Andy Kim is a former GOVERNING staff writer.
Twitter: @governing
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Late-Night Deliveries Bring Savings
To save money and time, the Big Apple is encouraging delivery companies and businesses to shift their freight deliveries to off-peak hours.
In the hopes of reducing traffic congestion, New York City wants more participating delivery trucks to make their rounds at off-peak hours. In late 2009, the NYC Department of Transportation’s Freight Mobility Program began working with 33 businesses and delivery companies to have deliveries made between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. The pilot’s findings found that by facing less congestion during these off-peak times, delivery times dropped by an average of 48 minutes and carriers saw their fuel costs go down. In addition, easier access to legal street parking during these hours helped drastically lower the $1,000 monthly average in parking tickets and fines per truck. Since many places that receive deliveries during the night are closed, the pilot offered businesses incentives if they allowed delivery trucks to drop off goods without having its employees present to accept them. The four-month program ended January 2010, and was funded in part by a $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation Research and Innovative Technology Administration.
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