In response to the latest developments surrounding the Delivery Protection Act (Intro-518), the Trucking Association of New York (TANY), released the following statement on behalf of its Vice President of Government Affairs, Zach Miller:

“Trucks are the backbone of New York City's economy, transporting almost 90% of the goods that keep our businesses operating and our communities supplied. But trucking is more than a supply chain. Our industry has long provided a pathway to entrepreneurship and economic mobility, especially for New Yorkers who have historically faced barriers to traditional employment, access to capital, or business ownership.

Through the trucking industry, women and minority entrepreneurs, veterans, justice-impacted individuals, immigrants, and other New Yorkers can purchase or lease equipment, establish a business, and ultimately grow from individual operators into employers. This opportunity has only been expanded thanks to the growth in demand of last-mile delivery. Our newfound structure has created more lower-cost entry points into an industry where small and family-owned businesses play essential roles.

Despite being portrayed to protect this pathway, Intro-518 actually risks cutting off these opportunities. We should be creating more prospects for New Yorkers to become business owners, not adopting policies that make it harder for small, local transportation companies to compete and push the city toward relying on larger trucks brought in from farther away.

There is also nothing novel about major suppliers diversifying its freighting partnerships to efficiently move freight. Motor carriers, brokers, shippers, owner-operators, and other logistics providers have relied on contractual relationships to move goods through different stages of the supply chain for generations. A shipment may move through multiple companies and modes before reaching its destination. Those relationships allow the freight network to effectively respond to changing environments.

The most visible difference resulting from the growth of e-commerce has been that the final transaction increasingly ends with a delivery to a consumer rather than another business. A package arriving at someone's apartment may look different from a pallet arriving at a warehouse or a case of produce arriving at a supermarket, but the underlying logistics principle is the same: specialized transportation companies contract with one another to efficiently move freight through the supply chain.

Intro-518 would single out portions of that longstanding logistics model based largely on where a shipment ultimately ends up. In doing so, the Council risks disrupting legitimate business relationships, reducing opportunities for independent transportation businesses, and shifting more deliveries onto larger trucks traveling greater distances into the city.

Safety is at the heart of the trucking industry and Into-518 fails to acknowledge the strides our members have taken to make our streets safer. This includes through incorporating the latest technologies, ongoing driver coaching programs, and safety-based incentive structures rooted in a Vision Zero mentality. We're eager to discuss the best ways to establish strong, industry-specific training standards.”