WASHINGTON — Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., has introduced legislation to exempt truckers and other essential workers from COVID-19 vaccine mandates that are soon-to-be-implemented by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration at the direction of President Joe Biden.
Dubbed the Keeping Our COVID-19 Heroes Employed act, the measure defines essential workers as anyone who a governing body deems essential or who has been exempt from any restrictions during the pandemic response.
Todd Spencer, president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, hailed Blackburn for her intervention.
“OOIDA thanks Sen. Blackburn for introducing legislation that will ensure vaccination remains a personal decision for truckers,” Spencer said. “Throughout the pandemic, we provided our members with the most up-to-date information on vaccines but have always maintained that vaccination is a personal choice just like any health decision.”
OOIDA’s stance has been that truckers already are confronted with an excessive amount of regulations and mandates.
“Trucking is one of the most regulated professions in the country, and the ongoing supply chain crisis has exposed the unpaid wait times and other difficult working conditions drivers are often forced to endure,” Spencer said.
“These are just a couple of the reasons the industry has long suffered from an excessively high driver turnover problem. Congress must ensure that the industry can better attract and retain drivers who have always been critical in keeping the supply chain moving. This legislation will help accomplish that.”
To view the full bill, click here.
The Trucker News Staff produces engaging content for not only TheTrucker.com, but also The Trucker Newspaper, which has been serving the trucking industry for more than 30 years. With a focus on drivers, the Trucker News Staff aims to provide relevant, objective content pertaining to the trucking segment of the transportation industry. The Trucker News Staff is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
It will never go anywhere in this partisan environment with Democrats controlling Congress and Harris having the tie breaking vote in the senate and that’s if it even makes it out of committee and to the floor for a vote. Just keep in mind. Over 90 percent of truckers are conservative. Studies have shown this to be true. I’ve been driving for almost 20 years now and there has always been talks of mass walk offs but I feel this is certainly the one occasion that could cause it and contribute to asperate an already extreme supply chain issue. We already see what’s happening with the 1 or 2 percent of health care workers who are conservative leaning and changing careers over it. Just imagine when 50 percent or more of the trucking industry walks off the job. There’s not enough national guard troops to fill in for the missing drivers.
I’m with you on this!!!
I would love to see 50 % walk off the job…maybe then we can get some decent rates around here…
That’s the problem ! To regulated ! Need to go back to how it was before ELD !
Truck drivers need to be held to the same standards as all doctors and nurses that are mandated to receive vaccinations, no favoritism. Anyone that works as an essential worker should be vaccinated because they have a greater likelihood of interacting more so with the public.
According to the government the vaccine will save millions of lives and truckers need to be held to the same standards as anyone else in the general public they’re not prima donnas to be treated with kid gloves.
If they don’t get the shot, then they’re not allowed to drive simple as that.
Make sure the shot is given and if they refuse it suspend their license.
you dont know what you got till its gone
I will not be pressured to take the shot we don’t enteract with anyone hell the places we pick up and deliver won’t even let us use the restroom y’all can get your own goods picked up and delivered see how that works for you I’m a owner operator I don’t work for Joe Bidin he can kiss my Ass
Thank you!
You can’t call it your personal health issue after you sneeze and I ‘catch a cold’. Heeath is and always has been a collective concern. Your personal liberty on our metaphorical dance floor ends at my toes.
I’m a 64 year old female truck driver served in the military as did my husband my son and several of my family members this is a bunch of nonsense people just need to man up pull up your shirt sleeves and get the shot I received mine back in February no side effects whatsoever we all have had to get shots vaccines throughout our lives smallpox measles chicken pox polio others that I’m not even aware of what they were called but we got them without fussing saved millions of lives once again people pulled your shirt sleeve up stop whining and get the damn shot
Don’t want to get sick? Stay out of my truck!
If you don’t want to save the human species, get off my planet.