The Nation

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – Equipment shortages, supply chain issues, high diesel prices — these issues are making a tough job even tougher for truck drivers across the U.S. This, in turn, can make it difficult on driver recruiting and retention. Conversion Interactive Agency and PDA (People, Data, Analytics) recently released their 2021 Driver Recruiting and Retention Annual Report, which shows equipment and compensation issues were the top concerns for drivers in 2021, just as they were in 2020. The agencies compiled and analyzed data throughout 2021 to create a comprehensive resource highlighting trends affecting carriers’ driver recruiting and retention efforts. “2021 was another unprecedented year for driver recruitment and retention,” Kelley Walkup, CEO and president for Conversion Interactive Agency said. “Not only did carriers deal with ongoing issues from the pandemic, but they were presented with new challenges such as labor shortages and equipment delays,” “We saw a shift in perspective last year regarding the need to adopt advanced technology when it comes to recruiting drivers. This shows us that not only are carriers understanding that need, but they are embracing it.” According to the report, the need to implement lead-nurturing technology increased in 2021. Carriers who employed these automated technologies have shown great results in growing truck driver leads and supporting their recruiters. Automation plays a critical role in pre-qualifying drivers before a recruiter begins the hiring process. “Trusted tools are being developed and improved upon every day,” Walkup said. “In 2022, carriers will have an opportunity to embrace these technologies and reap the rewards of improved cost-per-hire and time-to-hire.” Online driver reviews played a major role in recruiting drivers during 2021. Drivers are looking for authentic reviews and experiences while searching for a job, the study noted. With the average carrier rating at 3.74 stars, there is room for improvement within the industry. Carriers with an intentional and consistent approach to managing their online reputation have seen drastic improvement over time. “Managing online reputation is going to be a key player when recruiting drivers in 2022,” Walkup said. “When a driver is looking for a job, they want authentic feedback from those who have come before them. How your carrier responds to that will be a crucial factor in your success in driver recruiting.” With industry-wide equipment delays, supply chain issues and labor shortages, breakdowns and mechanical issues were key to driver retention in 2021 and will continue to be crucial in 2022, according to the study. “Equipment supply chain issues are clearly leading to driver frustration,” Scott Dismuke, vice president of operations for PDA, said. “With orders for new tractors still constrained by part delays and labor shortages, equipment issues are not going away any time soon. We see this trend continuing this year and possibly beyond.” Dismuke noted that managing driver expectations during the equipment shortage will be a key factor in driver retention for 2022. “Communication and setting expectations with drivers will be vital to reducing driver frustration during the equipment shortage,” Dismuke said. “PDA data has shown that a breakdown issue for a driver this week, usually leads to a compensation issue for a driver next week. When drivers are consistently in the shop, they aren’t logging miles, when they aren’t logging miles, they aren’t making the money promised.” While miles-related compensation issues continued to be the top concern when it came to driver pay in 2021, it was down 14% from 2020 totals. Dismuke noted that in a strong freight market and a very competitive driver market, drivers struggling with miles continue to be a high turnover risk. “In 2021, we saw very aggressive driver recruitment as well as many industry-wide pay increases,” Dismuke said. “If drivers are struggling with logging consistent miles in this freight market, they are a high turnover risk. Drivers see the advertisements; they know what companies are offering and have multiple options to go elsewhere.” Dismuke stated that carriers that can quickly identify and intervene with drivers having issues will be important to retaining drivers in 2022. Ultimately, Walkup and Dismuke agree that this will be another challenging year. “Keeping the drivers that are in your trucks now is more important than it has ever been,” he said. “Driver retention in 2022 is going to be a true team effort. Equipment issues and compensation are closely related, so not only will operations play a key role in driver retention, but given the industry-wide equipment shortage, so will the maintenance departments.”  

