January 15, 2022
Saturday, January 15, 2022, a Canadian federal law was implemented requiring all U.S. truck drivers entering Canada show proof of full vaccination. Unvaccinated Canadian truckers who are returning from the U.S. will also be required to quarantine for 14 days, according to reports.
January 22, 2022
Starting on January 22, 2022, the U.S. Department of Homeland Services (DHS) will no longer permit non-U.S. individuals, including truck drivers, to enter the United States via land ports of entry and ferry terminals unless they are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and show acceptable proof of vaccination.
Any non-U.S. truck driver who wishes to cross into the U.S. will be required to take the following steps under the new rule:
- verbally attest to his/her/their COVID-19 vaccination status; and
- provide proof of receiving a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) approved COVID-19 vaccination, as outlined on the CDC website; and
- present a valid Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI)-compliant document, such as a valid passport, Trusted Traveler Program card, or Enhanced Tribal Card; and,
- be prepared to present any other relevant documents requested by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer during a border inspection.
The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) recently issued a statement warning that the vaccine mandates could cause massive disruption to the $650 billion in freight that crosses the Canada-U.S. border.
Due to these new mandates, wait times at border crossings are anticipated to increase. The larger issue for an already snarled global supply chain is the removal from the market of a significant portion of the truck driver population. As many as 32,000, or 20%, of the 160,000 Canadian and American cross-border truck drivers may be taken off the roads by the mandate, the CTA estimates. According to the CTA, the industry was already short some 18,000 drivers even before the mandate.
Our expectations are that the market will experience further delays waiting in queue for trucking capacity as well as increased trucking costs.
If you have any questions, please contact your local Noatum Logistics representative.