Biden Warned to Exempt Truckers From Looming Cross-Border Vax Rule or Risk Catastrophe

Washington D.C. — A group of Republican lawmakers is urging President Biden to exempt truckers from cross-border COVID-19 vaccination requirements set to be implemented early next year.

U.S. border officials will begin requiring foreign truck drivers to provide proof of full vaccination on January 22, 2022, while our Canadian and Mexican counterparts will implement similar policies as of January 15, 2022.

As Transportation Nation Network (TNN) has extensively reported, trucking stakeholders are warning of dire consequences should these policies be imposed on cross-border truckers.

On Friday, 14 United States Senators implored the Biden Administration to freeze the requirements for truck drivers or risk making an already stressed supply chain even worse.

“Despite the good intentions underpinning this action, we fear that the imposition of vaccination mandates as a requirement to cross the land border will exacerbate the existing challenges facing our freight networks and supply chain, and could further fuel inflation and rising prices on top of what Americans are already seeing,” the Senators wrote in a letter to the President.

Noting that there are “approximately 14,000 total truck entries along the U.S.-Canada border hauling more than $846 million of goods,” the Senators cautioned “any disruptions to the continuity of U.S.-Canada trade would likely have far-reaching consequences that extend beyond our shared border.”

Additionally, the lawmakers argued truckers are the “linchpin of America’s domestic supply chain” and it would be wrong if those who “worked diligently during the pandemic to facilitate critical cross-border freight movements that helped to feed and clothe American communities” are faced with losing their jobs as a result of draconian measures.

To their point, a recent survey conducted by the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) revealed 20% of Canadian truck drivers crossing the border (22,000), and 40% of U.S. truck drivers (16,000), will “almost immediately exit” the Canada-US trade system should the vaccination mandates take effect early next year.

“We urge your Administration to reengage our northern neighbor and leading export partner to establish a reciprocal policy for cross-border truck drivers that does not include a vaccine mandate and will not disrupt the North American supply chain,” the Senators wrote.