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Snow plow drivers are on the roads when the conditions are at their worst, and they’re also out between storms treating trouble spots. Unfortunately, operators have been seeing an increase in plow strikes over the last few winters. Below are 10 things that Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) snowplow drivers believe motorists — both tourists and residents — should know as they encounter plows on their travels: Give plows room to work. WYDOT’s plow trucks have amber, red and blue flashing lights mounted on top of the cab, on the back of the sanders and a light on the wing plow. Snowplows are huge machines capable of moving tons of snow every minute. Like all vehicles, plows have blind spots; for safety, avoid following too closely. Avoid passing a plow truck when it’s plowing snow. The safest driving surface is at least four car lengths behind the plow. If you must pass, don’t pass into the plume of snow being moved. Snowplows typically plow and sand roads at speeds below the posted speed limit. Plows often operate at speeds of 45 mph or less, depending on road conditions, including snow levels, drifting and ice. Plows work in small sections at a time and regularly pull out of traffic to turn around or replenish salt/sand. Please drive patiently. Watch for tow plows. Some parts of the state use tow plows, which are large pieces of equipment that help plow operators plow both driving and passing lanes simultaneously; avoid passing until it is safe to do so. Plows also operate large wing plows on the shoulders of the highways, never use the emergency lane/highway shoulder to pass. The plow truck often creates a snow cloud when working. Keep a close watch, as plows often stir up their own whiteout conditions while working, and the flashing lights may not be visible. Wait for visibility to improve before passing, especially on two-lane highways. Different storms and temperatures require different methods to fight snow and ice. WYDOT trucks spread sand, anti-icing and de-icing chemicals each storm as needed and as temperatures allow. Salt is ineffective in sub-zero temperatures and strong winds. Avoid following too closely when salt and sand are being applied. Even after roads are plowed and treated, slippery conditions can persist. Be especially careful in areas such as intersections, on-/off-ramps, bridges and shady areas. These areas may be wet during the day and icy at night. Blowing and drifting snow can also create slick driving conditions for drivers, including slush, ice and drifted snow. Be patient with road conditions and road-plowing efforts. Remember that road conditions change depending on temperature, wind speeds and other factors. Even on treated roads, avoid using cruise control and drive according to conditions. Limit distractions and focus on driving. Avoid cell phone use and other distractions that prevent you from paying attention to what’s happening on the roadway. Wyoming’s weather can change in a matter of miles. Know before you go. It’s wise to do some homework before heading for work, driving to an out-of-town appointment, or departing for a bigger town on a shopping outing. You can monitor WYDOT road conditions at www.wyoroad.info or call 1-888-WYO-ROAD or 511 Notify by dialing 511. This system can also be enabled to deliver road alerts as text messages or e-mails on routes that the user identifies. Go to www.wyoroad.info and choose the 511 Notify icon to set up your account. Sometimes road conditions are challenging, and other drivers are unpredictable, so staying home or rescheduling an appointment might be great alternatives to driving during a snow event.

OTTAWA, Ontario — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he has invoked emergency powers to try to quell the protests by truck drivers and others who have paralyzed Ottawa and blocked border crossings in anger over the country’s COVID-19 restrictions. Trudeau ruled out using the military and said Monday that the emergency measures “will be time-limited, geographically targeted, as well as reasonable and proportionate to the threats they are meant to address.” For the past two weeks, hundreds and sometimes thousands of protesters in trucks and other vehicles have clogged the streets of Ottawa, the capital, railing against vaccine mandates and other virus precautions and condemning Trudeau’s Liberal government. Members of the self-styled Freedom Convoy have also blockaded various U.S.-Canadian border crossings, though the busiest and most important — the Ambassador Bridge connecting Windsor, Ontario, to Detroit — was reopened over the weekend. In recent days, the prime minister rejected calls to use the military but said “all options are on the table” to end the protests, including invoking the Emergencies Act, which gives the government broad powers. “Our government is prepared to do what is required to uphold the rule of law and to restore order in our communities and in particular to protect critical infrastructure, particularly at our borders,” Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair said when asked Monday about whether the Emergencies Act should be invoked. In other developments, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said they arrested 11 people at the blockaded border crossing at Coutts, Alberta, opposite Montana, after learning of a cache of guns and ammunition. Police said a small group within the protest was said to have a “willingness to use force against the police if any attempts were made to disrupt the blockade.” Authorities seized 13 long guns, handguns, sets of body armor, a machete, a large quantity of ammunition and high-capacity magazines. Alberta Premier Jason Kenney also said protesters in a tractor and a heavy-duty truck tried to ram a police vehicle at Coutts on Sunday night and fled. “This is extremely concerning,” he said. “There is, at least in that case, a small cell of people who wanted to take this in a very dangerous and dark direction.” Over the past weeks, authorities have hesitated to move against the protesters around the country. Local officials cited a lack of police manpower and fears of violence, while provincial and federal authorities disagreed over who had responsibility for quelling the unrest. Invoking the Emergencies Act would allow the federal government to declare the Ottawa protest illegal and clear it out by such means as towing vehicles, Wark said. It would also enable the government to make greater use of the Mounties, the federal police agency. An earlier version of the Emergencies Act, called the War Measures Act, was used just once during peacetime, by Trudeau’s late father, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, to deal with a militant Quebec independence movement in 1970. Invoking emergency powers would be “a signal to both Canadians across the country and also an important signal to allies like the United States and around the world who are wondering what the hell is Canada been up to,” Wark said. The demonstrations have inspired similar convoys in France, New Zealand and the Netherlands. U.S. authorities have said that truck convoys may be in the works in the United States. Also Monday, Ontario’s premier Doug Ford announced that on March 1, Canada’s most populous province will lift its requirement that people show proof of vaccination to get into restaurants, restaurants, gyms and sporting events. A surge of cases caused by the omicron variant has crested in Canada. “Let me very clear: We are moving in this direction because it is safe to do so. Today’s announcement is not because of what’s happening in Ottawa or Windsor but despite it,” Ford said. The province will also remove its 50% capacity limit on restaurants on Thursday, four days earlier than planned. Ford gave no timetable for dropping the requirement that people wear masks in public places. Ford said he would support Trudeau’s government if it proposed further measures to quell the protests. “”We need law and order. Our country is at risk now. It’s not just happening here in Ottawa, but it’s happening in Alberta and British Columbia,” Ford said. “We won’t accept. it” Police in Windsor arrested 25 to 30 protesters and towed several vehicles Sunday near the Ambassador Bridge. The span, which carries 25% of all trade between the two countries, reopened to traffic late Sunday night. The interruption in the flow of goods had forced General Motors, Ford, Toyota and other automakers to close plants or curtail production on both sides of the border. The siege in Ottawa, about 470 miles (750 kilometers) away, has infuriated residents fed up with government inaction. They have complained of being harassed and intimidated by the protesters who have parked their rigs on the streets. “It’s stressful. I feel angry at what’s happening. This isn’t Canada. This does not represent us,” Colleen Sinclair, a counter-protester who lives in Ottawa. Sinclair said all demonstrators have had their say and need to move on — with police force, if necessary. “They’re occupiers,” she said. “This is domestic terrorism, and we want you out of our city. Go home.” Many of Canada’s COVID-19 restrictions, such as mask rules and vaccine passports for getting into restaurants and theaters, are already falling away as the omicron surge levels off. Pandemic restrictions have been far stricter in Canada than in the U.S., but Canadians have largely supported them. Most Canadians are vaccinated, and the COVID-19 death rate is one-third that of the United States.

SALT LAKE CITY — Traffic deaths decreased in Utah after the state enacted the strictest drunken driving laws in the nation five years ago, new research published Friday by a U.S. government agency shows. The findings provide initial validation for conservative lawmakers who passed the law over concerns from restaurant and tourism industry lobbyists. In a study published Friday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, researchers write that, in the years after Utah changed the drunken driving threshold from .08% to .05% blood-alcohol content, the number of crashes and fatalities fell even though drivers logged more miles. “Changing the law to .05% in Utah saved lives and motivated more drivers to take steps to avoid driving impaired,” said Dr. Steven Cliff, the agency’s deputy administrator, who encouraged other states to consider similar action. The findings mark a triumph for Utah’s Republican-controlled Legislature, which voted to decrease the legal limit in 2017 over concerns from restaurant and tourism industry lobbyists. They and other opponents argued it would be ineffective and cement Utah’s pious reputation at the expense of the growing number of visitors and residents who aren’t part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Utah, where roughly 60% of the population are members of the faith, has long enforced some of the nation’s strictest liquor laws. All spirits and wine are sold at state-run stores. Bartenders are required to use specialized spouts to ensure they pour no more than 1.5 ounces of a primary liquor in any mixed drink. And beer can be sold in grocery stores only if its alcohol-by-volume content is less than 5%. When the state lowered the threshold for impaired driving from the nation’s standard .08% blood-alcohol content, lawmakers argued it would make driving safer. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study shows that there were fewer crashes and lower alcohol involvement both after the widely-publicized law passed in 2017 and after it went into effect in 2018. In 2019, the first full year with the law in effect, there were 225 fatal crashes and 248 fatalities in Utah. Though drivers logged more miles, that was less than the 259 fatal crashes and 281 fatalities in 2016, the year before Utah changed its law. The change meant a 150-pound (68-kilogram) man would be over the 0.05% limit after two beers, while a 120-pound (54-kilogram) woman could exceed it after a single drink, though that can be affected by several factors, including how much food a person has eaten, according to the American Beverage Institute, a national restaurant group. Crash and fatality rates also fell in neighboring states but not as significantly as they did in Utah. Crashes per mile driven fell 19.8% from 2016 to 2019, which was much more than the 5.6% reduction rates for the entire United States. The drunken driving arrest rate increased after the Utah law went into effect, rising from 76 to 84 arrests per 100,000 residents between the fourth quarter of 2018 and the fourth quarter of 2019. Additionally, survey data included in the study also suggests more people who consume alcohol changed their behavior after the law went into effect. In 2018, 1 in 8 drinkers said they made sure transportation would be available when drinking outside the home, either by a designated driver or ride-hailing service. In 2019, more than 1 in 4 people surveyed said they made sure it would be available. The revised blood alcohol level law also appears not to have affected tourism. Alcohol sales and overall visitor spending increased steadily from 2009 to 2019 and didn’t experience a dip after the new law went into effect in 2018. The tourism industry struggled through the pandemic but is slowly rebounding, data from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah show. The National Safety Transportation Board has since 2013 encouraged states to follow Utah’s lead. Lawmakers in states including Delaware, New York, Oregon, Hawaii, California and Michigan have considered changing their laws. But apart from Utah, all states use .08% as the legal blood-alcohol limit.

