Consulting firm BearingPoint Inc. will lead the Phase III prototype implementation. The company won the $12 million contract in August. The first four sites to issue cards were the Port of Long Beach Container Terminal, the Philadelphia Maritime Exchange in Pennsylvania, the Port of Pensacola, and Port Canaveral in Florida.

The TWIC is a tamper-resistant credential that will be used to identify transportation workers in secure locations, as required under the USA PATRIOT Act, Aviation and Transportation Security Act of 2001, and Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002. Workers currently carry different identification cards for each facility they access. A standard TWIC would eliminate redundant credentials. Up to 200,000 workers from the maritime, rail, aviation and ground transportation industries are expected to participate in the tests. Participation is voluntary and will include transportation workers such as truckers, longshoremen, and container terminal and airport personnel.

When fully implemented, an estimated six million credentials may be issued and maintained for transportation employees who have unescorted access to secure locations within transportation facilities.

"TWIC is a significant enhancement that will prevent terrorists and other unauthorized persons from gaining access to sensitive areas of the nation's transportation system," said Under Secretary for Border and Transportation Security Asa Hutchinson. "Developing the prototype for this new technology is another step in TSA's continuing effort to enhance security in all modes of transportation."

In addition to biometrics, other technologies on the ID card include magnetic stripe, two-dimensional bar codes, linear bar codes, unique serial numbers and digital photos.

The goal of the seven-month prototype phase is to analyze the technologies, policies, and administrative and business processes involved in collecting transportation worker data, issuing credentials and analyzing the day-to-day use of the cards along with the user experience.

The TSA and the U.S. Coast Guard are developing a joint rulemaking for the implementation of the TWIC for maritime workers.

In addition to BearingPoint, primary subcontractors include Anteon International Corp., Lockheed Martin Corp., Unisys Corp., biometric software provider Daon Inc., Dell Inc., Gemplus International SA, LexisNexis, Microsoft, security specialist SAFLINK Corp., and Senture, a contact center management firm.

Last month, the Port of Rotterdam in The Netherlands announced it was deploying biometric hand geometry technology from Recognition Systems (a division of Ingersoll Rand) to identify truck drivers entering and exiting the port