Trucking news and briefs for Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2020:
Post-vaccine stand-down order not in the offing for professional truckers
Guidance issued by the Federal Aviation Administration’s medical programs turned the heads of some in the trucking community recently. The FAA announced it would require pilots who were administered either Pfizer or Moderna COVID vaccines to “observe a period of 48 hours following the administration of each dose of this vaccine before conducting safety-sensitive aviation duties, such as flying or controlling air traffic.”
The issue at hand is a worry over potential side effects within that 48-hour post-vaccination window, and thus a potential compromise of in-air safety.
Some readers asked: Could professional truckers be facing such an order eventually, too?
Queried about this, a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration official speaking on background said that the agency continued to follow recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Health and Human Services in all things safety- and health-related when it comes to COVID-19.
“At this time,” the official noted, “no similar stand-down recommendations for CDL holders, following receipt of a COVID-19 vaccination, has been proffered by HHS/CDC.”
Side effects for most vaccine recipients have been mild, generally speaking (for some including fever and chills), though there have been several reports of more alarming allergic reactions in people with a history of such. FAA noted it would monitor post-vaccination reactions and could revise its 48-hour stand-down order for pilots as a result when more is known.
