Skip to navigation Skip to content
click here to view our 'Why' videos

Conference Calls

Trucking Security Program FY 2009

Home | Grant Guidance and Application Kit | Dates and Timelines
Conferences and Workshops | Questions and Answers | Conference Calls

Conference Call Summaries

1/13/09 Conference Call

Trucking Security Program (TSP) Conference Call Summary
January 13, 2009
1:00 PM EST

Opening Comments:

TSA: Hello to everyone. This is our eleventh teleconference on the 2009 Trucking Security Program. Today is the last teleconference call; we will miss talking to everyone.

Just a reminder that the new Application deadline is January 23, 2009 by 11:59pm EST, and the Scope of work document for the monitoring / analysis component of the grant has been posted on TSA’s grants website and is now available for viewing. With regard to the HAZMAT Pilot document, it is being reviewed to make sure it contains no sensitive security information (or SSI) and once it is cleared for posting we will notify everyone via TSAGrants e-mail.

I will now open the conference call up to questions.

Questions and Answers:

Please see the following website for questions and answers: http://www.tsa.gov/grants.

Closing Comments:

TSA: If there are no other questions, we would like to thank you for calling. Today is the last teleconference call; next Tuesday is a Federal holiday. We will miss talking to everyone. Good luck to everyone. The National Review Panels, which will be compromised of subject matter experts, will review all of TSA’s grant applications during the period February 23rd through March 6th.

As always if you have any questions, please e-mail us at AskCSID@dhs.gov and carbon copy TSAgrants@tsa.dhs.gov. You will get a formal response from us after we review your question. This concludes this call.

Back To Top

1/06/09 Conference Call

Trucking Security Program (TSP) Conference Call Summary
January 6, 2009
1:00 PM EST

Opening Comments:

TSA: Hello everyone. This is our tenth teleconference on the 2009 Trucking Security Program. We have one more conference call on January 13th, 2009. All grant applications are still due January 13, 2009 by 11:59 pm EST, the date of our last teleconference.

Is there anyone on the call not aware of the websites and email addresses for FEMA and TSA grants.gov? Everyone is familiar with those addresses?

Ok, I want to start by talking about the Monitoring and Analysis System. It will remain a component of this year's grants. The Scope of Work is in the process of being reviewed by our Office of Counsel. Once Counsel clears the document, we will post it on the Website. The Source Code will not be provided until the grantees have been selected. Once the grantees are selected, we will provide the source code to them at that time.

FEMA was still having issues with Grants.gov as of yesterday afternoon and they are working frantically to get it operational, but at this point in time, I have no information as to when that will happen. No one will suffer any negative consequences related to the non-functioning of Grants.gov.

I will now open the call up to questions.

Questions and Answers:

Please see the following website for questions and answers: http://www.tsa.gov/grants.

Closing Comments:

TSA: I want to apologize for all the problems that have occurred – I know it doesn't make it any easier, but I want to close out saying Happy New Year.

If there are no further questions, then we will end the call. We will meet again next Tuesday January 13th which is the official end date for submission of the grant applications. Be assured that when we receive information about the availability / accessibility of grants.gov, we will send a blast e-mail to everyone on the distribution list via TSAgrants letting everyone know. Information will also be posted to TSA's grants website. If you have requested Web Board Blog access, then your name was automatically placed on TSA's distribution list. If you have not requested either Web Board Blog access or that your name and email be placed on our list, please send a request to TSAgrants@tsa.dhs.gov.

Please remember, the call-in number is 1-877-988-9660, and the Pass code is 6827433. We look forward to talking with you next week.

As always, if you have any questions, please e-mail us at AskCSID@dhs.gov and carbon copy TSAgrants@tsa.dhs.gov. You will get a formal response from us after we review your question. This concludes this call.

Back To Top

12/30/08 Conference Call

Trucking Security Program (TSP) Conference Call Summary
December 30, 2008
1:00 PM EST

Opening Comments:

TSA: Hello everyone. This is our ninth teleconference on the 2009 Trucking Security Program. We have two more between now and Jan 13, 2009. All grant applications are due January 13, 2009 by 11:59 pm EST.

