FAQ About CCSP
Key Messages
We are supportive of a voluntary program, like CCSP as currently explained to us by TSA, which spreads security throughout the supply chain. It is a key part of the risk-based, multi-layered approach to air cargo security this association has always endorsed. It balances the need for increased security while also meeting the needs of the shipping public. The Association also supports additional funding at the airport to meet the expected demand from those who do not participate in CCSP. There is no one solution to air cargo security and providing for shippers, forwarders, and airlines is the best way to ensure a secure supply chain.
The 9/11 Bill specifically recognized programs such as this, as well as other non-intrusive measures approved by TSA, as an important part of the screening mandate. These provisions are critical to meet the mandate – airports do not have the real estate to screen all cargo, or even 50% of the total tonnage, moving on passenger planes with existing resources and airlines do not have the financial or human resources to efficiently expedite screening all the build ups of just in time cargo at the airport. If screening occurs at the airport, with no additional funds for airlines or airports, and with no green lane program like CCSP, there will be massive bottlenecks, which slow commerce and create new security concerns.
We are extremely concerned about the lack of government funding for the 100 percent screening mandate. Forwarders participating in CCSP must purchase machines which may range from $150,000 to $500,000 per facility – a price tag that cannot be met by small and medium size forwarders, who will now face delays at the airport for cargo screening. This consolidation of the market is bad for forwarders, manufacturers and the American consumer.
We urge Congress to provide funding to ensure the jobs of hundreds of thousands of employees in the air freight business are not lost and the American economy does not face serious harm due to a backlog in goods and products being delivered. The Airforwarders Association supports small business grants to fund CCSP as well as additional funding or reallocation of TSA’s budget to provide funding for equipment and personnel devoted to cargo screening by airlines. We are also eagerly awaiting the demonstration of the ‘carwash’ pilot program, where third-parties (be it vendors or a consortium of forwarders) will have an off-site, stand alone facility dedicated to screening cargo for a fee and believe this is another tool that will alleviate bottlenecks at the airport.