Lessons from New York’s trucking industry challenges

By Shefali Kapadia | for The Inside Lane

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With more than 113,000 trucking companies and one of the United States' largest seaports, New York is a big state for the trucking industry. New York City recently implemented congestion pricing, which affects cars and trucks, making the job even busier for Kendra Hems, president of the Trucking Association of New York. We spoke to Hems about congestion pricing and what it's like to operate a trucking business in the state of New York.

What's your organization's top priority right now? 

We have competing priorities that both live in the top spot. With the implementation of congestion pricing in New York City, we are focused on addressing the inequitable tolling structure that targets the trucking industry. We have filed a lawsuit against the NYC Metropolitan Transportation Authority claiming they are in violation of provisions of the U.S. Commerce Clause.

We are also pushing back on the state's implementation of the Advanced Clean Truck rule, which mandates the sales of zero-emission vehicles.

What do you hope the Trump administration will focus on that benefits fleets? 

We need leadership to bring a commonsense approach to the transition to near-zero and zero-emission vehicles. We all share the goal of addressing emissions and the impact on the climate, however unreasonable mandates that are hyper-focused on one technology will only create massive disruptions in the supply chain. Discussions should focus on developing achievable goals that take the diversity and unique needs of the trucking industry into consideration. Near term, incentivizing companies to purchase new clean diesel vehicles and utilize renewable fuels will have an immediate reduction in emissions without creating economic burdens.

What's something unique about truck operations in New York that's different from other states or that other areas may not understand? 

From the trucking industry's perspective, we aren't much different from other states. However, the burdensome business climate stands out. A recent Tax Foundation report ranked New York second only to New Jersey for the worst business tax climate in the country. The high cost of being based in New York makes it hard to compete with businesses in more business-friendly states. New York is one of just five states still imposing a Highway Use Tax on commercial vehicles. Most of our members are smaller, multi-generational companies, and any new fee, tax or regulation can significantly impact their operations.

What's a tech tool or app your members say they can't live without? 

Selfishly, I would hope they say TANY's mobile app! We deal with many truck restrictions in the northeast during the winter months and we use our mobile app to keep members updated on road restrictions in New York and our surrounding states.

 Aside from that, I suspect it would be telematics to help with routing, compliance and credentialing. It is amazing to see how the industry has embraced technology to improve efficiency and productivity.

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The Inside Lane is curated and written by Shefali Kapadia and edited by Bianca Prieto.