A protest over the Canadian government’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for cross-border truckerscontinues to stall travelat an entry point north of Shelby, Montana.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection says the Port of Sweetgrass on Interstate 15 remains open, but the Canadian Border Services Agency closed the Coutts Port of Entry to inbound traffic on Monday because of an ongoing trucker blockage.
As of Jan. 15, Canada is requiring all truckers entering the country be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or be tested and quarantined.
Duane Williams, executive director of Motor Carriers of Montana, says his organization opposes the mandate.
[We've] been pretty vocal that it should be a personal choice not mandated to have to show your vaccine records crossing the border," he said.
A week after Canada imposed the new regulation, the U.S. instituted its own vaccine mandate for truckers entering the country. The American Trucking Association says that although it encourages its members to get vaccinated, the group has "serious concerns about the impact of a federal mandate and the unintended consequences it will create."
"If misapplied to our industry, this mandate threatens hamper our nation’s COVID response effort," the ATAsays in a statement posted to its website. "Based on survey data, we believe a vaccine mandate would fuel a surge in driver turnover and attrition, with fleets losing as much as 37% percent of their current driver workforce to retirement or smaller carriers not subject to the mandate."
U.S. Sens. Steve Daines and Jon Tester of Montana alsoraised concerns about the mandate in the days before it went into effect. Tester wrotein a letter to the Biden administration that the restrictions on both sides of the border will "cause confusion, delay shipments, and hurt both the U.S. and Canadian economies."
Williams with Motor Carriers of Montana says his group has not yet heard of major disruptions, although it is taking a little long for some loads to get across the border. All of the other ports of entry along the Canada-Montana border remain open.
