Vaccine Mandates

ATA president takes victory lap for legislative, court victories

SAN DIEGO — In an address befitting of his last name, American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear struck an assertive tone Monday in recounting a year of legislative and legal victories for the industry.

It was a very good year for the ATA. After years of frustration awaiting legislation to pay for critically needed road and bridge repairs, an infrastructure bill finally become law with billions are dedicated to road and bridge repairs.

Victory over truck-only tolling

The industry...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/ata-president-takes-victory-lap-for-legislative-court-victories

American Trucking Associations denounces cross-border protests

The American Trucking Associations officially weighed in on growing turmoil at the U.S.-Canada border as demonstrations that started as trucker protests against the vaccine mandate spiral into costly supply chain delays.

“ATA strongly opposes any protest activities that disrupt public safety and compromise the economic and national security of the United States,” ATA President and CEO Chris Spear said in a statement issued Thursday.

“We held serious concerns about the unintended impact a vaccine...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/american-trucking-associations-denounces-cross-border-protests

Ambassador Bridge protest drags on, trucks back up at alternate border crossing

Trucks backed up at the Blue Water Bridge US-Canada border crossing.

The protest blocking traffic at the busiest commercial crossing between the U.S. and Canada, the Ambassador Bridge, entered its third day on Wednesday as trucks waited for hours to get across an alternate border, while others detoured hundreds of miles.

The bridge, which links Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, remained closed as several dozen vehicles, including some trucks, continued to block an access road from the Canadian side. At the nearby Blue Water Bridge, trucks faced delays of over four...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/ambassador-bridge-protest-drags-on-trucks-back-up-at-alternate-crossing

CEO: Vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers ‘not an issue at all’ for TFI

A truck pulling a trailer of Canadian trucking firm TFI International company Canpar in the United States.

The COVID-19 vaccine mandate for truckers crossing the U.S.-Canada border hasn’t been a problem for Canada’s largest trucking company, TFI International, CEO Alain Bédard told financial analysts on Tuesday. 

“Vaccination at TFI is not an issue at all,” Bédard said while discussing the company’s fourth-quarter financial results. “On the Canadian side, most of our drivers are vaccinated.”

Bédard made the comments less than a month after the Canadian and U.S. governments implemented mandates, on...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/ceo-vaccine-mandate-for-cross-border-truckers-not-an-issue-at-all-for-tfi

Trade group: Exempt cross-border truckers from vaccine mandate

A trucking trade group is urging U.S. President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to exempt cross-border truckers from COVID-19 vaccine rules implemented in mid-January.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association sent letters to Biden and Trudeau  on Monday.

The move comes after the Freedom Convoy entered its second week in Canada’s capital, Ottawa, to protest the country’s rule that took effect on Jan. 15, requiring U.S. truckers entering Canada to be vaccinated. The...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/trade-group-exempt-cross-border-truckers-from-vaccine-mandate

More trucker convoys roll into Canadian cities

A man talks through the window of a truck while holding a Canadian flag as other protesters crowd around him.

TORONTO — A truck-led convoy rolled into the downtown of Canada’s largest city on Saturday joining multiple protests taking place across the country over COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other health measures.

Truckers blasted their horns as throngs of protesters greeted them and the much larger convoy of passenger vehicles that overwhelmed several blocks of downtown Toronto. Some climbed onto the rigs and a few even danced.

Organizers had hoped the convoy would reach Queens Park, home to the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/more-trucker-convoys-roll-into-canadian-cities

GoFundMe slams brakes on Freedom Convoy fundraiser

After days of monitoring protests in Ottawa, Ontario over vaccine mandates at the U.S. border, GoFundMe on Friday shut down the Freedom Convoy 2022 fund that had been set up to support truck drivers participating in the demonstration.

“We now have evidence from law enforcement that the previously peaceful demonstration has become an occupation, with police reports of violence and other unlawful activity,” the fundraising platform stated in an alert posted on its website.

“Following a review of...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/gofundme-slams-brakes-on-freedom-convoy-fundraiser

Was the trucking message in Ottawa drowned out by ‘jackass’ protesters?

A truck driver wearing a hat talks to a man holding a protest sign at the Freedom Rally in Ottawa.

OTTAWA, Ontario — Indiana trucker Brian Gregg peered through the windshield of his red and black Kenworth on Monday afternoon with a sneer as he pointed to the Dodge Ram parked in the middle of an intersection. 

The pickup had arrived that morning, long after most of the commercial trucks from the Freedom Convoy poured into the Canadian capital, with a sign mounted in the back in French. Translated it read, “Together and United: Freedom.” Not long after, an ambulance with lights and sirens going...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/was-the-trucking-message-in-ottawa-drowned-out-by-jackass-protesters

Truckers scale back blockade at US-Canada border, let some traffic resume

An aerial image showing trucks blocking the U.S.-Canada border in Coutts, Alberta

Traffic has begun to move again at the U.S.-Canada border in Coutts, Alberta, after truckers and other protesters agreed to reopen some lanes following a dayslong blockade.

A lawyer representing the truckers, Chad Williamson, told the Canadian Press on Wednesday that they had agreed to move some of their vehicles following talks with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. 

“Frankly, the protesters feel their message has been heard,” he said. “Nobody wants this blockade to happen anymore.”

Footage poste...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/truckers-scale-back-blockade-at-us-canada-border-let-some-traffic-resume

Canadian police move against truck blockade at US-Canada border

An aerial photo shows trucks blocking the Coutts, Alberta US-Canada border crossing.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers have begun an enforcement action targeting a blockade of commercial trucks and other vehicles at the U.S.-Canada border in Coutts, Alberta, that have been protesting COVID-19 restrictions since Saturday. 

RCMP said it took the action after failing to reach an agreement with the protesters, warning that those who remain could face arrest.

“We thought we had a path to resolution. The protesters eventually chose not to comply,” the RCMP said in a statement.

It...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/canadian-police-move-against-truck-blockade-at-us-canada-border

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