We’ve all been watching the news recently about truckers protesting Canada’s mandates, but there does not seem to be the same issue with the rail freight industry. Why is that?
Joanna Marsh of Freightwaves, published an article on Sunday (13th) that provides part of the answer by summarizing the differences between rail and truck freight traffic. She noted that with trucks bringing freight across the US-Canada border, the driver follows the load through to the destination. However, with freight rail shipments, the crews typically do not. Hence, crews working in one country do not need to worry about the particular differences between the policies of the two nations.
However, that does not address all of the implications associated with this Canadian policy and its affect upon their transportation industry. According to an October 6, 2021 statement from Transport Canada, it is the fact that as of October 30th, all employers in Canada’s regulated air, and rail, and, strangely two days later as of November 1st , marine transportation sectors were required to establish policies providing for vaccination requirements. So, it would appear that railroad employees are equally affected, and indeed may be sympathetic to the trucker protest. But they can’t park their locomotives on the streets of Ottawa, can they?