Jan.30--THE United States Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has updated part of the Indirect Air Carrier (IAC) Security Programme that will apply to IAC's (forwarders) with operations in the United States, according to its latest cargo information bulletin.
The change will now enable the IACs to create a Self-Managing Agent (SMA) status, allowing their agents and authorised representatives to create, pay for, upload and otherwise manage the Security Threat Assessment (STA) process on their own.
TSA said this is a significant improvement to the long-standing procedure through which IACs had to manage (and pay for) the process in its entirety.
"The new procedures allow a greater deal of flexibility for cartage companies, truckers and other agents to manage these important activities, and to more easily provide their services to multiple IACs," it said.