Vaccine mandate could see 38,000 truck drivers abandon cross-border work: CTA

The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) believes one in five of Canada’s cross-border truck drivers will quickly abandon international work when the U.S. requires them to prove they’re double-vaccinated beginning in January.

The estimate is based on current vaccination rates across Canada.

About 120,000 Canadian truck drivers run cross-border routes, while 40,000 U.S.-licensed drivers do the same. And CTA expects Canada would require U.S.-based drivers to prove their vaccination status if the U.S. moves ahead with its mandate. Based on vaccination rates south of the border, the alliance estimates 40% of the border-crossing U.S. drivers would opt out of cross-border trucking, too.

cross-border trucking
(Photo: iStock)

Collectively, that could mean a loss of 38,000 truck drivers for cross-border work.

Many Canadian trucking companies report close to 85-90% of their truck drivers are vaccinated, Canada’s largest trucking association says. But it also notes that many carriers involved in cross-border trade still have lower vaccination rates, depending on where they’re based.

The CTA says it is already working on strategies to increase vaccination rates among the industry’s workforce. And it is looking for eased timelines for such a border-focused vaccine mandate, as well as a common form of identification to verify any vaccination status for that purpose.

“CTA and the Canadian trucking industry strongly support the use of vaccines to bring an end to the Covid-19 pandemic and is encouraging its drivers to get vaccinated to protect themselves, their family members, co-workers and customers, notwithstanding legitimate medical/religious exemptions,” it says in a statement released Thursday.

“CTA is urging governments for a date-driven, practical implementation timeline that does not further disrupt a constrained supply chain and increase processing times of trucks at the border while also maintaining the need to keep Canadians and Americans safe.”


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  • If they abandon the cross border work, the rates and volumes will climb for the rest of us!!! The unvaccinated drivers I know, most have started the vaccination process. 2 months is more than enough time to get vaccinated. A delayed enforcement is not needed!!!

  • I would say we lost 10,000 cross border truck drivers when E-logs became required. I think the vaccine order will cost about 5,000 drivers. If we bring min cross border pay $28.00 cd plus a good medical coverage and disablity insurance paid for by the company plus overtime other drivers will come back to replace those we loose. Other wise in my opinion we could have a major problem and protesting drivers and owner ops.

    • Government will just open the tap on more foreign workers to come in and fill those positions to keep freight prices suppressed for their buddies who help keep them in office.

  • The problem is, none of you are acknowledging natural immunity from covid. Estimates indicate it can be anywhere from 50 to 90 % of a given population. So you need to advocate for those with natural immunity and stop this forced mandate. The only ones benefitting are those making the vaccine. Push back harder. This isn’t the only way out of the ‘pandemic ‘.

    • Get you head out off your butt! If you knew someone who died of this virus you would think different. It’s because of people like you that keep this virus going!

        • Mark Reuber; Grown up’s are the majority who are vaccinated, unlike you who the ones that were brainwashed by the TV.

          • Being vaccinated only helps the person who gets the shot. You can still catch ( although not as severe )covid and spread it. It does not quarantee anything.

  • I believe in the natural immunity ,and the ones that recovered from having covid will have the anti body’s . Everything I’ve read (not only on Facebook) is the greatest defence to the virus. So no, I don’t think a vaccine mandate is the best defence. I would like to know how many of the estimated 120,000 drivers running in and out of the USA, contracted the virus and recovered or succumbed to it. Not including the ones that contracted it from home.

  • Good luck trying to get anyone with any amount of common sense to take an UNAPPROVED AND EXPERIMENTAL GENE THERAPY SHOT THAT HAS HAD INSUFFICIENT TESTING!!

    • Rob, its a vaccine not Gene Therapy. Just like the flue vaccine or tetanus or any of the other shots that any educated individual is given to fight disease. Stop spreading lies and conspiracy nonsense.

  • Absolutely rediculous. The experimental shot does zero in protecting you or anyone else. You can still get and spread it. Still be hospitalized and die. I’ve been driving throughout Canada and the USA the entire time. Have not been sick once the whole time. Pandemic my ass. It’s all about control and money. I hope there is a major push back. Trucks stop the world stops. Enough of the bs already. Let us do our jobs. I know more ppl messed up from the jab than I do that even got Covid. It’s a virus it’s never going away. Learn to live with it.

