The U.S. House of Representatives Thursday passed a bill that would address the issue of redundant background checks for port and hazmat truck drivers.


H.R. 2200, which reauthorized spending for the Transportation Security Administration, also addressed the problem of drivers having to go through more than one criminal background check for different credentials.

The American Trucking Associations was successful in including the SAFE Trucker Act into the legislation. This pre-empts states from requiring a separate credential beyond the transportation worker identification credential card unless they are granted a waiver by the Department of Homeland Security.

During consideration of the bill, Representative Kathy Castor (D-Fla.) offered an amendment clarifying that a state may not be granted a waiver from the Department of Homeland Security unless they have a compelling homeland security reason that necessitates a separate background check. This amendment, supported by ATA, was agreed to by voice vote.

The bill "creates a sensible approach to performing criminal background checks for port and hazmat truck drivers, eliminating redundant checks and prohibiting states from requiring separate background checks for transportation security cards," noted the Teamsters union, which issued a statement supporting the bill.