WASHINGTON — Two trucking industry leaders are writing to the U.S. Department of Transportation to reiterate their unwavering support for the Trump Administration’s termination of congestion pricing in New York.
Chris Spear, American Trucking Associations president and CEO and Trucking Association of New York president Kendra Hems called congestion pricing “a scheme to punish hard-working truckers who make essential deliveries to Manhattan businesses and residences.”
“[T]he congestion pricing scheme was clearly designed to discriminate against trucks,” said Spear and Hems. “Unlike passenger vehicles, there is no viable alternative for trucks that must operate in the congestion zone to deliver the essential freight relied upon by businesses, the hospitality industry, and health care facilities, to name a few.”
Ending Congestion Pricing
One month ago, the Trump Administration ordered New York to cease collecting tolls through the congestion pricing pilot program by March 21. In their letter to USDOT Secretary Sean Duffy, Spear and Hems detailed the demerits of New York’s policy and reinforced why DOT is fully justified in seeking to end the tolling program, including through legal means if necessary. The letter expands on comments previously made by Spear and Hems commending the Trump Administration for protecting truckers from these unfair tolls.
“The result is higher prices for everyone living, working in, and visiting the city, with the potential for significant job losses,” they said. “We would like to thank you for your efforts to halt this ill-conceived, discriminatory scheme. We encourage USDOT to take all necessary steps to ensure that New York’s application of tolls is consistent with the Constitution and federal statutes.”
Congestion Pricing
Earlier this year, New York implemented the first-in-the-nation zone pricing tolls on vehicles entering Manhattan below 60th Street. While passenger vehicles pay a $9.00 daily fee that provides them with unlimited passage into the zone (a requirement of New York State law), trucks are forced to pay up to $21.60 each time they enter the zone. Notably, trucks already pay a highway use tax and a commercial motor vehicle tax to operate on roads in New York City, taxes that passenger vehicles are not subject to.
The Value Pricing Pilot Program New York is operating under was created by Congress for the express purpose of demonstrating the potential for variable tolls to influence travel behavior, yet toll rates under the Manhattan program were clearly established primarily to meet a financial target. Moreover, 100 percent of the revenue is dedicated to funding transit improvements, with none of the money going toward fixing the city’s decrepit roads and bridges.
Click here to read Spear and Hem’s letter in full.
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
