The executive director of the Saskatchewan Trucking Association suggests the vaccine mandate for truckers crossing the U.S. border is not a good idea right now, because across the country there is already a labour shortage in the industry. Susan Ewart notes the uptick for Canadian truckers getting their shots is on par with the rest of the country, between 83 and 87 per cent, but the issue is there were already about 23,000 vacant positions before the vaccine mandate began on January 15th.

Trucking HR Canada estimates this mandate will add another 16,000 positions to that total. Ewart explains that the original shortage was because of an aging workforce, and not enough people entering the industry to cover off retirements. She expects we will see some very real challenges with delays in the supply chain. Trucking companies are prioritizing their customers based on need because of the driver shortage. The U.S. will enact its own mandate on the 22nd.