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Trucker Vaccine Rule Is Making Freight and Fruit Pricier

  • Cross-border snags expected to worsen with U.S. adding mandate
  • ‘It’s the consumer that pays for this,’ fruit distributor says
A driver heads back to his truck at the Canada-U.S. border crossing between St-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Quebec, and New York state on Jan. 14.
A driver heads back to his truck at the Canada-U.S. border crossing between St-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Quebec, and New York state on Jan. 14.Photographer: Christinne Muschi/Bloomberg
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New rules requiring truckers to show proof of vaccination when crossing the Canada-U.S. border are cutting into shipping capacity and boosting the cost of hauling everything from broccoli to tomatoes.

The cost of transporting produce out of California and Arizona to Canada jumped 25% last week as fewer trucks are available to cross the border, according to George Pitsikoulis, president and chief executive officer of Montreal-based distributor Canadawide Fruits.