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Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that State Police will be conducting a bridge hit enforcement campaign across New York State from Sunday, November 5 through Saturday, November 11. Each year, commercial truck operators, as well as those driving rental box trucks and moving trucks, fail to recognize their vehicle’s height and collide with bridges and overpasses, colliding with bridges and creating public safety hazards, traffic delays and damage to bridges across the state. From 2021 through 2022, there were a combined 808 reported bridge strikes across New York State.   

“Bridge strikes are potentially hazardous to motorists and first responders and have caused needless inconveniences for local communities – but these incidents are 100 percent preventable,” Governor Hochul said. “While we have implemented measures and technologies across the state to help prevent bridge strikes, nothing is more powerful than knowledge. Drivers of overheight vehicles have a responsibility here as well: follow posted warnings, know the height of vehicles and most importantly pay attention.” 

New York State Police will patrol areas of known bridge hits and parkways in an effort to prevent commercial motor vehicles and oversized vehicles from colliding with an overpass. They will also coordinate enforcement details with local law enforcement commercial vehicle inspectors in areas that have high occurrences of bridge strikes.  

In coordination with the enforcement campaign, State Police, the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), the Thruway Authority and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee will raise awareness through various social media channels throughout the week.   

The NYSDOT’s campaign, “Check Your Height, Know It’s Right,” is designed to ensure that drivers know the height of their vehicles so they know if they can safely make it under any and all bridges. It will feature numerous videos, graphics and photos, and social media messages. The aim of the campaign is to impress upon all drivers that it is their responsibility to know their height and avoid bridges that they are too tall for. Additionally, NYSDOT will continue to alert drivers of overheight vehicles that consumer GPS and cell phone mapping systems do not include warnings for bridge heights, which puts them at risk of collisions. 

The Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee will be visiting motor carrier inspection sites to hand out information on bridge strikes and how to prevent them. 

New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said, “There have been far too many incidents of bridge strikes involving trucks and over-height vehicles in recent years, which are not only dangerous but completely preventable. While we will continue implement measures that alert drivers to potential low-clearance bridges, it is the responsibility of the operators to drive safely and pay attention to all warnings in place. I thank Governor Hochul and our agency partners for their work in keeping all everyone safe on New York’s roads.” 

DMV has proposed a set of regulatory amendments which include assigning point values on a driver’s license for striking a bridge or speeding in a work zone. Those proposed regulations are posted in the State Register and the public comment period runs through November 6.

New York State Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner and Governor's Traffic Safety Committee Chair Mark J.F. Schroeder said, “It is so important that drivers of all kinds of trucks check the height of bridges on their planned routes to be sure their vehicle will safely fit. Mapping software can be useful in many ways, but it doesn’t always provide information on bridge heights so drivers must conduct their own checks before getting on the road.” 

New York State Police Acting Superintendent Dominick L. Chiumento said, “Commercial vehicle drivers must know their height, and must always be cognizant of any low bridges along their route.   Too many times have we had a commercial vehicle that thought they could squeeze under an overpass.  Avoiding these low bridges is crucial for the safety of all that travel New York’s roadways. Not only do bridge strikes cause significant damage and disruption to traffic but they have the potential to present additional hazards to other drivers and the communities wherein these low bridges are found. The State Police will continue to work with our state and local partners with the goal of eliminating these low bridge strikes and thus ensuring everyone’s safety.”

Since the beginning of 2023, there have been 91 reported bridge strikes on the New York State Thruway’s 570-mile superhighway, compared to a total of 63 reported bridge strikes in all of 2022, a 44 percent increase from the prior year. One of the most serious incidents included the South Broadway overpass in South Nyack, which was struck by an overheight tractor trailer on August 31, 2023. Due to the hit, all southbound lanes of I-87/I-287 were closed for 16 hours on Sept. 9 to facilitate the removal of two damaged girders to stabilize the overpass.

Thruway Authority Acting Executive Director Frank Hoare said, “Bridge hits due to overheight vehicles are almost always preventable. The response and subsequent repairs not only disrupt traffic, but these incidents are also costly and prevent our maintenance and engineering teams from focusing on other essential duties to maintain a safe and reliable highway. The majority of commercial drivers follow the rules and ensure their loads are below the posted maximum height limits.  We urge all truck drivers to check their height before each trip.”

Trucking Association of New York President Kendra Hems said, “TANY is proud to work with our state partners on the Bridge Hit Mitigation Task Force to prevent bridge strikes in New York. Education is a critical component to ensure that drivers, both professional and those that drive rental trucks, take the extra step to check the height of their vehicle, know their route, and be diligent about paying attention to road signs. In conjunction with the education campaign, targeted enforcement sends the message about the seriousness of the issue. TANY looks forward to continuing to work on this important issue with our partners as we all strive to prevent bridge strikes in the future.”

