ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, August 10, 1996 TAG: 9608120031
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: GREG EDWARDS STAFF WRITER
New federal regulations, which go into effect Monday, are designed to prevent unauthorized explosives or hazardous materials from being shipped as cargo aboard airplanes.
The regulations apply to companies that handle freight shipped on commercial airliners carrying passengers. They are aimed at ensuring the security of the freight throughout shipment.
"The air-freight industry is going through a major face lift because of the TWA tragedy," said Terrell Smith, operations manager for Security Transport in Roanoke. Federal investigators suspect that a bomb smuggled into a cargo hold may have brought down TWA Flight 800, which crashed off Long Island July 17, but the cause of the crash has not been determined.
Security Transport is a ground transportation company that picks up freight at local industries or businesses and takes it to the airport for air-freight companies. Beginning Monday, when such a company picks up freight at a factory or from some other shipper, it will have to ensure that the freight:
nIs transported to the airport in locked or monitored vehicles.
nIs picked up at the shipper's premises.
nIs accepted from a known shipper or the shipper's representative.
Shippers will be required to sign a statement certifying the cargo doesn't contain any unauthorized explosives, destructive devices or hazardous materials. Shippers will also have to provide the person picking up the package with two forms of personal identification, including at least one with a photograph and a Social Security number.
Air-freight companies or their contractors, such as Security Transport, are required to refuse the shipment unless the certification and identification are provided, even if the person shipping the freight has been long known to his company, Smith said.
In the past, his company just picked up packages from a shipper, took them to the airport and dropped them off, Smith said.
It's not clear whether similar regulations are going into effect Monday for big air-freight companies, such as Federal Express or Airborne Express, which operate their own trucks and airplanes. A spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration in Washington said the agency could not comment on air-freight security issues. The FAA announced increased security at airports July 25, including increased security for cargo and mail.
Earlier this week, the U.S. Postal Service - also in an effort to curb the shipment of explosives - announced it would require anyone mailing a package weighing more than 1 pound to appear in person at a post office.
Security Transport handles freight for about 100 to 150 air-freight companies each year, Smith said. There are about five ground-transportation companies, like his own, handling air freight moving in and out of the Roanoke Airport, he said.
He expects the new regulations to cause some problems and confusion for shippers at first. But, he said, "If it saves 100 lives in 50 years, it's worth it."
USAir has already imposed the identification requirements in Roanoke and is requiring Smith's drivers to supply two forms of identification when they arrive at the airport with shipments, Smith said.
A spokesman at USAir's Northern Virginia headquarters said the airline would not discuss specific security measures. "We have all along complied with everything the FAA has required," he said. "Our procedures exceed those required by the FAA, and we'll continue to meet the regulations and enhance them."
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