In The News
Comments due Friday on New York plan that could cost truckers millions
New York truckers only have one more day to submit comments on a proposal from the New York DOT that would force them off state roads and onto the New York Thruway.
Comments are due on Friday, Oct. 10, on the proposed regulation that could cost truckers an estimated $10 million more a year in fuel, toll and operating costs, according to a study conducted by the state’s Department of Transportation recently.
In May, Gov. David Paterson issued a directive to DOT officials to come up with a plan to keep large trucks – longer than 44 feet – off state routes and on the National Network in the Finger Lakes/Palmyra area.
While the proposed plan is aimed primarily at trash trucks that haul waste to landfills in upstate New York, it will also apply to owner-operators – such as OOIDA Life Member Lou Esposito, who also uses the state routes to avoid paying costly Thruway tolls.
“The economy in upstate New York is already dying, and they are going to force more businesses out of the state if they go forward with this,†Esposito told Land Line recently.
Chris Mix, general manager of Sunshine Bulk Commodities Inc., in Clifton Springs, NY, agrees with Esposito that this is a bad plan for all truckers if implemented.
Mix said he has about 60 trucks that haul in and out of the landfills in upstate New York everyday. He said that while curbing trash truck traffic is one of the DOT’s main objectives, the plan will affect most truckers.
“Besides this being a bad move for our economy, this is also going to hurt the environment,†Mix told Land Line. “By taking trucks more miles, these trucks are going to burn more fuel and there will be more emissions, too.
Click here to read the draft of the DOT’s proposed plan. Comments can be e-mailed to [email protected].