White House issues guidance on vaccine mandate for federal contractors
The White House issued guidance in September that would require most federal contractors and subcontractors to be vaccinated for COVID-19 by Dec. 8.
The guidance from the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force is broad and does not include an exemption for the trucking industry.
Jay Grimes, OOIDA’s director of government affairs, advises truck drivers who work as a federal contractor to contact the federal entity they are contracted with for further guidance.
“The guidance issued will apply to a wide variety of companies and individuals who conduct business as federal contractors,” Grimes said. “There are no exemptions for any industries, including trucking. Be advised that the executive order generally only covers businesses that enter into, extend, or renew contracts on or after Oct. 15 and for contracts valued above $250,000.
“If you work as a federal contractor, please check with the federal entity you are under contract with for any specific questions regarding the guidance. In most cases, federal contractor employees will need to be fully vaccinated by Dec. 8.”
OOIDA is continuing to review the guidance and is in communication with the Department of Transportation, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the Small Business Administration regarding the potential implementation of any mandate.
Executive order
On Sept. 9, President Joe Biden announced COVID-19 vaccination mandates, which involved federal contractors and companies with 100 or more employees.
As of press time in mid-October, OSHA still had not released a rule to provide more clarification on the 100-employee rule.
The rule would not apply to most truck drivers. About 96% of motor carriers have 25 or fewer drivers.
It is still unclear whether or not employee truck drivers at large fleets will be included in the mandate.
Grimes said in September that it is possible truck drivers will be viewed differently than employees at an office building or warehouse with more than 100 workers.
“Company drivers are a little different,” Grimes said. “They’re not spending the majority of their time in the workplace with other people. They’re spending most of their time by themselves or with one passenger in a team driver situation.” LL