Traffic congestion on U.S. highways added $94.6 billion in costs to the trucking industry in 2021 according to the latest Cost of Congestion study published by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI).  This is the highest level yet recorded through this ongoing research initiative.

ATRI utilized a variety of data sources including its unique truck GPS database to calculate trucking delay impacts from 2017 through 2021 on major U.S. roadways.  While year-over-year congestion costs decreased in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they rose sharply in 2021 with a total of 1.27 billion hours of lost productivity.  This increase in costs reflects the dramatic post-COVID economic recovery, with high GDP growth and freight demand borne from record levels of consumer spending.  This level of delay equates to more than 460,000 commercial truck drivers sitting idle for one work year, and the 2021 figure represents a 27 percent increase from the report’s baseline year of 2016 – an increase that is twice the rate of inflation.

In addition to the national findings, ATRI’s analysis also documented state and metropolitan delays and related cost impacts.  The top 10 states each experienced costs of more than $3 billion, led by California ($9.00B), Texas ($7.26B) and Florida ($7.16B). Combined, these 10 states ultimately account for more than half (53%) of trucking’s congestion costs nationwide.  Additionally, the New York City metropolitan area ranked highest for cities, with costs approaching $5.5 billion annually.

The report also documents transportation investment by states through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which could provide as much as $350 billion in funding to address congestion.

“Over the last several years, our industry has experienced some of the most dramatic increases in operating costs, including fuel, labor and equipment,” said Michael Lasko, Vice President of EHS and Quality at Boyle Transportation.  “Imagine how those costs are magnified by sitting still in traffic. We all should keep in mind that those costs are passed down directly to consumers resulting in higher prices for goods and services throughout the economy.  Hopefully we can leverage the new infrastructure spending to get our supply chains moving again.”

ATRI’s analysis also found that the trucking industry wasted over 6.7 billion gallons of diesel fuel in 2021 due to congestion, resulting in more than $22.3 billion in additional fuel costs. A copy of this report is available on ATRI’s website here.

New Jersey’s statewide costs ranked seventh in the country at $3.8 billion in 2021, a 14.6 percent increase from 2016. 

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Join @Motive at Topgolf - Mount Laurel
November 1
4:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Register Now https://go.gomotive.com/TopGolf-NJ-2023.html

As proud members of the New Jersey Motor Truck Association, Motive invites you to join them for an afternoon of networking, laughs, and some friendly competition – all while discovering how Motive's fleet management solutions drive safety and success in your operations.

Here’s the course layout:
- Insights and best practices presented by Gary Johnson, Head of Safety & Compliance Strategy, Motive
- Plenty of food, drinks, and golf
- A chance to meet with Motive executives and network with industry peers

Bettaway Rolls Out All-Electric Yard Tractors for AriZona Iced Tea Logistics Operations

Specialized, all-electric tractors enter service in yard operations to position trailers, move them to and from docks to cross-dock freight, then reposition for dispatch.

EDISON NJ – SEPT. 26, 2023 — Bettaway Supply Chain Services has introduced all-electric yard tractors to its logistics and warehousing operations supporting AriZona Beverage Company’s production operations in Edison, NJ.

The battery-electric yard switching tractors are specialized units used to position trailers in the facility’s parking area, move them to and from dock doors where cargoes are cross-docked among trailers being unloaded and reloaded, and then reposition trailers in the yard where they are then mated with road tractors for dispatch.

The two EV yard switchers, which replaced diesel-powered units, can operate for nearly 24 hours before recharging, and take less than two hours to recharge. The specialized units also have ceramic solar tinting on all the cab’s windows to protect drivers from heat and UV ray exposure. In addition, the units were painted with a unique graphic design and color scheme developed by AriZona and promoting its flagship iced tea product.

They are domiciled at a state-of-the-art, AriZona Beverage Company iced tea factory that has one of the largest solar panel installations in the state of New Jersey.  On a sunny day, the solar array produces 5 megawatts of power, enough to supply 300 to 400 homes.

“The EV units have been performing flawlessly, the drivers enjoy the smooth quiet ride as well as no more exhaust fumes, which were an issue with the diesel units,” noted John Vaccaro, president of Bettaway, which provides high-performance supply chain services to major beverage and CPG companies and is a leader in pallet recycling and sustainable supply and management of national pallet networks.

