New Report Reveals Increase in Private Garbage Truck Crashes in NYC

According to a new report by ALIGN, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, Teamsters Local 813 and Transportation Alternatives, all members of the Transform Don’t Trash NYC coalition, crashes involving private sanitation trucks have doubled in the last two years. In fact, the 20 largest waste haulers in New York City were involved in 35 crashes between March 2014 and February 2016, two of which were fatal, and 67 crashes since March 2016, five of which were fatal.

In addition, the sanitation companies have also routinely failed government safety inspections of their trucks. In the last two years alone, 55 percent of trucks owned and operated by the top haulers were taken out of service because they were deemed too unsafe to drive. This percentage is much higher than the national average of 21 percent.

“New York City’s private carting companies’ dismal safety record puts us all at risk,” said Maritza Silva-Farrell, executive director of ALIGN, in a statement. “As long as carting companies push their majority black and Latino workers to the limits and engage in a race to the bottom, this is not going to change. It’s shocking that in 2018, more than half of inspected trucks are taken out of service, and that the number of crashes is continuing to rise. This year, the city must reverse this trend. By passing bold legislation that creates exclusive waste zones, the city can transform this industry–improving conditions for workers and safety on our streets.”

The report claims that the most obvious solution to this problem is to implement a commercial franchise zoning system, which is currently an option being explored by the city. The zoning system would make zones exclusive to one hauler to realize the greatest reductions in miles driven by each truck and to slow speeds, require safe operating practices and sufficient staffing to reduce driver fatigue, incentivize investments in safe vehicle design and weigh safety track records when deciding whether to allow carters to participate in the zoning system.

New York Daily News has more:

Commercial trash collectors drive like garbage, a new report shows.

Crashes involving private sanitation trucks have doubled in the last two years, highlighting the need for stricter regulations of the industry where drivers often work long hours on grueling routes, according to a report by Transportation Alternatives and a coalition of groups advocating for reform.

The analysis of federal Department of Transportation data found that the 20 largest waste haulers in the city were involved in 35 crashes between March 2014 and February 2016, including two fatal crashes.

Read the full story here.