US to Lift Vaccine Mandate at Canadian and Mexican Borders: Latest Update
The mandate has prevented thousands of unvaccinated Canadian truck drivers from entering the US.
The Biden administration has made an announcement that the vaccine requirements for foreign truck drivers in Canada and Mexico will be lifted on Friday. This decision could potentially allow thousands of truckers to resume cross-border freight movements. The U.S. border vaccine mandate for foreign drivers was put into effect in January of 2022. However, Canada ended its own border vaccination requirements back in October of 2021.
DHS Ends Vaccine Mandate at Borders; CTA Backs Move
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) made the announcement that non-U.S. travelers who are entering the U.S. via land ports of entry and ferry terminals will no longer be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and provide related proof of vaccination upon request, starting from May 12th. The DHS plans to rescind these Title 19 travel restrictions in alignment with the end of the Public Health Emergency.
The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) is in support of the ending of vaccine requirements, and has stated that they are continuing to work on several additional border barriers and areas where border policies remain misaligned with a coalition of trucking groups. These include the American Trucking Associations (ATA), National Tank Truck Carriers, and Truckload Carriers Association.
PMTC: End of Border Vaccine Mandate Helps Canadian Truckers
The Private Motor Truck Council of Canada (PMTC) has expressed that removing the mandate would allow thousands of unvaccinated truck drivers in Canada to reenter the cross-border supply chain. They have said that it is long overdue and something they have been pushing for. Approximately 10% to 15% of drivers on the Canadian side were still unvaccinated, and were unable to haul cross border. This lifting of restrictions will alleviate some concerns and help ease the operational constraints for Canadian carriers.
Over the past several months, the CTA, PMTC, ATA, and other trucking associations have been calling on the Biden administration to end the vaccine requirements. The CTA has stated that the mandate has barred thousands of unvaccinated truck drivers in Canada from entering the U.S., leading to tighter capacity and operational constraints for Canadian carriers. Lak Shoan, director of CTA’s policy and industry awareness programs, had told FreightWaves in February that the U.S. border restrictions mean that thousands of Canadian drivers are unable to support Canada-U.S. trade and goods movement.
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