It's official.  After months and months of searching, Cornerstone is moving approximately 10 miles further east to a dream location in the highly desired Southwind area of the city.

 

Thanks to one of our readers who inquired about TWIC.  We hope this brief description helps.

 

The TWIC (Transportation Worker Indentification Credential) was established by Congress through the Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA) and is administered by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and U.S. Coast Guard.  TWIC's are "tamper-resistant biometric credentials"...(okay, its a TWIC card)  issued to workers who require unescorted access to secure areas of ports, vessels, outer continental shelf facilities, etc.  It's goal is to ensure individuals who pose a threat do not gain unescorted access to secure areas of the nation's maritime transportation systems. 

 

An estimated 750,000 longshoremen, truckers, port employees and others will be required to obtain a TWIC.  Enrollment began at the Port of Wilmington, Delaware on 10/16/07 and will continue throughout 2008. 

 

So, could this security program affect you and your business? 

 

All eyes are on the Long Beach/Los Angeles port area, the gateway for over 40% of U.S. imports.  Harbor trucking capacity could be affected since the TWIC requires background checks and proof of legal U.S. residency. The ports are already expecting reduced trucking capacity due to the Clean-Air Program, and now analysts are worried that TWIC requirements will worsen the problem.  They expect thousands of harbor truck drivers will either lose their jobs or avoid applying for the card altogether.  We'll all be watching this program as it continues to develop.  

 

For more information, we found the following website, provided by the Transportation Security Administration, that may be of assistance.   TWIC FAQ's    

 

 

As we all know by now, the federal courts rejected a recent request by various advocacy groups to overturn the interim HOS (hours of service) ruling by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.  The advocacy groups had hoped to strike down the ruling allowing drivers to be behind the wheel for 11 hours in a workday and to start a new work week after resting for 34 consecutive hours. The interim ruling will continue to stand permitting 11 hours of driving within a 14-hour period with at least 10 hours off duty after that to rest.  Comments on the interim ruling will continue to be heard through February 15, 2008 and a final ruling is expected after that. 

 

ILWA - PMA talks will begin earlier than usual this year to avoid potential shutdowns and strikes.  Although contracts expire July 1, talks will begin next month (March) between the International Longshore & Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association.  We are hearing that the ILWU will focus on job security.  Most don't believe a strike will occur however many shippers are keeping their options open by looking into alternative routing such as service to the East Coast, Gulf Coast, Prince Rupert (B.C.) and also Lazaro Cardenas, which has direct rail service from Mexico's Pacific coast to the U.S. border. 

 

 

Union Pacific Example:

26.5% (Intermodal)                        

21% (Railcar)                                  

 

1.  click on the bar at the top that states "click here to download pictures.  To help protect your privacy, Outlook prevented automatic download of some pictures in this message."

2.  click on "add sender to safe senders list"

3.  click on "ok"

 

This will now allow you to receive the full email with photos from that particular sender.  You should only have to do this once and all emails from that particular sender will come through just fine.