Is there anyone on the call not aware of the websites and email addresses for FEMA and TSA grants.gov? Everyone is familiar with those addresses.

We have had some questions come in by email that have been answered. I will now open the call up to questions.

Questions and Answers:

Please see the following website for questions and answers: http://www.tsa.gov/grants.

Closing Comments:

TSA: If there are no other questions, we would like to thank you for calling. The next conference call is scheduled for Tuesday, January 6, 2009 at 1 PM. EST. The call-in number is 1-877-988-9660, and the Passcode is 6827433. We look forward to talking with you next week.

As always, if you have any questions, please e-mail us at AskCSID@dhs.gov and carbon copy TSAgrants@tsa.dhs.gov. You will get a formal response from us after we review your question. This concludes this call.

Back To Top

12/23/08 Conference Call

Trucking Security Program (TSP) Conference Call Summary
December 23, 2008
1:00 PM EST

Opening Comments:

TSA:Hello everyone. This is our eighth teleconference on the fiscal year 2009 Trucking Security Program. We have three more between now and Jan 13, 2009. January 13, 2009 at 11:59pm EST is the deadline for all grant applications on www.grants.gov.

Notes from this call will be posted to the TSA website at www.tsa.gov/grants.

Questions and Answers:

Please see the following website for questions and answers: http://www.tsa.gov/grants.

Closing Comments:

TSA: As there are no other questions, we would like to thank you for calling. The next conference call is scheduled for Tuesday, December 30, 2008 at 1 PM EST. The call-in number is 1-877-988-9660, and the Passcode is 6827433. We look forward to talking with you next week.
As always, if you have any questions during the week, please e-mail us at AskCSID@dhs.gov and carbon copy TSAgrants@tsa.dhs.gov. You will get a formal response from us after we review your question. This concludes the call.

Back To Top

12/16/08 Conference Call

Trucking Security Program (TSP) Conference Call Summary
December 16, 2008
1:00 PM EST

Opening Comments:

TSA: This is the seventh teleconference on the 2009 Trucking Security Program. We have four more teleconferences between now and January 13, 2009. Just a reminder that January 13, 2009 11:59pm EST is the deadline for the submission of all grant applications.

I'd like to start the call by providing everyone with some important email and website addresses.

The first website address is the TSA grants website. That address is www.tsa.gov/grants. At this site you will find the 2009 Grant Guidance Kit and fillable word documents such as the Investment Justification (IJ) form and the budget form.

The next site is www.grants.gov. This is the federal website from which you can download all necessary forms. This site is where you must submit your grant application by 11:59 pm EST on January 13, 2009.

The next address is the email address for the TSA grants division. That address is TSAgrants@tsa.dhs.gov. Send any questions about the 2009 Trucking Security Grants Program to this address and we will try to respond within 48 hours. Questions and answers submitted to this address are also posted to the grants website. Because this is a competitive grant program we are somewhat limited in conversations that we can have with applicants. That is why we request you email us at this address.

The FEMA email address is Askcsid@dhs.gov. Any questions that you email to TSA, please copy FEMA at this address so they can respond to any FEMA related questions.

At this time we will open the floor for questions.

Questions and Answers:

Please see the following website for questions and answers: http://www.tsa.gov/grants.

Closing Comments:

TSA: As there are no other questions, we would like to thank you for calling. The next conference call is scheduled for Tuesday, December 23, 2008 at 1 PM EST. The call-in number is 1-877-988-9660, and the Passcode is 6827433. We look forward to talking with you next week.

As always, if you have any questions during the week, please e-mail us at AskCSID@dhs.gov and carbon copy TSAgrants@tsa.dhs.gov. You will get a formal response from us after we review your question. This concludes the call.

Back To Top

12/09/08 Conference Call

Trucking Security Program (TSP) Conference Call Summary
December 9, 2008
1:00 PM EST

Opening Comments:

TSA: Hello everyone and thank you for joining us today. This is our sixth teleconference on the 2009 Trucking Security Program with five more scheduled between now and January 13, 2009. January 13, 2009 at 11:59pm EST is the deadline for submission of all grant applications.

I'd like to begin today's teleconference by providing everyone with some key email and website addresses.

