Truckers warn 'disastrous' mandate will worsen supply chain chaos

[Valin]

The Washington Examiner

Zachary Halaschak, Economics Reporter

November 08, 2021

Truck drivers fear that President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate will further exacerbate the supply chain crisis and cause snarls going into 2022.

The trucking industry issued new warnings after the Occupational Safety and Health Administration released guidance Thursday on the mandates after much anticipation. All companies with more than 100 employees will be required to have their workers vaccinated or provide proof of weekly negative COVID-19 tests. Additionally, all businesses that have contracts with the federal government, no matter the size, will also have to adhere to the vaccine mandate, although they don’t have a testing option.

The deadline for the guidance, which has originally been set for Dec. 8, was pushed back to Jan. 4 in an apparent effort to avoid supply chain disruptions right in the middle of the holiday season. Many trucking companies contend that pushing back the deadline is only a temporary fix and that the supply chain will become more frayed in January when the rules become effective.

The Truckload Carriers Association had hoped that truckers would be exempt from the mandate that is expected to affect 100 million workers in the United States — or about two-thirds of the country’s workforce.

(Snip)

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DON’T WORRY, PETE BUTTIGIEG IS ON THE JOB! Er, well, sorta.