The Recreation Vehicle Dealers Association of Canada and Canadian Recreational Vehicle Association (CRVA) jointly expressed concern regarding Transport Canada’s mandatory vaccinations for truckers entering Canada.
The rule will take effect Saturday.
Shane Devenish, CRVA president, said the associations fully support vaccination and agree it is a critical tool in fighting Covid.
“However, given current vaccination rates amongst truckers, especially in the Northern Indiana region where a high percentage of RV manufacturers are located,” Devenish said, “we are concerned that the Jan. 15 Canadian deadline for mandatory cross-border vaccination will significantly impede our industry at a time when our industry is already facing a shortage of drivers willing to transport RVs to Canadian dealers.”
A recent study revealed about 2.1 million (or 14% of) Canadian households own an RV. However, over 95% of the RV producers are in the U.S.
RVDA of Canada President Eleonore Hamm said the associations fear the mandate will lead to low retail inventories during what is historically been a restocking period. She said the other option would be for RV prices to increase.
“We hereby call on the government to delay the deadline for mandatory full vaccination until a later date to allow us to work with our suppliers so that we can minimize the supply chain disruption,” Hamm said.
