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 According to a letter from the American Trucking Associations,
Truckload Carriers Association, and others, “We are concerned a mandate will
cripple an already strained supply chain.”
The letter goes on to state, “We estimate companies covered by the mandate could
lose 37% of drivers at a time when the nation is already short 80,000 truck
drivers. … We ask for flexibility for transportation and supply chain essential
workers, particularly truck drivers who spend most of their time in their trucks
and have minimal contact with colleagues and customers.”
The letter comes in response to the recent unveiling of
President Biden’s federal vaccine mandate rule, released by OSHA. Per the rule,
all private companies with more than 100 employees are required to have all
employees vaccinated by Jan. 4, 2022. Under the rule, employers can be fined
$14,000 per violation and a whopping $136,532 for those deemed “willful”
violations.
Unfortunately, as the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) explains, “TCA
repeatedly called on the Administration to heed our warnings regarding this
mandate’s impact on the already constrained supply chain, yet they chose to
proceed with a disastrous mandate which will undoubtedly ensure the trucking
industry loses a substantial number of drivers.”
 TCA also issued this ominous warning, “These are the drivers the country is
relying upon to deliver food, fuel, and presents for the upcoming holiday
season, yet our national leadership has decided these needs must go unmet.”
Over the past 18 months, the U.S. supply chain has been upended by economic
disruptions due to government-mandated shutdowns, persistent inflation, and
policies that have made energy and fuel costs skyrocket.
At this point, when Americans are struggling mightily to make ends meet and find
goods on the shelves, Biden’s vaccine mandate and its impact on truck drivers
will only make the already dire situation worse.
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Moreover, as many truck drivers have pointed out,
their profession is hardly one in which they interact with throngs
of people on a daily basis. Most truckers spend their days and
nights on the road, alone. They pose little threat, if any, of being
super spreaders.
Adding insult to injury, the Biden administration
has also announced that it will rollout updated and more expansive
regulations affecting those seeking new commercial drivers’ licenses
(CDL) beginning in February 2022.
Per a white paper from PrePass, “After extremely lengthy
consideration by the federal government, entry-level driver training
(ELDT) for truck drivers, as well as other commercial motor vehicle
operations, is set to go into effect in February 2022.”
The new rules require “31 mandatory theory (knowledge) topics in
five general areas and behind-the-wheel (BTW) sessions on an
off-road driving range and on the road.”
Furthermore, “The training must be given by a ‘training provider’
registered with FMCSA’s newly-established Training Provider
Registry.”
In other words, at a time when the nation is already facing a
shortage of 80,000 truck drivers, with thousands more likely to
resign in defiance of the upcoming vaccine mandate deadline, the
Biden administration is making it timelier and costlier for trucking
companies to hire and train new drivers.
Even worse, Biden’s misguided green energy policies and antipathy
toward U.S. energy production have caused the cost of diesel fuel to
increase substantially. In 2020, diesel fuel averaged $2.50 per
gallon. In 2021, it has increased to $3.40 per gallon.
With the economy reeling, inflation spiking, and the supply chain in
tatters, Biden’s vaccine mandate and new rules for entry-level
driving training for truck drivers will only compound these deeply
rooted problems.
Chris Talgo (ctalgo@heartland.org) is senior editor
at The Heartland Institute. |
