A major headline in the news the past couple of days is the intense trucker standoff between federal governments and drivers over COVID -19 regulations. The United States and Canada are seeing thousands of truckers refuse to work due to the harsh regulations imposed by the government on vaccinations and testing. This standoff is affecting everyone in both countries and putting an immense strain on the vital supply chain that serves all families around North America. Our semi-truck repair Flint Michigan technicians weigh in on the situation and give their thoughts.
The Causes Of The Protests
The cause for a lot of the protesting is related to the COVID - 19 regulations that include vaccination status and testing. In America, it is currently not federally mandated to have the vaccine or wear a mask unless crossing international territory. In Canada, vaccination is required for all Canadian citizens to utilize any services such as the grocery store, restaurant, gym, and so forth. This strict stance has called a lot of Canadian truck drivers to protest and stage events across the country. In America, many drivers are protesting in solidarity with the Canadian truck drivers as well as against the international requirements of travel by the United States.
The Effects of The Protests
The effects of the trucking industry protests are quite severe. In both countries, the prices for many goods have risen drastically due to supply and shipping constraints. A protest is pouring oil on a fire that has been brewing for quite some time since prior to the pandemic. The price of goods is not the only issue stemming from the trucking protests.
The sheer supply of goods is dwindling quickly due to longer lead times, less staff to move products, and so forth. There are many photos of grocery stores in Canada where the shelves are completely empty. These damages to the supply chain have families frightened of breadlines and dire needs such as medications becoming the next to follow.
Many trucker unions have come out to denounce the actions by protesting truckers in both countries, but do acknowledge that a lot of it is self-inflicted. Unions cite how they don’t condone any violence or damage that is being incurred but understand where their truckers are coming from and are working hard to resolve the situation. There are many non-union truckers that believe the stance that unions have taken is very weak and claim they are to blame as well.
Fortunately, the US trucking industry hasn’t faced too harsh of regulation from the federal government. The Canadian truckers cannot say the same. TT Mobile Repair hopes that issues get resolved soon so truckers can get back on the road and continue serving the public at large.
