TSA should clarify dog screening regulations

Roland Beason (right), Chief Operating Officer of Global K9, urged the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to clarify the regulations regarding canine screening for hazardous materials at the Air Cargo Conference 2026 this week in Orlando, Florida. Beason spoke during a panel about the differing interpretations of the TSA’s Third-Party Canine-Cargo (3PK9-C) Program and the associated challenges in properly screening cargo, particularly lithium batteries.

„From the perspective of hazardous materials, the 3PK9-C Program is not clearly defined,“ Beason explained. He emphasized that with the increasing prevalence of lithium batteries in air freight shipments, the need for clearly defined and indisputable regulations tailored to specific items is becoming more critical. This is essential for ensuring compliance and safety.

The 3PK9-C Program was developed under the TSA’s Certified Cargo Screening Programs (CCSP) and initially focused on detecting explosives. Beason added, „The goal of these programs should be to harmonize screening operations so that each canine team works to the same standards for every screening provider.“

He expressed hope that changes to the 3PK9-C Program would be confirmed later this year in accordance with the recent comments and amendments that the TSA has largely accepted.

Beason was on the panel alongside Sandy Gregory of Gregory Logistics, Jim Powell of Transportation Development Group, Jennifer Kirkland of AllTransPack, and Christopher Garcia of the Federal Aviation Administration.

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