The grants website is www.tsa.gov/grants. At this site you will find the 2009 Grant Guidance Kit and fillable word documents such as the Investment Justification (IJ) form and the Detailed Budget form. You will also see the frequently asked questions (FAQ) section along with a Questions and Answers section from all of our conference calls.

The second website is www.grants.gov. This is the federal website from which you can download necessary application forms. This site is where you must submit your grant application by 11:59 pm EST on January 13, 2009. We hope everyone has already started the process of registering and gotten their DUNS number and CCR number because there are several steps in that process.

The next address is the email address for the TSA grants division. That address is TSAgrants@tsa.dhs.gov. Send any questions about the 2009 Trucking Security Grants Program to this address. We try to respond within 48 hours. Questions and answers submitted to this address are also posted to the grants website.

The FEMA address is Askcsid@dhs.gov. Any questions that you send to TSA, please copy FEMA at this address so they can respond to any FEMA related questions. This is FEMA's centralized scheduling and information desk.

At this time we will open the floor for questions.

Questions and Answers:

Questions and answers will be posted on the following website: http://www.tsa.gov/grants.

Closing Comments:

TSA: If there are no other questions, we would like to thank you for calling. The next conference call is scheduled for Tuesday, December 16, 2008 at 1 pm. EST. The call-in number is 1-877-988-9660, and the Passcode is 6827433.

As always, if you have any questions, please e-mail us at AskCSID@dhs.gov and carbon copy TSAgrants@tsa.dhs.gov. You will get a formal response from us after we review your question. This concludes this call.

Back To Top

12/02/08 Conference Call

Trucking Security Program (TSP) Conference Call Summary
December 2, 2008
1:00 PM EST

Opening Comments:

TSA: Hello everyone and thank you for joining us today. Four members of Highway and Motor Carrier Division are with us today. Two people are on the line from FEMA and 4 or 5 industry people are also on the line.

This is our fifth teleconference on the 2009 Trucking Security Grants Program with six more scheduled between now and January 13, 2009. January 13, 2009 is the deadline for submission of all grant application at 11:59PM EST.

I would like to start by giving you some key email & website addresses.

The TSA Grants website: www.tsa.gov/grants. This is TSA's grant website where you can find the 2009 grant guidance and fillable word documents such as the Investment Justification (IJ) form and detailed budget form.

The second website is www.grants.gov. This is the federal website from which you can download necessary application forms and where you must submit your grant application forms by January 13, 2009. We hope everyone on the line has already started the process of registering and received their DUNS number because there are several steps in that process.

The TSA email address for the grants division is TSAgrants@tsa.dhs.gov. Because this is a competitive grants program we cannot answer any questions over the phone. Send any questions you might have about the 2009 Trucking Security Grants Program to this email address. We try to respond as quickly as possible and will post the answers to the TSA grants website.

FEMA's centralized scheduling and information desk email address is ASKcsid@dhs.gov. Please copy FEMA at this address on any questions you send us so they can respond to any FEMA related questions.

At this time we will open the floor for questions.

Questions and Answers:

Questions and answers will be posted on the following website: http://www.tsa.gov/grants.

Closing Comments:

TSA: If there are no other questions, we would like to thank you for calling. The next conference call is scheduled for Tuesday, December 9, 2008 at 1 PM EST. The call-in number is 1-877-988-9660, and the passcode is 6827433.

As always, if you have any questions, please e-mail us at AskCSID@dhs.gov and carbon copy TSAgrants@tsa.dhs.gov. You will get a formal response from us after we review your question. This concludes this call.

Back To Top

11/18/08 Conference Call

Trucking Security Program (TSP) Conference Call Summary
November 18, 2008
1:00 PM EST

Opening Comments:

TSA:As you know, we had a workshop on November 12th which was very informative. I hope that between the workshop, the conference calls, and the website we can generate additional interest in the grants and give you the information you need to apply. We covered the new goals for the TSP program in the workshop, which is for the highway community to obtain funding to adopt and implement TSA's voluntary security action items for transporting Tier I Security Sensitive Materials. Applicants will be able to apply for planning, equipment and installation or enhancement of existing installations to track and secure the transport of Tier I commodities and defined in Part III of the Grant Guidance Document. The FY09 Guide also adds as an allowable cost the development of plans to improve the effectiveness of transportation and distribution of supplies and commodities during catastrophic events. Finally, the FY 09 guide adds as an allowable cost the development of a system for DHS to monitor, collect, and analyze tractor and trailer tracking information.

