7.9% of trucking companies confirm enforcement of vaccine mandates in a recent poll
73.1% of trucking companies believe that ignoring the vaccine mandate gives them a recruitment edge
More than 60% of truck drivers do not know if their company will enforce the vaccine mandate
Over 80% of trucking company employees report that their employer has not officially acknowledged the vaccine mandate
A whopping 83.9% of trucking company employees report that they have not formally communicated with their drivers about the vaccine mandate, which may actually be a recruitment advantage, a recent poll reveals.
CDLLife recently conducted two polls – one for truck drivers and one for trucking companies – to gauge the industry’s response to the recent vaccine mandate. Based on the 2,785 driver responses and 56 company responses to the two separate polls, trucking companies appear to be largely in favor of either a ‘wait and see’ or ‘to each their own,’ approach.
A total of 2,785 truck drivers responded to all or a portion of our freeform poll. Of those, 1,537 had more than 100 employees and 1,248 had fewer than 100.
Out of those respondents, 1,537 answered whether or not their company was planning to enforce the vaccine mandate – 61.4% said they did not know; 30.7% said they were not planning on enforcement, and 7.9% said they were planning on enforcing the vaccine.
In the same freeform poll, 2,770 of 2,785 drivers responded that they would choose to work for a company that does not require a vaccine over one that does – a total of 78.4%.
The poll of trucking companies with 56 respondents also revealed that 73.1% of trucking companies believe that non-compliance with the mandate, or even simply having a company small enough to avoid the mandate, gives them a competitive edge when it comes to recruiting new drivers.
WHAT TRUCKING COMPANY EMPLOYEES ARE SAYING:
“We aren’t enforcing it”
– Representative for a trucking company with more than 100 employees
“Our policy is your body your choice”
– Representative for a trucking company with more than 100 employees
“The owners of the company are anti-mask and don’t believe Covid-19 is a threat. They believe this because of watching right-wing propaganda. They don’t think anyone should get the vaccine. It’s a real shame. We have lost 2 employees from Covid-19.”
– Representative for a trucking company with more than 100 employees
“We are taking a wait-and-see stance as OSHA tackles it’s implementation and other industries (Chicago PD, LA County Sheriff) are faced with employee refusals to meet mandates.”
– Representative for a trucking company with more than 100 employees
WHAT DRIVERS ARE SAYING:
“They will leave the choice up to the individual employees, and not force a vaccine on anyone.”
– Driver for a trucking company with more than 100 employees
“They prefer freedom of choice and DO NOT SUPPORT ANY FEDERAL OR LOCAL MANDATES. LOTS OF GOOD DRIVERS ARE PREPARED TO LEAVE THE INDUSTRY BECAUSE OF THIS!!”
– Driver for a trucking company with fewer than 100 employees
“Because of HIPA it is the choice of each employee.”
– Driver for a trucking company with more than 100 employees
“My company will not mandate vaccines, regardless of number [sic] of employees I have I will not dictate or force my employees to inject something they don’t want in return for a paycheck. I will continue to provide my employees with information on current vaccine availability and that is all.”
– Driver for a trucking company with fewer than 100 employees
“They’re saying that without a formal ruling from OSHA and pending lawsuits from it they will not be mandating vaccination.”
– Driver for a trucking company with more than 100 employees
“Don’t want to create exodus [sic] of drivers by talking about it just yet.”
– Driver for a trucking company with more than 100 employees
Poll Methodology
Driver Poll:
- Poll Dates: October 19-20
- Audience Size/Distribution: 381,532
- Respondents: 2,785
Company Poll:
- Poll Dates: October 19-20
- Audience Size/Distribution: 2,261
- Respondents: 56
- Unique Companies: 13 identified themselves (Optional Field)