  • Crystal wake up and smell the coffee I’ve been out here trucking for 45 years I only know a handful of drivers that got sick from the virus and only three that passed away crystal go buy some coffee and smell the coffee we do not need to get our heads out of our butts. I think that’s where your head is. All truckers need to go home for two weeks then the fuel prices will come down then the wages will go up then the government maybe it will leave us alone we are so micromanaged out here why do you wanna drive anymore I will be retiring in two months. Thank you and take care

  • If a shortage occurs, it would be a good time to get a hefty increase in wages for drivers.

    Carriers can also increase their freight rates.

    Just say no to cheap rates being offered by shippers.

  • After 25 years no accidents or violations ever,ill walk away from this nonsense and quit. This isnt even a vaccine and far from safe. It is an agenda by World economic forum globalists. Covid19 never isolated. Those sick now have delta. There is no vaccine for delta if you want to call it that. The passport serves another purpose not yet revealed. It also gives government sovereignty over your body moving forward. This violates everything our veterans fought for.

  • This may simply mean that the Canadian companies currently lacking drivers will get an influx of qualified personnel to run locally or Canada wide only.

  • Government works for the Canadian people NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND.WE THE TAXPAYERS OF CANADA PAY THE POLITICIANS THEIR WAGES AND BENEFITS AND RETIREMENT BENEFITS SO THESE IDIOTS BETTER START LISTENING TO US.THIS IS NOT CHINA OR RUSSIA AND NOT A DICTATORSHIP THIS IS CANADA SO JUSTIN TRUDEAU GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER AND PACK YOUR BAGS AND GET THE HELL OUT OF OUR GREAT COUNTRY

  • I love running in Canada even though I cannot eat inside and have to wear a mask to go inside a truckstop. Neither are things I have to do in the states but I still choose to almost exclusively run into Canada.
    A vaccine mandate will be the end of that for me. I am a customs bonded carrier and I will drop that as well as all of my annual OS/OW permits with the provinces.
    I will miss Canada.

  • Why this propaganda about drivers shortage circulate all the time ? Please start to use your brain and think that we are not paid when the wheels are not rolling .Every trucking company want to have net on the map with drivers to pick up the load but the companies don’t care if I’m seating it’s important for them that other driver is moving and I will get load perhaps tomorrow.And this happening all the time ,I’m not paid for the waiting so who cares .I’m a driver with 17 years of experience and market fluctuate and I’m waiting for loads regularly.There is more truck drivers then loads and everybody knows about it but as I said if there is a loads we have drivers if not we don’t pay them.Please suggest option that drivers are going to be paid by the hour,there will be no call or voice that we need truck drivers but if slaves can wait without pay why not to get more ?

  • Two commercial, team, truck drivers, one vaccinated, the other not vaccinated. Crossing into the USA at the Ambassador Bridge, destination California.
    Will they be permitted to cross the border into the States comes the January 2022 vaccine mandate ???

  • I will shut my company down instead and park all my trucks put them up for sale and move to a different country simple my body my choice same for my drivers The whole 2 years in this pandemic we’ve been busier than ever keeping the grocery shelves full so people could still eat put food on a table on a table we have all been fine through this whole challenging time now after 2 years you crazy government people think we are unsafe why didn’t you think that 2 years ago nonsense nonsense enough enough time to shut the trucks down

    • I totally agree with you!! STOP the madness!! No one should be forced to inject something in their body in order to have a job and put food on the table!! We will lose drivers, so I can see that these mandates will cause havoc in the supply chain, for almost two years our drivers were crossing the border and told they were hero’s and NOT one of our driver was ever sick!! Drivers know how to keep themselves safe, they do NOT need to be forced to take an injection that does not even stop you from getting the virus or spreading it!! Just wait, they will reverse this decision once they see no food on the table!! All truck drivers need to protest and park their trucks for a week close to all the borders and let them know they cannot get away with this BS!! Time to STOP this BS NOW!!!

  • For 2 years straight no one cared about ostrock drivers we were exempt from the vaccine mandate to keep food on a table for everyone and for everyone in this country now after 2 years we are all safe we are all on our own in our trucks we’ve been totally fine now they’re putting this stress on us hard working truck drivers nonsense nonsense time to quit our jobs

  • Won’t do it . Period not about weather the vaccine is good or bad . I don’t want my grandchildren showing papers everywhere they go . So it stops with me. Been hauling lumber across border for twenty five years not a two by four after the 15th