New York City puts $5 million behind off-hour truck deliveries

New York City will deliver $5 million in incentives to companies that switch commercial truck deliveries to off-peak, overnight hours, according to CDLLife on Oct. 13.

The New York City Department of Transportation program, called Off-Hour Delivery, pays companies to move deliveries into the 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. window. In the first phase, up to 14 companies will receive more than $500,000 in incentives, and the department is accepting applications for the next phase, which will distribute the remaining funding.

The money, funded through the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's Central Business District Tolling Program, covers equipment needed to deliver at night — low-noise gear such as newer hand pallet trucks and backup alarms, building security retrofits that allow unattended deliveries, and safety equipment such as security cameras. First-phase participants include Element Brooklyn, Migrant Kitchen, and Tea and Milk.

NYC DOT said high daytime truck volumes add to congestion, emissions, and safety risks for pedestrians and cyclists, and set a goal of shifting 62,000 daily trucks to off-hour deliveries by 2040. Commissioner Mike Flynn said tolling revenue will be used to make deliveries cleaner, safer, and more efficient as delivery volumes keep growing.

For carriers running into the five boroughs, the program is a paid reason to re-time drops — and a sign the city intends to keep pushing freight out of the daytime peak.