Convoy to DC: What It Could Mean for Expediters
Recently, about 50,000 Canadian truckers made their way to Ottawa in solidarity and protest of COVID-19 vaccine mandates for drivers. Now, U.S. truck drivers are planning to stage a similar convoy of their own, originating from California and ending in Washington D.C., to show lawmakers that they do not care for vaccine mandates in the states.
What's the Situation?
A Facebook group, created to organize the American trucker protest, boasts over 110,000 members to the page. The Facebook group states on their homepage that, "We believe everyone has a voice. We support our freedom. Help us spread the word about this group and together we all can make it a better place. God Bless America."
At this point, there is no date set in which the mobile protest will put rubber to road. But it's being stated that the convoy will kick off sooner rather than later.
What It Could Mean for Expediters.
As it currently stands, American truck drivers (including expediters) will need to be vaccinated in order to cross the Canadian and/or Mexican borders. While many drivers have already gotten the jab and acquired their vaccination documentation, others have not and do not plan to do so.
And since there are myriad shippers throughout much of the United States that send trucks across borders with their freight, this can and will cause some consternation when unvaccinated drivers make themselves unavailable for the work.
What Can Be Expected?
At this point, the safe bet is there will be a shortage on border-crossing eligible drivers. Which could also mean expediters who are fielding calls from customers attempting to quickly move their products, might be able to bump their rates up a tick due to a lack of immediate driver availability. The expedite companies may also be able to make these demands based off the idea that they'll have to work a little harder to provide the right driver. That is, if the customer is willing to concede a higher rate to compensate for their efforts.
However, something like that could also backfire if keen customers are aware that a lack of available drivers is due to them not wanting to get stuck in the arm with the vaccine.
The Point of All This.
As with most countries across the globe, borders are being more heavily monitored when it comes to allowing people (drivers, business travelers or tourists) to enter a country with less than a vaccination having been administered. The main idea is to lessen the COVID-19 virus' ability to spread by accessing one country's established population and exposing it to another's.
However, there remains a populace in many countries that insists the vaccine is unnecessary and infringes on personal freedoms. And unless points of view and opinions change, many commercial and expedite drivers will have a decision to make when it comes to that extra money contributing to their livelihood. Receive the vaccine and make their self available for more freight hauling opportunities, or choose to not get vaccinated and watch as their potential to increase their earnings gets stopped at the border.
*UPDATED INFORMATION*
Facebook has shut down the original "Convoy to DC 2022" group page for what is being alleged as violations of its QAnon and conspiracy theory policies. The page had amassed over 130,000 members before being ceased by Facebook. The convoy has been slated to depart from California on the first of March, but organizers are now considering moving up the start date.