WINDSOR, Ontario — Police moved in to clear and arrest the remaining protesters near the busiest U.S.-Canadian border crossing on Sunday, ending a demonstration against COVID-19 restrictions that has hurt the economy of both nations even as they held back from a crackdown on a larger protest in the capital, Ottawa. Local and national police formed a joint command center in Ottawa, where protests have paralyzed downtown, infuriated residents who are fed up with police inaction and turned up pressure on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The protests have reverberated across the country and beyond, with similar convoys in France, New Zealand and the Netherlands. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security warned that truck convoys may be in the works in the United States. Windsor police said about 12 people were peacefully arrested and seven vehicles were towed just after dawn near the Ambassador Bridge that links their city — and numerous Canadian automotive plants — with Detroit. “Today, our national economic crisis at the Ambassador Bridge came to an end,” said Windsor’s Mayor Drew Kiklen, who expressed hope the bridge would reopen Sunday. “Border crossings will reopen when it is safe to do so, and I defer to police and border agencies to make that determination. Only a few protesters had remained after police on Saturday persuaded demonstrators to move the pickup trucks and cars they had used to block a crossing that sees 25% of all trade between the two countries. U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration on Sunday acknowledged the seemingly peaceful resolution to the demonstration, which it said had “widespread damaging impacts” on the “lives and livelihoods of people” on both sides of the border. “We stand ready to support our Canadian partners wherever useful in order to ensure the restoration of the normal free flow of commerce can resume,” Homeland Security Advisor Dr. Liz Sherwood-Randall said in a statement. In Ottawa, the ranks of protesters swelled to what police said were 4,000 demonstrators by Saturday, and a counter-protest of frustrated Ottawa residents attempting to block the convoy of trucks from entering the downtown emerged Sunday. Clayton Goodwin, a 45-year-old military veteran who was among the counter-protesters, said it was time for residents to stand up against the protesters. “I’m horrified that other veterans would be down there co-opting my flag, co-opting my service,” said Goodwin, who is the CEO of the Veterans Accountability Commission, a nonprofit advocacy group. “It’s a grift. The city was free. We’re 92% vaccinated. We’re ready to support our businesses.” The city has seen similar expansions of the protest on past weekends, and loud music played as people milled about downtown where anti-vaccine demonstrators have been encamped since late January. “The whole city is furious at being abandoned by the people who are supposed to protect us. They have completely abandoned the rule of law. ⁦‪@OttawaPolice⁩ have lost credibility. #OttawaPoliceFailed,” tweeted Artur Wilczynski, a senior government national security official at Canada’s Communications Security Establishment. A former minister in Trudeau’s Cabinet also blasted her former federal colleagues as well as the province and city for not putting an end to the protests. “Amazingly, this isn’t just Ottawa. It’s the nation’s capital,” Catherine McKenna tweeted. “But no one — not the city, the province or the federal government can seem to get their act together to end this illegal occupation. It’s appalling. … Just get your act together. Now.” Trudeau has so far rejected calls to use the military but had said that “all options are on the table” to end the protests. Trudeau has called the protesters a “fringe” of Canadian society. Both federal and provincial politicians have said they can’t order police what to do. Ottawa police said in a statement late Saturday that a joint command center had been established with the Ontario Provincial Police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. They said that would beef up enforcement capabilities that had been limited by “safety concerns — arising from aggressive, illegal behavior by many demonstrators.” Police earlier issued a statement calling the protest an unlawful occupation and saying they were waiting for reinforcements before implementing a plan to end the demonstrations. Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson declared a state of emergency last week for the capital, where hundreds of trucks remained in front of the Parliament Buildings and demonstrators have set up portable toilets outside the prime minister’s office where Trudeau’s motorcade usually parks. On Friday, a judge ordered an end to the blockade at the crossing in Windsor and Ontario Premier Doug Ford declared a state of emergency allowing for fines of 100,000 Canadian dollars and up to one year in jail for anyone illegally blocking roads, bridges, walkways and other critical infrastructure. Partial closures at the bridge started on Feb. 7 and by midweek the disruption was so severe that automakers began shutting down or reducing production. The standoff came at a time when the industry is already struggling to maintain production in the face of pandemic-induced shortages of computer chips and other supply-chain disruptions. “We are protesting the government taking away our rights,” said Windsor resident Eunice Lucas-Logan. “We want the restrictions removed. We have to wait to find out.” The 67-year-old has been out supporting the protest for the past four days. She said she appreciated that police have been patient. On the other side of the country, a major truck border crossing between Surrey, British Columbia, and Blaine, Washington, was closed on Sunday, a day after Canadian authorities said a few vehicles had breached police barricades and a crowd entered the area by foot. The RCMP issued a statement saying that while no one had been injured, the actions were dangerous and being investigated. A border crossing in Alberta remained shut down as well. While the protesters are decrying vaccine mandates for truckers and other COVID-19 restrictions, many of Canada’s public health measures, such as mask rules and vaccine passports for getting into restaurants and theaters, are already falling away as the omicron surge levels off. Pandemic restrictions have been far stricter there than in the U.S., but Canadians have largely supported them. Most Canadians are vaccinated, and the COVID-19 death rate is one-third that of the United States.  

