When Canadian trucker Kerry Delaine, a lease operator from Winnipeg, Manitoba, received his first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine recently, he made a shirt to commemorate the occasion. It has a swastika formed with syringes encircled by the message: “Vaxxed by Force.”
Delaine does not believe the vaccines are safe or effective but said he felt he had no choice. The reason: Starting in early January, foreign truckers — along with other essential workers — will only be able to enter the U.S. if they are fully vaccinated.
“My company doesn’t have enough Canada-only work, so I’d basically be giving my truck back to them because there’s no way in hell I can afford the payments,” Delaine said.
But just how many unvaccinated cross-border drivers will get the shot by January is a big open question. The Canadian Trucking Alliance estimates that 22,000 of 120,000 Canadian cross-border drivers would no longer make runs to the U.S. because of the mandate, which was announced in October. A further 16,000 U.S. drivers could stop running to Canada when a similar requirement from the Canadian government takes effect Jan. 15, according to the CTA.
www.freightwaves.com
Delaine does not believe the vaccines are safe or effective but said he felt he had no choice. The reason: Starting in early January, foreign truckers — along with other essential workers — will only be able to enter the U.S. if they are fully vaccinated.
“My company doesn’t have enough Canada-only work, so I’d basically be giving my truck back to them because there’s no way in hell I can afford the payments,” Delaine said.
But just how many unvaccinated cross-border drivers will get the shot by January is a big open question. The Canadian Trucking Alliance estimates that 22,000 of 120,000 Canadian cross-border drivers would no longer make runs to the U.S. because of the mandate, which was announced in October. A further 16,000 U.S. drivers could stop running to Canada when a similar requirement from the Canadian government takes effect Jan. 15, according to the CTA.
Canadian truckers forced to choose: COVID vaccines or forfeit US runs
Unvaccinated Canadian truck drivers contemplate whether to get COVID-19 vaccine ahead of U.S. border mandate amid fears thousands won’t.
www.freightwaves.com