“This is one of several steps we are taking to introduce EV units to different parts of our operations,” he added. “We have a deep commitment to sustainability in logistics, and we intend to continue exploring EV opportunities and deploying zero-emissions equipment as it becomes commercially viable.” Bettaway also has on order three of Tesla’s long-delayed electric semi-truck units.  

Among other sustainability initiatives, since 2008, Bettaway has been spec'ing light weight trucks and trailers for its 150-tractor, 900-trailer fleet, delivering improved fuel efficiency and reduced emissions. Over the past several years Bettaway also has been upgrading its fleet with fully automatic transmissions, further improving fuel economy.  

In addition, the company employs advanced transportation optimization software for route planning and management to ensure efficient delivery and minimum miles traveled and fuel used. Lastly, the company has installed motion-sensitive lighting in its warehouses to minimize electricity use.

About Bettaway Supply Chain Services: South Plainfield, NJ-based Bettaway is an integrated material handling, transportation, and supply chain management company. A family-owned business for 40 years, Bettaway is an industry leader in pallet supply and management solutions, providing a managed service incorporating a network of some 500 facilities and a centralized suite of pallet services. The company also provides quality transportation with its own dedicated fleets on both the east and west coasts, and national 3PL network. Value-added services include a full-scope warehouse operation with a variety-pack line, e-commerce fulfillment and distribution management for beverage and other CPG products, as well as supply chain consulting. Bettaway also is the founder and operator of PalletTrader, the supply chain industry’s first neutral, collaborative eCommerce marketplace for online posting, buying, selling and delivery of white wood pallets. Visit us at www.bettaway.com.

Media contact: Gary Frantz, Bettaway, gary@gnfcomms.com, (925) 594-1434

NJMTA would like to take a moment to thank everyone who sponsored the NJMTA Annual Golf Outing & Networking Event. Your support and partnership played a key role in the success of our event, and we appreciate your participation.  We hope to see you again next year.

2023 Golf Outing Winners

1st Place Team - Campbell's Express - Bill Messenger, Dave Sullivan, Frank Kohute & Joe Zulli.

2nd Place Team - Bergey's Truck Centers - Matt Huston, Lincoln Bergey, Chris Albright & Zach Clark

3rd Place Team - Eagle Systems - Dave Hensal, Mike McIndoe, Kevin Quigley & Mike Gomez

Closest to the Pin - Kevin Quigley, Eagle Systems

Longest Drive - Joe Kolkowsky, Cummins Sales & Service

The American Transportation Research Institute, the trucking industry’s not-for-profit research organization, today launched the 2023 Top Industry Issues Survey.  The annual survey asks trucking industry stakeholders to rank the top issues of concern for the industry along with potential strategies for addressing each issue.

Now in its 19th year, ATRI’s annual analysis not only ranks the issues overall but also provides insights into how critical topics are ranked differently by motor carriers and professional drivers.  The report also allows stakeholders to monitor issues over time to better understand which issues are rising, or falling, in criticality.

“The annual Top Industry Issues Survey has long been a crucial part of understanding the challenges facing our country’s supply chain.  ATRI’s research provides an opportunity for thousands of trucking industry professionals, from drivers to executives, to weigh in on the most important topics that affect trucking and collectively decide on the best strategies for addressing each,” said ATA Chair Dan Van Alstine, Ruan Transportation Management Systems President and COO.

“I encourage my fellow drivers to take a few minutes and complete ATRI’s Top Industry Issues Survey.  Whether your top issue is truck parking, driver compensation, detention, traffic congestion or something else, it only takes a few minutes to make your voice heard and for us collectively to let the industry know what drivers are most concerned about,” said Ken Duncan, an America’s Road Team Captain and professional truck driver for Walmart Transportation.

The results of the 2023 survey will be released October 14, 2023 as part of the American Trucking Associations Management Conference & Exhibition to be held in Austin, Texas.

Industry stakeholders are encouraged to complete the 2023 survey available by clicking here.  The survey will remain open through September 29, 2023.

ATRI is the trucking industry’s 501c3 not-for-profit research organization.  It is engaged in critical research relating to freight transportation’s essential role in maintaining a safe, secure and efficient transportation system.

FMCSA is interested in developing a new methodology to determine when a motor carrier is not fit to operate commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) in or affecting interstate commerce.

FMCSA is requesting public comment on the need for a rulemaking to revise the regulations prescribing the safety fitness determination process; the available science or technical information to analyze regulatory alternatives for determining the safety fitness of motor carriers; feedback on the Agency's current safety fitness determination (SFD) regulations, including the process and impacts; the available data and costs for regulatory alternatives reasonably likely to be considered as part of this rulemaking; and responses to specific questions in this advance notice of proposed rulemaking.

CLICK HERE for Federal Register notice.