September 11, 2025
Your driver pulls up to the airport cargo terminal, confident they’ll grab your urgent shipment and hit the road. Security checks their ID, nods, then asks for their TSA credentials.
The driver goes pale, as if struck by a sudden illness—they don’t have the credentials. As a result, your freight remains locked behind secure gates, your client’s deadline slips away, and those same-day delivery promises become tomorrow’s costly apology.
This scenario plays out daily across major U.S. markets because airports and marine terminals don’t play games with freight compliance and security. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do. Federal regulations require specific credentials — TSA air-cargo access and TWIC port clearances — for any driver handling freight in these facilities.
There are no exceptions.
So what exactly separates the drivers who breeze through security checkpoints from those who get turned away? Two credentials rule this world: TSA certification for airports and TWIC for ports. Each carries specific rules, and each can make or break your freight compliance strategy.
Airport cargo terminals operate under TSA’s watchful eye, where every person handling freight needs proper clearance. Drivers with unescorted access to air cargo must pass a rigorous Security Threat Assessment (STA) under 49 CFR §1548.15. This requirement applies to anyone who screens cargo, supervises screening, or touches cargo and cargo data — no exceptions.
Here’s where it gets even more strict: TSA demands 100% screening of cargo on passenger aircraft through its Certified Cargo Screening Program (CCSP) at designated facilities. Every piece gets inspected, and every chain of custody gets documented. Shippers additionally typically need to be listed in the Known Shipper Management System (KSMS) through a forwarder, which affects how your pickup gets planned.
Miss any piece of this puzzle, and your freight stays grounded while costs soar.
Ports run on TWIC credentials — biometric cards that serve as your golden ticket for unescorted access to secure marine facilities under 33 CFR §101.514. Modern high-risk facilities use electronic TWIC inspection systems at entry points to create a digital gatekeeper that either waves compliant drivers through or stops them in their tracks.
Think of TWIC as the port’s VIP pass. Drivers with valid credentials breeze through checkpoints, while others wait for escorts or get turned away completely. The electronic readers speed up legitimate access but create iron walls for anyone without proper credentials.
No credentials means no entry. Period. Without STA-cleared personnel at airports or TWIC-credentialed drivers at ports, your freight sits behind locked gates while escorts get arranged and special procedures kick in. Delays multiply, storage fees accumulate, and demurrage charges pile up while your patience runs thin.
Credentialed handling also builds bulletproof audit trails that protect your business. These credentials create documented compliance records that satisfy regulators and shield you when investigations happen. CCSP and CCSF rules formalize this protection for air cargo, giving you the paper trail that proves you followed every rule when questions arise later.
Knowing what TSA and TWIC credentials mean is one thing. Watching them work in your favor is another. When your delivery partner staffs routes with TSA-cleared and TWIC-credentialed drivers, freight compliance becomes part of the workflow rather than a fire drill. Your shipments smoothly and efficiently glide through secure facilities, while your competitors deal with the effects of rejected drivers and delayed deliveries.
Credentialed drivers solve compliance headaches before they start. Your delivery partner already jumped through the federal hoops, passed the background checks, and earned the right credentials for airport and port access. No more need to worry about surprise rejections at security gates or frantic calls about drivers who can’t touch your freight.
Federal regulations under 49 CFR §1548 for airports and 33 CFR §101 for ports become someone else’s problem when your drivers already meet the requirements. Chain of custody stays clean from first mile pickups to last mile delivery because the right people handled your cargo at every step. Auditors love clean paperwork trails, and insurance companies appreciate reduced risk exposure.
Picture two scenarios. In the first one, your credentialed driver pulls up to the port gate, scans their TWIC card, and drives straight through in thirty seconds. In the second one, your competitor’s driver gets stopped and waits three hours for an available escort to accompany them.
Guess whose client gets their shipment on time?
Airport cargo terminals work the same way. TSA-cleared drivers breeze through security checkpoints during those critical end-of-day cargo sweeps when every minute counts. Noncredentialed drivers create bottlenecks that ripple through entire delivery schedules, turning same-day promises into next-day apologies.
Fewer people touching your cargo means fewer opportunities for problems. Credentialed drivers create a tighter security circle around your shipments, reducing theft risks and keeping your insurance company happy. When something does go wrong, credentialed handling creates clear accountability trails that protect your business.
Smart businesses choose delivery partners whose drivers already carry the right credentials because security breaches hurt everyone. Credentialed drivers move your products faster and safer, and build the kind of reliable supply chain that keeps clients coming back instead of shopping around.
You know those delivery providers who promise they can handle “anything, anywhere” until your freight needs airport pickup? Then suddenly they can’t find a credentialed driver, your cargo sits for days, and you’re struggling to explain missed deadlines to angry clients. FRAYT skips that whole disaster by building our network around drivers who already carry TSA and TWIC credentials, so your secure facility pickups happen without the usual compliance circus.
Here’s the thing about security credentials: They’re either there when you need them, or they’re not. Countless shipments get stuck at airport and port gates because someone thought credential requirements were “just suggestions.” Spoiler alert: they’re not. When your first mile pickups, middle mile delivery, or final mile delivery hits a secure facility, TSA and TWIC cards become the only things standing between smooth operations and very expensive phone calls to explain why your client’s cargo is still sitting in a terminal somewhere.
FRAYT figured out that TSA-certified and TWIC-compliant drivers solve most freight compliance issues before they start. Our 40,000+ drivers across 150+ markets already carry the credentials needed for secure transit, so your cargo moves through airports and ports like it belongs there. From retailers to manufacturers to industrial suppliers and construction companies, we handle the compliance, so all you need to worry about is serving your customers as best as you can.
Ready to move high-security freight without the credential drama? Sign up with FRAYT and set up your TSA/TWIC-compliant delivery program today.
