The federal government’s planned enforcement of its vaccine mandate for all truck drivers crossing the international border will likely further aggravate chaotic transit times for job shops waiting on equipment and parts deliveries from the U.S..
The mandate, effective as of January 15, could lead to 10 per cent of Canadian truck drivers leaving the industry rather than getting vaccinated, the nation’s trucking associations claim. But that only tells part of the driver shortage story that is slowing down Canada’s supply chains.
The latest data from Trucking HR Canada and Statistics Canada shows that trucking’s jobs vacancy rate had already hit new record highs even before the federal government announced its January 15th deadline,for a border vaccine mandate.
The vacancy rate in truck transportation hit 8 percent in the third quarter of 2021, which was the second highest vacancy rate in the entire economy behind accommodations and food services.
The total number of vacancies for transport truck drivers has now increased to 22,990 jobs, which is an historic high since Statistics Canada began tracking vacancies. This also represents a 20-percent surge in driver vacancies over the second quarter of 2021.
On a regional basis, Ontario accounts for 6,080 positions or 26.4% of all truckdriver vacancies in Canada followed by British Columbia with 4,280 vacancies and Alberta with 3,925.