All of this information is found in the FY 09 TSP Grant Guidance which is posted on the website www.tsa.gov/grants under the Program Heading “Trucking Security Program”

The targeted funding allocations breakdown is seven million to promote security for the transportation of sensitive material. The other $772,000 is for monitoring and analysis, and to improve the distribution of supplies during a catastrophic event.

In part VIII of the guide there are 23 items which will enhance a Tier I's transporter's security. There are however, four significant elements within that 23, and it is those 4 that are eligible for funding under the FY 2009 TSP. They are:

If you wish to apply for a grant, and meet the eligibility requirements defined in the guide, please keep in mind that you must have a security plan in place for the transportation of hazardous materials. You may see the list of guideline for hazardous material at the website http://www.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/cfrassemble.cgi?title=200449 (gpo.gov) or at http://www.tsa.gov/assests/pdf/tsa_app_b_hssm_list.pdf (pdf) You must also have an acceptable safety record, which TSA defines as not receiving an unsatisfactory or conditional rating by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and/or have a Hazardous Material Out of Service rating above the designated Hazardous Materials Safety Permit threshold. If you receive and accept a grant, you must allow DHS to perform a Corporate Security Review upon request.

In regards to funding, there are no restrictions on applications but the applicant must show that they have the money to sustain the projects, and to the financial and resource capabilities to successfully address these priorities.

Cost sharing is only required for the Truck Security Action Item Implementation Initiative. Cost Share is not a requirement for the Monitoring and Analysis and Planning initiatives.

For Tier I, with eleven or more tractors, the Federal share of any project supported through the TSP is 50%. Grantees are required to provide non-Federal funding of at least 50%, and it may consist of either a cash or in-kind match.

For Tier II, with 10 or fewer tractors, the maximum Federal share of any project supported is 75%, and grantees are required to provide non-Federal funding of at least 25%. This can consist of either a cash or in-kind match.

Applications are due by 11:59 pm on January 13th, 2009 on grants.gov. The application process is time consuming and you need to begin as soon as possible. You can go to grants.gov and start the process by registering for a DUNS number, registering with CCR, obtaining a user name and password, registering with Grants.gov using that information (DUNS and CCR numbers), and then having your Business Point of Contact respond to the registration email from grants.gov and login at grants.gov to authorize you as an Authorized Organization Representative.

You can also go to the Grants website at http://www.tsa.gov/what_we_do/grants/index.shtm and under the “Program” section select your program and go to ‘Grant Guidance and Application Kit' to download the Investment Justification and Detailed Budget templates. You will need to provide the information contained in those forms to apply for your Grant.

The Standard form SF-424 will also need to be completed and this is found on the Grants.gov website.

Further more, you must disclose all lobbying efforts that you are involved in – that is explained in the Grant Guidance also.

Some of the timelines coming up:

Weekly conference calls begin with this call on November 18th, and continue each Tuesday at 1:00 pm EST. The number is 877-988-9660 passcode 6827433. Each conference call summary and the questions and answers it generates will be posted on the website www.tsa.gov/grants.

January 13th 2009 – Grants must be submitted.

April 10th 2009 – Grant Awards are announced.

FEMA has scheduled a conference for all grants, including trucking, on December 16th and 17th. You may call 800 368-6498 for information or email FEMA at askcid@dhs.gov.

This completes my overview, and we will now open up the call for questions.

Questions and answers:

Questions and answers will be posted on the following website: http://www.tsa.gov/join/grants/tsp-qa.shtm

Closing Comments:

You will find a wealth of information on the TSA Grants Website at http://www.tsa.gov/grants. You are also welcome to use our blog to obtain information. You will need to register to participate, and can find out how under the ‘Engage' section on our website.

Remember there are conference calls each Tuesday all the way through the 13th of January, or you may email questions are any time to AskCSID@dhs.gov and tsagrants@tsa.dhs.gov.

Please call in next week and let other people know about the conference call. Thank you for calling and we will talk next week.