WINDSOR, Ontario — Protesters opposed to COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other restrictions withdrew their vehicles from a key U.S.-Canadian border bridge Saturday though access remained blocked while other demonstrations ramped up in cities across Canada, including the capital, where police said they were awaiting more officers before ending what they described as an illegal occupation. The tense standoff at the Ambassador Bridge linking Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, eased somewhat early in the day when Canadian police persuaded demonstrators to move the trucks they had used to barricade the entrance to the busy international crossing. But protesters reconvened nearby — with reinforcements — and were still choking off access from the Canadian side late Saturday, snarling traffic and commerce for a sixth day. About 180 remained late Saturday in the sub-freezing cold. In Ottawa, the ranks of protesters swelled to what police said was 4,000 demonstrators. The city has seen that on past weekends, and loud music played as people milled about downtown where anti-vaccine demonstrators have been encamped since late January. Early Saturday evening, crews lined concrete traffic barricades between behind a line of police officers that stretched across the main highway leading to the foot of the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor. Officers later withdrew behind the barricades which separated them from protesters. Barricades also were placed along some side streets. Police vehicles had been parked at those streets, preventing motor vehicles from entering the highway. The protests at the bridge, in Ottawa and elsewhere have reverberated outside the country, with similarly inspired convoys in France, New Zealand and the Netherlands, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security warned that truck convoys may be in the works in the United States. An ex-Cabinet minister in Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government took the unusual step of calling out her former federal colleagues as well as the province and city for not putting an end to the protests. “Amazingly, this isn’t just Ottawa. It’s the nation’s capital,” Catherine McKenna tweeted. “But no one — not the city, the province or the federal government can seem to get their act together to end this illegal occupation. It’s appalling. … Just get your act together. Now.” Trudeau has so far rejected calls to use the military. “The Prime Minister stressed that border crossings cannot, and will not, remain closed, and that all options are on the table,” Trudeau’s office said in a statement late Saturday after he met with senior officials. Trudeau has called the protesters a “fringe” of Canadian society, and both federal and provincial leaders say they can’t order police what to do. “Safety concerns — arising from aggressive, illegal behavior by many demonstrators — limited police enforcement capabilities,” Ottawa police said in a statement late Saturday. Ottawa police said a joint command center had now been set up together with the Ontario Provincial Police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Police earlier issued a statement calling the protest an unlawful occupation and saying they were waiting for police “reinforcements” before implementing a plan to end the demonstrations. Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson declared a state of emergency last week for the capital, where hundreds of trucks remained in front of the Parliament Buildings and demonstrators have set up portable toilets outside the prime minister’s office where Trudeau’s motorcade usually parks. Surrounded by dozens of officers in Windsor, a man with “Mandate Freedom” and “Trump 2024” spray-painted on his vehicle left the bridge entrance early in the day as others began dismantling a small, tarp-covered encampment. A trucker honked his horn as he, too, drove off, to cheers and chants of “Freedom!” But hundreds more arrived to bolster the crowd and settled into a faceoff with police about two blocks away, waving flags and yelling. While there were no visible physical confrontations, the crowd still controlled the road to the bridge, and traffic had not resumed as of the evening. Windsor police tweeted that no one had been arrested but urged people to stay away from the bridge: “We appreciate the cooperation of the demonstrators at this time and we will continue to focus on resolving the demonstration peacefully. Avoid area!” Protester Daniel Koss said shortly before police advanced that the demonstration had succeeded in bringing attention to demands to lift COVID-19 mandates and he was happy it remained peaceful. “It’s a win-win,” Koss said. “The pandemic is rolling down right now, they can remove the mandates, all the mandates, and everyone’s happy. The government does the right thing, and the protesters are all happy.” The previous day, a judge ordered an end to the blockade of mostly pickup trucks and cars, and Ontario Premier Doug Ford declared a state of emergency allowing for fines of 100,000 Canadian dollars and up to one year in jail for anyone illegally blocking roads, bridges, walkways and other critical infrastructure. “The illegal blockades are impacting trade, supply chains & manufacturing. They’re hurting Canadian families, workers & businesses. Glad to see the Windsor Police & its policing partners commenced enforcement at and near the Ambassador Bridge,” Federal Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne tweeted Saturday. “These blockades must stop.” The Ambassador Bridge is the busiest U.S.