[QUOTE=Too bad steam is gone;81881]TWIC----TOTALLY WORTHLESS IDENTITY CARD
TWIC— THE WASHINGTON IDIOTS CARD
In the airport security line "Hey what’s this, I need a drivers license. (That happened to me and I’m sure many others)[/QUOTE]
I call it TWERPP: Totally Worthless Extra Redundant Piece of Plastic. I held up a long security line in O’Hare about five years ago when the flunky wouldn’t accept it. I merely told him that he would accept it as it was issued by his employer and told him to get a supervisor. The super gave me the okay.
[QUOTE=seadog6608;98888]I call it TWERPP: Totally Worthless Extra Redundant Piece of Plastic. I held up a long security line in O’Hare about five years ago when the flunky wouldn’t accept it. I merely told him that he would accept it as it was issued by his employer and told him to get a supervisor. The super gave me the okay.[/QUOTE]
Airport security usually asks me what it is, but when they get a good look, they say “Oh its a TWIC card.” I guess they don’t seem many of them. In spite of the FBI background check inherent in the TWIC, its certainly no better than a driver’s license, and probably not as good.
An engineer of my acquaintance was able to register his ten year old son for one, and he showed it to me. He said it was so his son could visit him on the ROS ship he was working on. Which was silly because no ten year old needs unescorted access anywhere on a marine terminal. The kid can’t drive so his father has to bring him in and out anyway!
Some of the terminals I go to now require a second card issued by the state Port Authority because of this. I have a Virginia Port Authority card that I flash with my TWIC when I enter VIT. It’s a pain in the arse.
The problem with this is now you have all these TWICs floating around that aren’t connected to a worker, and that leaves things ripe for theft and fraud.
[QUOTE=kfj;99047]One guy in Houston told me he could get fake ones for 30 dollars st the flea market[/QUOTE]
I don’t doubt that one bit. Fake driver’s licenses are pretty good these days, hologram and watermarks and all, so why not TWIC cards- since very few places are actually scanning them.
In fact I’ll bet a lot of the truck driver TWICs are fake because they need those to work and some have criminal records that otherwise disqualify.
When we were decontaminating at Tampa Ship after working for BP, we had to make crew change at the Port of Tampa. When we presented our TWICs at the security office, we were informed that they didn’t want to see them. They wanted our MMCs. We all had to trudge back out to the van and dig them out of our bags.
The whole twic program has been a sham and a scam from the start. I have never had my twic scanned into one of the fictional scanners. I have only shown the card to minimum wage security guards. The only fun I’ve had with the twic was denying access to USCG personnel who leave them in their vehicles when they want to board. Basically, we have all been ripped off by our government. Again.
I once needed mine in Gulfport, otherwise I couldn’t get back into the port after I left. But since I just didn’t have it with me, it wasn’t a big deal…as long as I actually did have one…somewhere.
[QUOTE=catherder;99042]
Some of the terminals I go to now require a second card issued by the state Port Authority because of this. I have a Virginia Port Authority card that I flash with my TWIC when I enter VIT. It’s a pain in the arse.
The problem with this is now you have all these TWICs floating around that aren’t connected to a worker, and that leaves things ripe for theft and fraud.[/QUOTE]
Some ports in Florida were like that for several years. You had to have a FUPAC (Florida some BS port acess card) because they refused to recoginize the twic. Port Everglades was one I know for sure. Enough people finally complained and sued that Florida gave up the FUPAC and now will let you in with a twic. I almost got took to jail down there once because of such foolishness. It was some outrageous price to get the FUPAC or a one time escort fee of 55 bucks or something to get in. After I sat out in the hot sun for almost 2 hours waiting on an escort because I had to get into the port that day. I was not very happy when some 80 year old guy that doesn’t speak English shows up to escort me in then tries to tell me I can’t bring my bag, that I have to pay a stevedore to bring it in for me, AFTER THEY SEARCH IT. That is when it became altercation time. (lucky I speak enough spanish to undestand him and tell him off in his language) Sometimes hand signals just don’t cut it you need the verbal EFFF U!!! to back it up.
[QUOTE=ChiefRob;99080]Some ports in Florida were like that for several years. You had to have a FUPAC (Florida some BS port acess card) because they refused to recoginize the twic. Port Everglades was one I know for sure. Enough people finally complained and sued that Florida gave up the FUPAC and now will let you in with a twic. I almost got took to jail down there once because of such foolishness. It was some outrageous price to get the FUPAC or a one time escort fee of 55 bucks or something to get in. After I sat out in the hot sun for almost 2 hours waiting on an escort because I had to get into the port that day. I was not very happy when some 80 year old guy that doesn’t speak English shows up to escort me in then tries to tell me I can’t bring my bag, that I have to pay a stevedore to bring it in for me, AFTER THEY SEARCH IT. That is when it became altercation time. (lucky I speak enough spanish to undestand him and tell him off in his language) Sometimes hand signals just don’t cut it you need the verbal EFFF U!!! to back it up.[/QUOTE]
Speaking of pay for escorts, I am told that non-TWIC escort services (not the good kinda escort, mind you) are a real racket especially around the Port of NY-NJ.
[QUOTE=exsubguy;99144]Am I the only one that gets annoyed when some guys call it a ‘TWIX’ card?[/QUOTE]
Nah. It doesn’t bother me. The thing is a joke so unless they could call it anything other than “biggest waste of time and money and another stupid step to take to sail piece of shit card” then I get offended
[QUOTE=ChiefRob;99080]Some ports in Florida were like that for several years. You had to have a FUPAC (Florida some BS port acess card) because they refused to recoginize the twic. Port Everglades was one I know for sure. Enough people finally complained and sued that Florida gave up the FUPAC and now will let you in with a twic. I almost got took to jail down there once because of such foolishness. It was some outrageous price to get the FUPAC or a one time escort fee of 55 bucks or something to get in. After I sat out in the hot sun for almost 2 hours waiting on an escort because I had to get into the port that day. I was not very happy when some 80 year old guy that doesn’t speak English shows up to escort me in then tries to tell me I can’t bring my bag, that I have to pay a stevedore to bring it in for me, AFTER THEY SEARCH IT. That is when it became altercation time. (lucky I speak enough spanish to undestand him and tell him off in his language) Sometimes hand signals just don’t cut it you need the verbal EFFF U!!! to back it up.[/QUOTE]
I used to sail into Port Ev when I was on the tankers. I came back in one time, showed my TWIC and the guy asked for a second form of ID. DL doesn’t count. I opened my wallet to put my TWIC back in and he seen the expired Zcard in there and asked to see it. He looked at it and told me I could go through. I wasn’t about to point out it was expired but what a joke. This was at the second gate going to the actual ship and not the first gate. The gate off 17th wanted the TWIC AND the MMD. I was later told I could buy another Port Ev port pass for another $100+. Fuck that, kiss my ass I’ll stop going ashore if thats the case.
On the other end of the spectrum you can drive into the Perdue terminal in South Norfolk and just wave the card at the gate guard who will cheerily wave you in without looking at the thing. Great news in case some terrorist decides to blow up a soybean terminal.
A co-worker did some time working tugs at port everglades, he said the cops despised them every time they waved their badge because it had a higher level of come and go rights than they did, like say when the port was closed to get to a boat in trouble etc. chief I was with once got into it with a guard at the gate saying he was drunk…“then fu$@?ing arrest me or let me go back to the boat!” …he went back to the boat.