My last post on Garcia labor got me thinking about the TWIC (Transportation Worker Identification Card) that the federal government plans to roll out. I was speaking with a contact I have in the local trucking industry lately who is understandably concerned about how the TWIC will affect their company directly. There has already been some talk about how the TWIC could turn away a number of truck drivers who are in the country illegally and would be unable to pass the necessary background check.

My contact said they wouldn’t be surprised to see those companies that knowingly hire illegal immigrant drivers to run into major problems, but what they were more concerned with were legitimate companies like themselves who made sure to see and collect copies of the necessary information and paperwork needed to hire legal labor: What if their driver had supplied forged paperwork or supplied false information? Sure, the driver would not be able to get his necessary TWIC in order to pick up loads from the port, but what about the company that he had been doing work for?

My thought is that if a company is doing its due diligence in ensuring it hires legitimate labor, then they should not be responsible for those workers that have cheated the system by using false paperwork and information. Unless companies are notified by the authorities that there is something fishy about a certain worker’s social security number or other information, most companies lack the capability and resources to identify fraudulent documents or investigate false claims thoroughly.

But that’s just my thought process, not necessarily what could happen in reality, particularly where our federal government is concerned. So I’m curious to see how things pan out, both in terms of the predicted driver shortage and how companies will be dealt with in terms of them knowingly or unknowingly hiring illegal labor.

Stumble it!