-Canadian border crossing, carrying 25% of all trade between the two countries, and auto plants on both sides have been forced to shut down or reduce production this week. The standoff came at a time when the industry is already struggling to maintain production in the face of pandemic-induced shortages of computer chips and other supply-chain disruptions. In Ottawa, 31-year-old Stephanie Ravensbergen said she turned out to support her aunt and uncle who have parked their semi in the streets since the beginning of the protest. She opposes vaccine and mask requirements, and said it’s important for schoolchildren to be able see their friends’ faces and emotions. “We want the right to choose,” Ravensbergen said. “We want the right to be able to do what everybody else can do.” Protesters on Saturday tore down a fence that authorities put up around the capital’s National War Memorial two weeks ago after demonstrators urinated on it. Some later chanted “liberte,” French for “freedom.” “Completely unacceptable,” Lawrence MacAulay, Canada’s veterans affairs minister, tweeted. “This behavior is disappointing and I’m calling on protesters to respect our monuments.” On the other side of the country, protesters disrupted operations at another border crossing between Surrey, British Columbia, and Blaine, Washington, but officials said it was not blocked. Two border crossings, in Alberta and in Manitoba, remained shut down as well. While the protesters are decrying vaccine mandates for truckers and other COVID-19 restrictions, many of Canada’s public health measures, such as mask rules and vaccine passports for getting into restaurants and theaters, are already falling away as the omicron surge levels off. Pandemic restrictions have been far stricter there than in the U.S., but Canadians have largely supported them. The vast majority of Canadians are vaccinated, and the COVID-19 death rate is one-third that of the United States. Inspired by the Canadian demonstrations, protests against pandemic restrictions were seen in parts of Europe on Saturday. At least 500 vehicles in several convoys attempted to enter Paris at key arteries but were intercepted by police. Over 200 motorists were ticketed, and elsewhere at least two people were detained amid a seizure of knives, hammers and other objects in a central square. Police fired tear gas against a handful of people who demonstrated on the Champs Elysees Avenue in defiance of a police order. An Associated Press photographer was hit in the head with a gas canister as police struggled to control the crowd. In the Netherlands, meanwhile, dozens of trucks and other vehicles ranging from tractors to a car towing a camper arrived in The Hague, blocking an entrance to the historic parliamentary complex. Protesters on foot joined them, carrying a banner emblazoned with “Love & freedom, no dictatorship” in Dutch. Earlier this week in New Zealand, protesters rolled up to Parliament grounds in a convoy of cars and trucks and set up camp. Police have taken a hands-off approach after initial attempts to remove them resulted in physical confrontations. Parliament Speaker Trevor Mallard on Friday ordered his staff to turn on the lawn’s sprinklers to douse them and to play Barry Manilow tunes and the 1990s hit “Macarena” over loudspeakers to annoy them. Protesters responded by playing their own songs, including Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It.”

WINDSOR, Ontario — A judge on Friday ordered protesters at the Ambassador Bridge over the U.S.-Canadian border to end the 5-day-old blockade that has disrupted the flow of goods between the two countries and forced the auto industry on both sides to roll back production. It was not immediately clear when or if law enforcement officers would be sent in to remove the demonstrators, who parked their pickups and other vehicles in a bumper-to-bumper protest against the country’s COVID-19 restrictions and an outpouring of fury toward Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Liberal government. Chief Justice Geoffrey Morawetz of the Ontario Superior Court said during a virtual hearing that the order would be effective at 7 p.m. to give protesters time to leave. Windsor police immediately warned that anyone blocking the streets could be subject to arrest and their vehicles may be seized. At the bridge, a person, who would not provide his name, grabbed a microphone and addressed the crowd. He asked the protesters if they wanted to stay when 7 p.m. rolled around or leave. By a show of applause, it was agreed they would stay. “OK,”’ the man said. “Let’s stand tall.” The crowd responded by singing the Canadian national anthem and chanting “freedom.” Since Monday, drivers mostly in pickup trucks have bottled up the bridge connecting Windsor to Detroit. Hundreds more truckers have paralyzed downtown Ottawa over the past two weeks. And protesters have also blocked two other border crossings, in Alberta and Manitoba. The judge’s decision came after a 4 1/2-hour court hearing at which the city of Windsor and lawyers for auto parts makers argued that the blockade was causing undue economic harm for the city and region. Supporters of the protesters, some of them truckers, argued that an order to disband would disrupt their right to peacefully protest vaccine mandates that hinder their ability to earn a living. The ruling came in a day of fast-moving developments as federal, provincial and local officials worked simultaneously on different fronts to try to break the standoff with the so-called Freedom Convoy, whose members have been cheered on by the right in the U.S., including Fox News personalities, Donald Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. “This unlawful activity has to end and it will end,” Trudeau warned just hours earlier. “We heard you. It’s time to go home now,” the prime minister said, cautioning that “everything is on the table” for ending the blockades. Also Friday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford declared a state of emergency and threatened heavy penalties against those who interfere with the free flow of goods and people. Ford said he will convene the provincial cabinet on Saturday to urgently enact measures that make it “crystal clear” it is illegal to block critical infrastructure. Violators will face up to a year in prison and a maximum fine of $100,000, he said. “There will be consequences for these actions, and they will be severe,” Ford said. “This is a pivotal, pivotal moment for our nation.” The measures will also provide additional authority “to consider taking away the personal and commercial licenses of anyone who doesn’t comply,” according to the premier’s office. Trudeau called Ontario’s decision “responsible and necessary” and said he spoke with U.S. President Joe Biden about it. “We discussed the American and indeed global influences on the protest,” Trudeau said. “We talked about the U.S.