REAL ID enforcement partially delayed, truckers from five states will need extra ID for secure areas

Updated Jan 18, 2016
Click here or the image above to view DHS’ interactive map of states’ compliance level with Real ID provisions.Click here or the image above to view DHS’ interactive map of states’ compliance level with Real ID provisions.

As of Jan. 10, truckers from five states not compliant with the REAL ID Act will have to produce additional identification to enter secure areas.

The Department of Homeland Security recently extended the act’s deadline to Jan. 18, 2018 for air travelers from Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico and Washington. The remaining 45 states have either complied or already received an extension deadline.

However, the agency has not indicated it will postpone enforcement for CDL holders seeking to enter most federal facilities, nuclear power plants and military bases. License holders from these states must also produce secondary identification that is not copied or expired.

Requirements will vary from facility to facility, so truckers should check with each location. For example, Oregon’s Hanford Federal Facility accepts ID cards issued by a federal, state or local government agency or entity. Hanford’s list also includes voter registration and Social Security cards.

Washington, Michigan, Minnesota, New York and Vermont offer enhanced driver’s licenses and CDLs. The agency accepts these for border crossings under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, boarding commercial airplanes or to enter federal facilities or nuclear power plants.

DHS delayed New Hampshire’s deadline to June 1.

The following states have until Oct. 10: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island South Carolina, Texas and Virginia.

The 2005 law set security standards for state issued identification, such as driver’s licenses and CDLs, while prohibiting federal agencies from accepting substandard cards.