Truckers Crossing Borders Need Passports
Truckers who are used to traveling to Canada and Mexico have certainly become aware of the new guidelines surrounding passports and entry into the United States from these two countries. In an effort to secure the United States borders, laws have gone into effect, including a passport requirement, to limit the number of unauthorized persons in the country.
Though a passport is required for general travel, beginning in 2008, citizens who make crossing the border part of their routine as truckers could use their Free and Secure Trade Cards in substitute of passports.
But for truckers who do not regularly cross the border, getting a passport is now necessary. Passports forms can be frustrating, lines long, and processing times almost eternal. For truckers who want to make themselves more marketable, though, having a passport is important, even if they have never been out of the country while carrying a load. As a member of the transportation industry, most truckers, especially owner-operators, want to be available to pick up any load that needs shipping. If that means crossing the border into Mexico from a Texas home base, or extending a trip to Michigan a little further, a passport will be necessary. Because of the new regulations, truckers who can travel across the continent are becoming more rare. Having a passport in hand now makes a trucker one of the more elite number of transportation workers.
Getting a passport can be a tedious process, however, so the best policy is to ensure the passport is obtained long before it is needed. Passport forms can be found at any post office and mailed to regional centers. The passport is then processed and sent to the citizen in the mail.
Though passport forms are relatively easy to obtain, they’re not so easy to fill out. Requiring information like mothers’ and fathers’ birth dates and places of birth, the forms might take some family phone calls before they can be completed satisfactorily. Though the final form provides a place for a signature, a government agent must witness the citizen signing the form. Signing the form too early can result in the form’s invalidation.
In addition to completing the long and quizzical forms, passport applicants must also show two forms of I.D., a birth certificate and government issued photo I.D. Foreign-born citizens are also eligible for passports and must bring proof of citizenship in another form. Lost birth certificates and drivers’ licenses can be replaced for a relatively low fee at the county health department and BMV, so those who tend to loose important documents are not out of luck. Loosing the passport, however, is something that should be avoided at any cost. To replace lost passports, travelers must pay the normal passport fee of $100, in addition to an expedite fee of $60. Truckers can also choose to pay the $60 expedite fee on first application if they believe they will need the passport before its expected arrival date.
But passport fees are not the end of the passport’s cost. Applicants must also provide two passport photos. Though most post offices will offer to take the photos themselves, choosing the post office’s service is the more expensive option, as most Walgreens stores and CVS stores provide passport photos.
Though getting a passport is unarguably a hassle, truckers who don’t normally cross the border into Canada and Mexico must now obtain the document in order to work in these areas. For truckers who want to be more marketable, obtaining the document is both necessary and relatively easy as long as it is done long before it must be used.
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