Canada and U.S. Require Foreign Truck Drivers to Be Vaccinated at the Border

In January 2022, both Canada and the United States began requiring foreign truck drivers crossing their shared land border to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Canada's requirement started on January 15, 2022, and the U.S. requirement followed a week later, on January 22, 2022. Neither country made an exception for commercial drivers.

Canada's rule from January 15

The Public Health Agency of Canada had announced on November 19, 2021 that several groups of travellers who had been exempt from entry requirements, including truck drivers, would only be allowed to enter if fully vaccinated with a vaccine accepted for entry into Canada as of January 15, 2022.

On January 13, 2022, the federal ministers of health, transport and public safety issued a joint statement confirming that this had not changed. They said information shared the day before had been "provided in error."

The statement set out the rules for drivers:

• Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated foreign national truck drivers arriving from the U.S. by land would be directed back to the United States.
• To count as fully vaccinated, a foreign driver needed two doses of an accepted vaccine (or a mix of two), or at least one dose of the Janssen/Johnson & Johnson vaccine, with the final dose at least 14 full days before entry. Drivers also had to submit their COVID-19 information through ArriveCAN.
• Canadian truck drivers could not be refused entry, since Canadian citizens, permanent residents and people registered under the Indian Act may enter Canada by right. Unvaccinated Canadian drivers instead faced pre-entry, arrival and Day 8 testing and quarantine requirements.

The statement added that the final decision on entry and quarantine was made by a government representative at the port of entry, and that anyone symptomatic on arrival would be referred to a public health official and directed to isolate for 10 days.

The U.S. rule from January 22

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published its notification in the Federal Register on January 24, 2022. It took effect at 12 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on January 22, 2022, and was set to run until April 21, 2022 unless amended or rescinded.

Under the notification, land ports of entry and ferry terminals on the U.S.-Canada border would process only those noncitizens who were neither U.S. nationals nor lawful permanent residents if they were fully vaccinated and could show proof on request. The notification allowed limited exceptions, largely in line with those for international air travel, and did not apply to U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals or lawful permanent residents. DHS noted that, unlike earlier border restrictions, this one had no exception for essential travel. A parallel notification applied the same approach at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Why DHS did not exempt truckers

DHS said it weighed industry concerns, especially from firms employing or relying on long-haul truck drivers and freight rail workers, and considered exceptions for those groups. It said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention strongly discouraged further exceptions given rising case counts and strain on the health care system. DHS also said it had considered and rejected a testing option for operational reasons.

The agency acknowledged that the change could increase wait times at land ports and delay cargo if enough vaccinated drivers were not available. It projected only minimal, short-term effects, citing its experience with vaccination rules for non-essential travelers since November 8, 2021, and Canada's implementation of its own requirement on January 15.

Archive: this article describes rules and events as of January 2022. Regulations may have changed since, so check the current rule before relying on it.