New York City is so congested with traffic that four out of the five most congested stretches of roadway in the U.S. were within its limits, according to a 2020 report.
It’s not surprising that America’s premier metropolis with over 8 million people is a recipe for traffic bottlenecks, but city officials have proposed an aggressive action to curb the Big Apple’s pickle.
New York is on the verge of implementing the first congestion pricing program in the U.S.—charging drivers various tolls to enter the city’s busy downtown streets. Truckers would be included.
$36 toll for large trucks entering Manhattan
Eyeing rollout as soon as next spring, the toll program would target all drivers entering New York’s Manhattan bureau, specifically its central business district. Passenger car drivers entering Manhattan south of 60th Street would be charged $15 (electronically), while drivers of small trucks would pay a steeper $24 toll. In response to the proposal, taxis are expected to add $1.25 per fare, and ride-hail providers Uber and Lyft would charge an extra $2.50 per trip.
But the real kicker—drivers operating larger, heavy-duty, trucks would be charged a hefty $36 entrance fee.
The board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which would oversee the program, could still revise the announced pricing structure.
Altogether, the tolls are projected to accrue $1 billion annually—funding which would be used to upgrade the city’s mass transit systems. Additionally, city officials laud the program’s aim towards improving air quality and reducing traffic from New York’s infamous gridlock.
Trucking opposes congestion program
New York’s congestion pricing plan was not imagined overnight. The city has been modeling a program for decades, however efforts to implement have always been met with staunch opposition. From everyday commuters and business leaders to trucking companies, the idea of paying new tolls on top of existing ones has been difficult to digest.
Last year, several trucking interest groups, including American Trucking Associations, signed a letter expressing opposition to the city’s congestion pricing plan.
In 2020, the Trucking Association of New York argued that a tolling program should exempt commercial vehicles, citing their economic important to New York. Additionally, the group claimed that trucks represented only 8 percent of all vehicles operating in the proposed congestion zone—thus, not a primary cause of congestion.
Essentially, trucking companies have expressed that chaos will unfold in light of a truck-included congestion program. They assert that businesses (their customers) inside the area of toll enforcement will be put at a competitive disadvantage to businesses that are outside of it.
As is the case with any added cost, trucking companies would build these tolls into their freight rates, raising costs for impacted customers.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a proponent of congestion pricing, said at a Dec. 5 rally, that school buses and yellow cabs (taxis) should be exempt. However, the mayor did not mention commercial vehicles, or trucks.
Final Thoughts
New York’s congestion pricing plan still needs to be approved by transportation officials and, recently, faced a lawsuit from neighboring state New Jersey. It’s uncertain whether the shockwave of opposition will foil the program’s target ready date in spring 2024.
While New York would become the first U.S. city to implement congestion pricing, other international cities, such as London, Singapore, and Stockholm, already have similar programs in place.
Contact one of our team members if you have any questions regarding this topic or any others in domestic logistics.
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