For those of you running guided fishing trips on the Columbia river this spring, you are going to need a TWIC Card. ( Transportation workers identification credentials) It is another form of BS you need to pay for throught the govasuckolis. It is required by April 15th or sometime close to that. Just a heads up for those of you who are planning on guiding the Columbia.

i had to get one of these for work.. what a waste of money

Guides in AK gotta get them too. Here in Sitka we dont have a authorized facility to get them at so you either have to catch the Juneau personel that are here for 1 week in april, or you have to fly to Juneau. Makes a $130ish piece of BS even more expensive...

Anywhere you are required to have a CG license, you are require to have the TWIC card by April 15th. I went through all the paperwork in PDX last month and it is a 100% duplicate of the information required to get the USCG license. Same background and everything. It almost appears like this whole thing is a scam for the TSA to get 130$ out of you.

Damned TWICkers!

Dang Wabbits, TWIC's are for kids!

kevin is this a one time deal or yearly renewal/111peace

You can pay 132.50 and its good for 5 years of 102.50 and it expires when your MMD/License expires

+ 1 on the waste of money, took 6 weeks to get

It's a pain in the ass to get, and I am sure it will save us all.

Like Kevin said, you go thru the same process to get your CG license. Only difference is, you get a fancy card and fingerprinted.

CG was at our terminal last week checking on everything. If you are asked for it, you have 10 minutes to produce it. What happens if you dont I am told could be ugly.

Cuffed and stuffed is no fun, be it the CG or the local police.

Ya your looking at about a six to eight week wait so you guides had better get on it.

Rusty has it right. It's ugly if you are asked for it and you don't have it. It has something to do with Homeland security and TSA laws. They messed mine up and put my middle name as my first. It's gonna take two more weeks to get a new one isuued. They tried to blame me for putting down the wrong name. I asked if it matched the one on my MMD and ODL. Iv'e made a mistake before, but not when it comes to my name.
To think the guy had the nerve to tell me that it all checked out good through the background and everything. What a joke for security. They isuued a card to James Lund and put all my info through the background check and it all came up clear. I wasn't worried about background check, but how they were able to create a person with my info who doesn't have the proper name, and then to isuue me a card which is to be used as photo ID and Homeland security as well.
They messed up in the data entry and tried to balme me for it. Typical Govnmt.

Those goats working at the TWIC office don't work for the "government" They work for Lockheed, the dude that took my info, was hunting/pecking at the keyboard. (I asked the dude if he had to get a TWIC to issue them(NO)) I am sure he had some kind of background check.



I know several people that have gone in to pick up there cards, but been denied actually receiving the card. The card was actually, sitting on the desk. However, the finger print machine, would not recgonize their prints. So they were unable to pick up the card. One guy went 3 times, (two hrs travel each time, plus a couple hrs sitting there) I would have been pisssed.


And then there is the whole "PIN" where they come down with some kind of portable card reader , supposedly they swipe your card, enter your PIN and read your prints.

We will see

If your in a hurry you might try the Port of Longview, I registered online on 2/16, went into the office with my paperwork and $ on 2/24 and just checked the status of my card, looks like they should be calling within a few days to pick it up.
When I made the appt. I could have got in even sooner but didn't have time till the 24th, when I went in, the office was empty other then the 2 gals that work there, asked them if its always like that after hearing some horror stories of long waits and they said its been real slow.

How come as a USCG license holder I was never notified of this requirement?

Sounds like a gov program to justify some lames job

https://twicprogram.tsa.dhs.gov/TWICWebApp/index.jsp




I was never notified by the Coast Guard, however if you are currently working your license you should have "heard" about it. The DEADLINE is April 15, however this has been coming down the pipe for at least 20 months.

All the people working at the Port need one, as well as anyone that goes into a port.

The previous deadline was, Sept 24, 2008, they pushed it back because they were very slow processing applications. (or some other reason)

I my opinion, Since you no longer pick up your MMD or License from the Coast Guard, they came up with this new BS document to waste more of your money and time.

Mine's supposedly waiting in Seattle after four tries to initially get in to get it ... a pain in the ass is right. I especially loved the one when I was told the office was closed becuase of the snow and no one could get to it. Told 'em I got there just fine for my appt. ... and I came from Forks. She shut up then.

Has put my whole renewal of license on delay, what a pain.

Sweet. Wonder when I was going to hear about this otherwise. Thanks for the heads-up guys. Sounds like I have some paperwork to do and more BS to wade through. What a crock.

Here is what their website states: I see nothing about the Columbia River except if you are launching from the Ports in Oregon.....

When will I be required to have a TWIC?
Workers will be required to possess a TWIC by the compliance date set for their specific Captain of the Port (COTP) zone.
Below is the latest schedule for COTP zone compliance. All compliance announcements will be made in the Federal Register at least 90 days in advance.
Date COTP Zone(s)
October 15, 2008
Northern New England
Boston
Southeastern New England

November 28, 2008
Corpus Christi
North Carolina
Cape Fear River

December 01, 2008
Long Island Sound
Charleston
Savannah
Jacksonville

Change as of 10/27:
Buffalo
Duluth
Detroit
Lake Michigan
Sault Ste. Marie
December 30, 2008
Baltimore
Delaware Bay
Mobile
Pittsburgh
Ohio Valley
Lower Mississippi River
San Diego

January 13, 2009
Hampton Roads
Morgan City
New Orleans
Upper Mississippi River
Miami
Key West
St. Petersburg

February 12, 2009
Honolulu
South East Alaska
Prince William Sound
Western Alaska

February 28, 2009
Puget Sound
Portland(OR)
San Francisco Bay
March 23, 2009
New York

April 14, 2009
Guam
Houston/Galveston
Los Angeles/Long Beach
San Juan
Port Arthur

Coast Guard announces Transportation Worker Identification Credential compliance dates for Oregon, California, Washington, New York
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Coast Guard and the Transportation Security Administration announced Thursday that Feb. 28, 2009, is the Transportation Worker Identification Credential compliance date for owners and operators of facilities located within the U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port Zones of Portland, Ore., Puget Sound, Wash., and San Francisco Bay, Calif., while the compliance date for Captain of the Port Zone of New York is March 23, 2009.

Ports affected by the Feb. 28, 2009, compliance date include, among others, Astoria, Portland, Pacific City, Coos Bay and Port Orford, Ore., Longview, Blaine, Neah Bay, Anacortes, Everett, Seattle, Tacoma and Olympia, Wash., and Crescent City, Humboldt, Bodega Bay, Stockton, San Francisco, Santa Cruz and Monterey Harbor, Calif.

I thought that was for secure Harbors only. I guess like, if you were guiding out of a secured harbor you would need it. I hate alll this paper work Sh%t

The information I saw says that it is required for "all licensed mariners". So if you have your OUPV license you would be required to get it.

No it doesn't make any sense - actually if you think about it this is going to make the TWIC less effective. By forcing guys who have no reason to access "secured ports" to get TWIC cards they are increasing the odds that someone with bad intentions will get a TWIC and have access to the secured ports. But what do I know.

I also read that if you don't get your TWIC card they MAY revoke your license. My guess is that if you never access a secured port - they will probably not come looking for you. But that they would probably get you when you went in for your next renewal.

My appointment to get mine is on Tuesday...