruise ships
  • Employees of port facilities

 

4. Should you obtain a CDL TWIC Card?

If TWIC credentials are required for your position, your employer will most likely notify you before or shortly after you start. In some situations, your company may even pay the fees or assist you with the application process.

Even if you don’t need a TWIC for your present trucking work, getting one will open up more job prospects for you. It never hurts to obtain an additional endorsement as a truck driver. If you want to work in maritime transportation, getting a TWIC clearance makes you more appealing to most businesses.

So it all comes down to what area of trucking you want to work in and where, but getting one is a good idea because it will offer up more opportunities for you.

 

cdl twic card study guide
Getting a TWIC card is a good idea because it will offer up more opportunities

 

5. How to get a CDL TWIC Card?

Let’s go over how to receive your TWIC card step by step:

Step 1: Complete and submit your application online, or as previously indicated, visit an application center.

Step 2: Schedule an appointment online.

Step 3: Pay a visit to a TWIC application center to:

  • Submit any necessary documentation.
  • Take your fingerprints. Drivers who have already had their fingerprints taken for hazardous endorsement can use the same ones.
  • Obtain a photograph
  • Display your valid US/Canadian passport, birth certificate, driver’s license, or any other appropriate document.
  • Pay a non-refundable charge that is valid for 5 years.

Step 4: You can pick up your TWIC card in person or have it mailed to you.

 

6. What are the FAQs about the CDL TWIC card?

 

6.1. How much is a TWIC Card?

TWIC cards cost $125.50. A replacement card will set you back $60. However, if you have a valid hazardous driver’s license or a Free and Secure Trade Card, you just pay $105.25.

 

6.2. How long is the card good for?

TWICs are good for five years. However, you must renew before the five-year period expires. When you renew, you will receive your new card and your old card will be canceled.

 

6.3. What should you do if your CDL TC has expired?

If your TWIC card expires shortly, you must renew it in person at a TSA UES registration location. You can save time by scheduling an appointment. Alternatively, you can simply stroll into a center.

 

6.4. How can I check the status of my CDL TC application?

You may quickly monitor the status of your application online by visiting this page.

 

6.5. What rules apply to have a CDL TWIC Card?

To maintain the safety and functionality of your TC, the TSA recommends that TWIC card carriers follow specific standards. Truck drivers have a lot of ID cards and credentials they bring with them, the card may become damaged and hence void. Here are some suggestions for safeguarding your treasured card!

 

  • There will be no bending, folding, or punching holes in the card.
  • Keep it in the original plastic case.
  • Avoid displaying your TWIC card in direct sunlight (rearview mirror, vehicle dashboard or visor)
  • Use no tape or lamination on your TC.
  • Magnets should be avoided.
  • Carry nothing in your back pocket (you can easily bend it)

 

One of the most crucial points to emphasize is the importance of being honest at all stages of the application process. If you aren’t and are discovered, you’re doomed. You’ll be disqualified right away. It is a simple technique and a useful qualification to have. We hope that after reading this article, you get helpful information about the CDL TWIC Card and steps to obtain it! Moreover, becoming a trucker driver is easier with online CDL Practice Test!