Security costs: the government's estimate of the bill for air cargo security is less than half what one industry analysis forecasts.(North America)

They were some three years in the making, in the works even before the Transportation Security Administration was established. With a draft of new air cargo security rules finally out and likely headed for implementation, two key questions the expedited transport industry has about the regulations remain unanswered: how much will compliance with the new requirements really cost and who will pay?

The TSA estimated the annual cost of the measures outlined in its proposed security rule to be $84 million. But a comprehensive analysis of the regulations by aircraft manufacturer Boeing pegs the annual cost at $174 million, more than twice the TSA estimate.

Of …