-based flooding of the 911 phone lines in Ottawa, the presence of U.S. citizens in the blockade and the impact of foreign money to fund this illegal activity.” Trudeau said that on some fundraising platforms, as much as 50% of the donations are coming from the U.S. He said he and Biden agreed that “for the security of people and the economy, these blockades can’t continue.” Trudeau said he understands the protesters are frustrated by the pandemic, but “these blockades are hurting everyday families, auto assembly workers, farmers, truckers, blue-collar Canadians.” The protests have caused shortages of auto parts that have forced General Motors, Ford, Toyota and Honda to close plants or cancel shifts. Before the judge’s ruling came down, dozens of protesters in Windsor blocked the entrance to the bridge in what felt like a block party. Demonstrators milled about, carrying signs and Canadian flags — some at the ends of hockey sticks — while music played and food handed out. A trampoline was set up for the children. Troy Holman, a 32-year-old Windsor resident who has protested every day this week, said he believes the government overreached with its COVID-19 restrictions, which he said hurt his wife’s small business. “Unfortunately, we have to be here, because this is what’s going to get the attention of the government,” he said. Signs read, “Freedom Is Essential,” “Say No to Mandatory Vaccines” and “End Mandates.” “We stand for freedom. We believe that it should be everyone’s personal decision what they inject into their bodies,” said protester Karen Driedger, 40, of Leamington. “We’re saying, ‘That’s enough.’ We need to go back to normal and live our lives again.” Authorities at various levels of government have hesitated to forcibly remove the protesters around the country, reflecting apparently a lack of manpower by local police, Canada’s reverence for free speech, and fears of violence. Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens warned earlier this week that some of the truckers are “willing to die.” But the political pressure to reopen the bridge appeared to be mounting along with the economic toll. The Ambassador Bridge is the busiest U.S.-Canadian border crossing, carrying 25% of all trade between the two countries. The standoff comes at a time when the auto industry is already struggling to maintain production in the face of pandemic-induced shortages of computer chips and other supply-chain disruptions. “American legislators are freaking out, and rightfully so,” said Nelson Wiseman, a political science professor at the University of Toronto. “Pressure is now being exerted by the White House on Trudeau to act more decisively.” Amid signs that authorities might be prepared to get tough, police in Windsor and Ottawa awaited reinforcements from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the federal police force. Ottawa’s mayor has asked for 1,800 additional police officers, which could nearly double the manpower available to the capital city’s police force. The protests have spread outside Canada as well. Demonstrators angry over pandemic restrictions drove toward Paris in scattered convoys of camper vans, cars and trucks Friday in an effort to blockade the French capital, despite a police ban. And in a bulletin to local and state law enforcement officers, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security warned that truck protests may be in the works in the United States. The agency said the protests could begin in Southern California as early as this weekend and spread to Washington around the State of the Union address in March. While the Canadian protesters are decrying vaccine mandates for truckers and other COVID-19 restrictions, many of the country’s infection measures, such as mask rules and vaccine passports for getting into restaurants and theaters, are already falling away as the omicron surge levels off. Pandemic restrictions have been far stricter in Canada than in the U.S., but Canadians have largely supported them. The vast majority of Canadians are vaccinated, and the COVID-19 death rate is one-third that of the United States.

SAN ANTONIO — People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) announced on Friday that they plan to honor the memory of the cows that were killed in an 18-wheeler accident on Feb. 7 in Texas. “To memorialize the cows who were killed when a truck carrying 25 of these sentient beings overturned on Monday night at the I-37 and I-10 interchange in San Antonio, PETA plans to place a sky-high message near the crash site proclaiming, ‘See the Individual. Go Vegan.’” a PETA news release stated. “Cows died in terror and agony as a result of this crash, while the survivors were likely rounded up and taken to be killed for their flesh,” PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman said. “PETA’s memorial will encourage anyone disturbed by the thought of these brave animals suffering on the roadside or ending up under the slaughterhouse knife to go vegan.” PETA noted that there were at least 76 crashes or fires involving trucks carrying animals used for food last year. The truck driver told police that the truck shifted to the right side as he took an exit at the Interstate 37 and Interstate 10 interchange, causing him to lose control, according to KSAT. Police said the truck, which was carrying 25 cows, saw its gears lock up, causing it to hit a guard rail and cross over the median before the truck rolled over on its side, according to KABB. The driver is reported to have suffered a scratch on the forehead. There is still no report on how many cows were killed. Another 18-wheeler later arrived to transfer the surviving cattle.  