Back To Top

11/6/08 Conference Call

Trucking Security Program (TSP) Conference Call Summary
Thursday, November 6, 2008
10:00 AM EST

Opening Comments:

(TSA): Welcome. Thank you for calling in today. We will go ahead and get started. The TSP guidance was released late yesterday. We apologize that we could not get more information out to you sooner however everything was pre-decisional up to that point and therefore, it could not be released until everything was final. All of the information covered in this call and more is available in the guidance, which we will be sending out to you today so you do not have to worry if you did not catch all of the information just discussed.

There have been significant changes to the program this year. Whereas last year the focus was on training, information analysis and sharing, and call centers, this year the program is focused on the adoption and implementation of certain Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) Security Action Items (SAI) for transporting Tier I Security Sensitive Materials (SSM). The SAIs were published by TSA on June 26, 2008.

There are three main areas of funding allowed under the program:

  1. Truck Security Action Item Implementation Initiative which focuses on implementing security improvement measures centered on the purchase and installation or enhancement of equipment and systems related to tractor and trailer tracking systems. The four SAIs that this initiative focuses on are:
    • Tractor and Trailer Tracking Systems;
    • Panic Button Capability;
    • Tractor Activation Capability; and,
    • Communications Plans.
  2. Monitoring and Analysis which focuses on developing a system for DHS to monitor, collect and analyze tracking information.
  3. Planning which focuses on developing plans to improve the effectiveness of the transportation and distribution of supplies and commodities during catastrophic events.

There are different eligibility requirements based on the type of project/funding priority:
There are no restrictions for who may apply for money to fund monitoring and analysis projects.

To be eligible to apply for the Truck Security Action Item Implementation Initiative, applicants must have a current security plan subject to Title 49 CFR 172.800, transport Tier I Commodities as defined by TSA through the issuance of Highway Security-Sensitive Materials (HSSM) Security Action Items, and demonstrate an acceptable safety record as determined by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).

Applicants for the Truck SAI Implementation Initiative will be placed in one of two tiers: Tier I will consist of eligible applicants that have 11 or more tractors and Tier II will consist of eligible applicants that have 10 or less tractors.

The next key difference in the program is the cost share requirements. These are consistent across programs for private operators. For FY09, Tier I applicants must put forward a 50% match; whereas, Tier II applicants must put forth a 25% match.

To apply for TSP funding, you must apply using grants.gov. You should register immediately if you are not already registered as that process can take several weeks.

Over the next few months, we will be holding subsequent weekly conference calls up to the application due date of January 13, 2009 so that we are available to answer your questions as you read through the guidance. These calls will be at 1 PM EST each Tuesday beginning November 18, 2008. You will call-in using the same number and password as you used today (877-988-9660, passcode 6827433).

In addition, on November 12, 2008 we will be holding a workshop in Arlington, VA where we will discuss the guidance, funding priorities, how to apply, how to fill out an application and other topics. We hope to see you there.

Lastly, as I said earlier, we will be sending out an email later today with the guidance so do look for it. I would now like to open up the line for questions.

Questions and Answers:

Please see the following website for questions and answers: http://www.tsa.gov/grants.

Closing Comments:

(TSA): Again, I apologize that you were not given more time to review the guidance and that we could not alert you sooner that the guidance was released. We look forward to getting the guidance out to you, to hearing from you on the calls and to seeing you at the workshop.

As always, if you have any questions, please e-mail us at AskCSID@dhs.gov and carbon copy TSAgrants@tsa.dhs.gov. This concludes the call.

Back To Top

Dates/Timelines

Fiscal Year 2008 TSP Important Dates

Date & Time

Event

Additional Info

Thursday
November 6, 2008
10AM EST

Kick Off FY 2009 TSP Conference Call

Call-in number:
877-988-9660,
Passcode: 6827433

EVERY TUESDAY
November 18, 2008 through
January 6, 2009
1:00 PM EST

FY 2009 TSP Conference Call

Call-in number:
877-988-9660,
Passcode: 6827433

Download Plug-in
Some of the links on this page require a plug-in to view them, which are available below.

Click Here to Download Adobe Acrobat Reader Adobe Acrobat (PDF)