The New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) announced new incentives for companies that switch to off-hours commercial truck deliveries.
NYC DOT recently announced it will deliver $5 million in incentives to companies that make the switch to truck deliveries during off-peak, overnight hours through the Off-Hour Delivery (ODH) program.
During the first phase of the program, up to 14 companies will receive more than half of a million dollars in incentives to shift deliveries to off-peak hours, between 7 p.m. to 6 a.m.
The second phase of the ODH incentive program will distribute the remaining funding to participating businesses.
NYC DOT is accepting applications from companies interesting in participating in the next phase of the ODH program.
New York City hopes to shift 62,000 daily trucks to off-hour deliveries by 2040.
“High volumes of truck traffic during peak daytime hours contribute to congestion, increased carbon emissions, and greater safety risks to pedestrians, cyclists, and others when the streets are busier. The incentive program, funded through Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) Central Business District Tolling Program (CBDTP), is part of the agency’s larger effort to rethink how the city manages deliveries to better meet the demands of e-commerce and an example of new tools NYC DOT will be exploring to help fight congestion across the five boroughs,” NYC DOT said.
Officials say the incentives will fund purchases of equipment needed for off-hour deliveries, including “low-noise equipment for delivery vehicles (such as newer hand pallet trucks and backup alarms) to operate quietly at night; building security retrofits to enable unattended deliveries; and safety equipment such as security cameras.”
Companies participating in the first phase of the ODH incentive program include Element Brooklyn, Migrant Kitchen, and Tea and Milk.
“Congestion pricing is helping combat gridlock in more ways than one. New Yorkers are receiving more deliveries than ever before, so we will be using tolling revenue to make deliveries cleaner, safer, and more efficient,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn. “This incentive program will support local businesses and reduce the number of delivery trucks on our roads during busy daytime hours. It’s just one example of how we will be exploring new tools to help fight congestion across the city.”
