NEW ENGLAND — Enforcement of the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) begins today for New England and surrounding ports.

Any drivers who need to access the ports of Bangor, Boston, Bourne, Burlington, Portland, Me.; Portsmouth, N.H.; and Providence, R.I. must have a TWIC card — a bio-metric identification credential that will be required for unescorted access to secure areas in all U.S. ports.

TWIC is being phased in nationwide between October 15 and April 15, 2009.

Although the background check required for a TWIC is identical to the one on a Hazardous Materials Endorsement, an HME is not yet accepted as a valid alternative to a TWIC in the U.S.

However, thanks to lobbying by the Canadian Trucking Alliance, FAST-approved drivers do not have to undergo another security-background check to obtain TWIC. They will, however, have to pay the $105 fee for the card.

Meanwhile, new sets of TWIC compliance dates have been announced for other ports.

On February 28, 2009 drivers who visit the California ports of Benicia, Eureka, Oakland, Richmond, Sacramento, San Francisco or Stockton will be required to present TWICs for access. All ports in Oregon and Washington State will also begin enforcement that day.

Enforcement dates were also set for the ports in the New York City region. Beginning March 23, 2009 all drivers accessing the ports of Albany, NY; Hackensack, NJ; Manhattan, Perth Amboy, NJ; and Staten Island will be required to have TWIC cards.

The Transportation Security Administration maintains a listing of the implementation schedule on its website, which can be accessed here.