Supply Chain Crisis Poised to Worsen as Vax Mandate Impacting Truckers Takes Effect
Meanwhile, Canadian truckers participate in cross-country ‘freedom convoy’ to protest their nation’s vaccine mandate.
The Department of Homeland Security is now implementing rules that prevent noncitizen essential travelers crossing the border unless they are fully vaccinated.
The rules include truckers from Canada and Mexico.
Starting Jan. 22, travelers entering the United States at land ports of entry — notably along the Canadian and Mexican borders — and ferry points who are not U.S. citizens must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the Department of Homeland Security announced.
The requirement, which takes effect at 12 a.m. ET that day, does not apply to U.S. drivers. However, Canada and Mexico have similar regulations in place that do impact U.S. drivers — including truck drivers — who make cross-border runs.
The DHS announcement was released late on Jan. 20, and was one that the trucking industry had been anticipating, noted American Trucking Associations Chief Economist Bob Costello.
“It applies to all Canadian and Mexican drivers,” he said. “I’m not too concerned about the Mexican drivers — the Mexican drayage drivers — they’re vaccinated at a pretty high rate. For the Canadian drivers, they now have to be fully vaccinated to get back into their country to go home. So they’re not going to come here if they’re not vaccinated.”
If the vaccines worked on a more permanent basis, perhaps there may be a case for the rule. However, their efficacy wanes over time and many double-vaccinated and boosted individuals have contracted covid.
Furthermore, the risk of adding another complication to an already over-strained supply chain cannot be over-stated.