Precarity and essential work: exploring the vulnerabilities of cross-border truck drivers during the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of biopolitics

Abstract The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic prompted governments worldwide to enforce biosecurity measures such as border closures, lockdowns, and testing protocols to contain the virus. These measures significantly impacted cross-border truck drivers at the Beitbridge border between South Africa and Zimbabwe, a key trade corridor. Recognized as essential workers, these drivers sustained supply chains despite stringent biopolitical controls that heightened their vulnerabilities. This paper, grounded in a biopolitical framework, explores the ways in which pandemic-induced mobility restrictions and irregular border policies have heightened health vulnerabilities and economic challenges for cross-border truck drivers. Through examining these challenges, this research underscores the importance of integrating mobility-conscious considerations into public health policies to enhance pandemic preparedness. Using an inductive qualitative approach, the study recruited 20 male truck drivers through convenience sampling for in-depth retrospective interviews enhanced by memory-eliciting prompts. Thematic content analysis uncovered key insights from their narratives. Findings reveal that while governments implemented stringent health protocols to control virus transmission, these measures disproportionately disadvantaged truck drivers by limiting healthcare access, prolonging border delays, and reinforcing economic precarity. The study also highlights the contradictions of essential worker status, where drivers were instrumental in maintaining supply chains yet denied fundamental protections. Utilizing memory-eliciting devices, the research captures drivers’ lived experiences, illustrating how biopolitical governance prioritized economic stability over individual well-being. The study calls for mobility-conscious public health policies, improved occupational health standards, and participatory approaches to border management. Future research should examine the long-term effects of pandemic policies on mobile essential workers and assess the role of technology in mitigating logistical and health challenges.