Just like the out-of-nowhere error message your computer might give you – confounding you because there is no apparent issue but you can’t make it go away – sudden and repeated TSA screening failures have become a nightmare for shippers!
Bestway recently found itself dealing with this on behalf of a bewildered customer that was shipping hazardous cargo via air freight on a bi-weekly basis. Repeatedly, the items were getting rejected by TSA, which meant each item had to be re-collected, repacked and either re-screened or re-booked.
We felt the customer’s frustration. Each incident resulted in delays, additional costs, frustrated end users and threats to the customer’s competitive position.
And while Bestway had not been involved in packing the items, we knew we had to get to the bottom of what was happening.
The first step was to consult with both the airline and TSA’s compliance team to learn everything we could about why items tended to be rejected. The more we looked and listened, the more prominently the likely culprit emerged – particle residue from the customer’s manufacturing process, which had settled on the packages in the packing/loading area.
This was setting off the rejection triggers, and without significant changes to the client’s packing procedures, it would continue to happen.
With that in mind, we went back to our customer and worked with them to develop new procedures for loading and packing freight for shipping. Central to these new procedures was a set of guidelines that would minimize or eliminate plant residue on the packages.
All throughout the process, we continued to consult with TSA to ensure we were addressing the right problem in the correct manner.
Once the customer had mastered the new procedures, it was time for the real-life test.
Since the bi-weekly shipments resumed with the changes fully implemented, more than 95 percent have passed screening on the first attempt. The reverberations of that achievement are many:
- Near-elimination of disruptions and rejected consignments
- Much quicker processing time
- No more repacking, re-screening and re-booking fees
- Near-elimination of delivery delays
- Much happier end-users
- Preservation of the customer’s reputation for quick and reliable delivery
Not only do this customer’s goods now breeze through TSA, but the improvements to its packing and loading procedures have added efficiencies to its operations as well.
This is Bestway problem-solving. We had to look beyond the traditional role of freight-forwarder to find the answer here, but that was fine with us. What mattered was that the answer was found – wherever we had to go and whatever we had to do to make that happen.
