TRUCKING SAFETY MEASURES DURING COVID-19
LOCATION: OTTAWA
Issue/Source: TRUCKING SAFETY MEASURES DURING COVID-19
Date: OCTOBER 27, 2020
Suggested Responses
- Transport Canada will not hesitate to take every action to protect truck drivers and support the flow of critical goods by road.
- Through the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department has engaged regularly with road stakeholders - including the trucking sector, provinces and territories, and our U.S. partners - to identify emerging issues , and mitigate disruptions .
- We have developed guidance and tools to limit the spread of COVID-19 in commercial vehicle operations, such as federal safety guidance to protect truck drivers, and practices for the use of personal protective equipment in the sector.
- We have worked closely with provincial and territorial partners to make sure that truck drivers continue to have access to vital supplies and infrastructure as they transport the essential goods that help keep Canadians safe. This includes facilitating access to key items such as face masks and cleaning supplies, and ensuring sustained access to rest stop facilities across the country.
Testing Pilots
- We are pleased to be supporting our Health Portfolio partners in theCOVID-19 testing pilot in Alberta that will provide eligible international travellers, including cross-border truck drivers, with access to COVID-19 testing.
- This pilot projectbuilds on lessons learned from provincial testing initiatives, such as Ontario’s recently completed truck driver testing pilot, and will help inform potential future testing programs for international travellers and essential workers.
IF PRESSED ON ALBERTA TESTING PILOT
- The Alberta testing pilot is an important opportunity for essential workers, like truck drivers, to have predictable, convenient access to testing.
- The pilot launched on November 2, 2020, and will run for up to 26 weeks or until 52,000 participants are enrolled. It is completely voluntary, and confidential.
- Ultimately, the pilot will help us gain an understanding of the interest among essential workers in being tested; provide our Health Portfolio officials with information about the risk of infection for all cohorts involved in the pilot; and inform potential future testing strategies.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
- Since the outset of the pandemic, Transport Canada (TC) has been engaging with industry on a regular basis to stay abreast of key issues and collaborate on COVID-19 measures. Notably, this includes weekly and ad-hoc calls with road transportation stakeholders, such as the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA), which represents Canada’s large trucking companies/carriers; the Private Motor Truck Council (PMTC), which represents small carriers; and Teamsters Canada (trucking union).
- Together with key federal partners (e.g., Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC)), and in consultation with industry stakeholders and unions, TC has implemented a range of measures to support road transportation in response to COVID-19, including:
- Established a core definition of essential transportation workers that includes commercial truck drivers.
- A time-limited regulatory exemption was issued under the Commercial Vehicle Drivers Hours of Service Regulations, and a Targeted Essential Freight Transport Exemption Template was subsequently developed to support case-by-case exemptions related to COVID-19, as needed.
- A template employment confirmation letter for the trucking/automotive industry was developed in order to support the movement of essential road transportation workers within and across borders, and to facilitate access to key facilities (e.g. rest stop facilities).
- Federal safety guidance to protect drivers and limit the spread of COVID-19 in commercial vehicle operations was first published in April 2020, and updated in August to reflect current public health guidance, including the use of non-medical masks or face coverings.
- Federal/provincial/territorial (FPT) Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety approved FPT Practices for the use of masks, face coverings, and gloves for transportation workers and passengers in the road transportation system.
- Working with provincial and territorial partners to advocate for/facilitate access to provincial rest stops for truck drivers.
- Responding to stakeholder concerns regarding access to PPE/protective gear, and supporting procurement, including promoting PSPC’s PPE Supply Hub and the Essential Services Contingency Reserve, both of which can be leveraged to acquire PPE and critical supplies.
COVID 19: Testing for Truck Drivers
- PHAC, supported by TC and CBSA officials, is partnering with the Province of Alberta to implement a COVID-19 border testing pilot program to explore how to safely facilitate increased international travel while ensuring the risk of transmission of COVID-19 remains low and well-managed to protect public health. The pilot program, which launched on November 2, 2020, will run for up to 26-weeks or until 52,000 participants are enrolled.
- Enrollment in the pilot program will be offered to international travellers arriving in Alberta by land or air at the Coutts land border and Calgary International Airport. The voluntary program will involve: testing upon entry in Canada and then 6-7 days later in the community; close monitoring; preventive measures (e.g. masking, avoiding vulnerable persons); and a modified quarantine period.
- Non-exempt travellers (i.e. travellers not otherwise exempt from a 14-day mandatory quarantine) will be released from quarantine if they are symptom free and their entry test result is negative. Travellers currently exempt from quarantine and planning to stay in Alberta for more than 14 days will also be offered testing upon arrival and at day 6-7, on a voluntary basis. Those workers who cross the border frequently (e.g. daily or weekly, like commercial truck drivers) will be offered testing every 3‑4 weeks. There are over 200 local pharmacies participating in the pilot to facilitate convenient follow-up testing for all cohorts involved.
- TC has worked closely with PHAC and CBSA to ensure the design of the pilot is consistent with feedback received from trucking industry stakeholders. Notably, participation in the pilot program is entirely voluntary; confidential; inclusive (i.e. offered to a broad range of travellers); aligned with public health protocols; and being carried out together with a provincial partner.
Ontario Pilot Project
- By way of context, the Government of Ontario recently partnered with DriverCheck, an occupational health clinic, to deliver a voluntary COVID-19 testing pilot for commercial truck drivers. The pilot ran from July 8 to September 8, 2020, and was designed to provide increased accessibility to testing; deliver cost-effective testing services; better understand the level of testing needed to support long haul cross-border truck drivers; and support the development of provincial testing strategies.
- The pilot relied on a mix of mobile (e.g. truck stops, carrier locations) and fixed testing locations (i.e. occupational health/DriverCheck clinics) across Ontario, targeted for their high cross-border and truck traffic volumes (Kitchener, Beamsville, Ayr, London, Tilbury, Napanee, Fort Erie).
- TC, together with PHAC and CBSA, are working closely with stakeholders seek industry’s support in promoting the pilot among their members, including through written communication materials.
- The Ministry of Health will use the pilot’s findings to inform future provincial testing strategies. Similarly, these results, together with lessons learned from the Alberta pilot and other jurisdictional trucker testing efforts (e.g. PEI, New Brunswick, Manitoba), will provide insight.