TORONTO — Ontario’s premier declared a state of emergency Friday in reaction to the truck blockades in Ottawa and at the U.S. border and threatened heavy penalties against those who interfere with the free flow of goods and people. Since Monday, scores of drivers protesting Canada’s COVID-19 restrictions and venting their rage against liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have bottled up the Ambassador Bridge connecting Windsor, Ontario, to Detroit, disrupting the auto industry on both sides of the border. Hundreds more truckers have paralyzed downtown Ottawa over the past two weeks. Premier Doug Ford said he will convene the provincial cabinet on Saturday to urgently enact measures that make it “crystal clear” it is illegal to block critical infrastructure. Violators will face up to a year in prison and a maximum fine of $100,000, he said. “Let me be as clear as I can: There will be consequences for these actions, and they will be severe,” Ford said. “This is a pivotal, pivotal moment for our nation.” The measures will also provide additional authority “to consider taking away the personal and commercial licenses of anyone who doesn’t comply,” according to the premier’s office. Separately, the mayor of Windsor asked for an injunction Friday afternoon to try to break up the bridge blockade, as parts shortages caused by the protest forced General Motors, Ford, Toyota and Honda to close auto plants or cancel shifts. A judge began hearing evidence. Federal, provincial and local authorities have hesitated to forcibly remove the self-proclaimed Freedom Convoy protesters there and elsewhere around the country, apparently reflecting a lack of manpower by local police, Canada’s reverence for free speech, and fear of violence. Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens warned earlier this week that some of the truckers are “willing to die.” But the political pressure to reopen the bridge appeared to be mounting along with the economic toll. The Biden administration has urged Trudeau’s government to end the blockade, and Michigan’s governor likewise called for a quick resolution to the standoff. The Ambassador Bridge is the busiest U.S.-Canadian border crossing, carrying 25% of all trade between the two countries. The standoff comes at a time when the auto industry is already struggling to maintain production in the face of pandemic-induced shortages of computer chips and other supply-chain disruptions. “American legislators are freaking out, and rightfully so,” said Nelson Wiseman, a political science professor at the University of Toronto. “Pressure is now being exerted by the White House on Trudeau to act more decisively.” In addition to maintaining the bumper-to-bumper occupation of Ottawa, protesters have closed three border crossings in all: at Windsor; at Coutts, Alberta, opposite Montana; and at Emerson, Manitoba, across from North Dakota. “We are now two weeks into the siege of Ottawa,” Ford said. “It’s an illegal occupation. It’s no longer a protest.” The Freedom Convoy has been promoted and cheered on by many Fox News personalities and attracted support on the right from the likes of former President Donald Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. “This is an unprecedented demonstration. It has significant levels of fundraising, coordination and communication. They have command centers established here and across the country and beyond this country,” embattled Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly said. On Friday, amid signs that authorities might be prepared to get tough, police in Windsor and Ottawa awaited reinforcements from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the federal police force. Ottawa’s mayor has asked for 1,800 additional police officers, which could nearly double the manpower available to the capital city’s police force. “The problem is stretched police forces for all three levels of government,” Wiseman said. The government reaction to the protests has also been marked by disagreements over who’s in charge. Canada’s emergency preparedness minister said this week that Ontario has ultimate responsibility, while the province’s transport minister said it is the federal government’s job to secure the border. “If anyone `takes responsibility, ′ they will be charged with failure when things are not resolved quickly or if things go badly,” Wiseman said. Also, the leadership of the opposition Conservative Party on the federal level has openly supported the truckers, apparently happy to make this Trudeau’s problem. Ford, the Conservative premier of Ontario, said he was at his cottage last weekend, snowmobiling, during the Ottawa siege. He said he was taking calls about it. The protests have spread outside Canada as well. Demonstrators angry over pandemic restrictions drove toward Paris in scattered convoys of camper vans, cars and trucks Friday to blockade the French capital, despite a police ban. And in a bulletin to local and state law enforcement officers, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security warned that truck protests may be in the works in the United States. The agency said the protests could begin in Southern California as early as this weekend and spread to Washington around the State of the Union address in March. Wiseman said the Canadian army should have been called in after a week of the Ottawa standoff. “Hesitancy by federal authorities to act decisively has emboldened the occupiers and copycat occupations,” he said. “Ottawa, I believe, will be compelled to use the army.” While the Canadian protesters are decrying vaccine mandates for truckers and other COVID-19 restrictions, many of the country’s infection measures, such as mask rules and vaccine passports for getting into restaurants and theaters, are already rapidly being lifted as the omicron surge levels off. Trudeau has stood firm against lifting vaccine mandates. The prime minister has called protesters a “fringe” who believe in conspiracy theories and wear “tinfoil hats.” That has only incensed them further. Pandemic restrictions have been far stricter in Canada than in the U.S., but Canadians have largely supported them. Most Canadians are vaccinated, and the COVID-19 death rate is one-third that of the United States. Canada lacks hospital capacity, so provinces have been quick to impose lockdowns when waves have hit.