Shipping Logistics in New York City, Made Easy by Craters & Freighters

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New York City is the center of the world and with that comes countless opportunities and jobs, a vast market and diversity. However, New York City does not lend itself to making logistics an easy feat, especially within some of the boroughs of New York City including Brooklyn and Queens. Craters & Freighters faces many difficulties when working within these locales, but we continue to overcome these issues and prove why Craters & Freighters can proudly say, “We are the experts that deliver” as in our trademark tagline. Here are some of the problems we face when shipping and delivering around The Big Apple.

Loading docks are few and far between in New York City and they usually have limited truck access. These docks also require scheduling, contain significant wait times and are generally only garage door accessible from the street. Most New York City buildings are so large that once you are inside you need to walk a city block just to get to the required elevator. These multi-floor buildings sometimes limit the amount of items one can bring on to the elevator. To add to the issue some elevators require a reservation just to gain access. Needless to say elevator wait times can be excessive. For example, deliveries in the Empire State Building can take up to four hours. The stress does not stop there because some New York City buildings require deliveries either before 8:00 am or after 5:00 pm.  Additionally, New Yorkers can sometimes be very specific on their item’s needs without regard to delivery time windows.

Parking is a challenge and usually one cannot even find a space in front of the designated building. This requires the shippers to park blocks away which create a multiple trip process if there is more than one piece. This also increases the shippers risk because they are now carrying multiple items over extended distances.

Craters & Freighters does issue parking cards to feed the meters and our monthly budget is $150.00.  Typically on a pick-up or delivery, it takes two people to carry item(s), and an additional person to wait with the delivery truck incase it needs to be moved.  Another huge concern is tickets. A driver needs to be in the truck at all times in order to avoid getting issued a ticket for an unmanned truck. Even with every precaution taken, a parking enforcement officer can still write a ticket. Parking tickets can be as high as $225.00 and our yearly ticket budget is $2,500.00

Lift-gates must be stowed and secured when not in use. For example, once we have taken the items off the truck we have to stow the lift-gate before leaving the truck or run the risk a $65.00 fine. As one can expect New York City’s traffic is a nightmare, but on average we still complete four pickups in a day, return to the shop and unload the truck without incurring overtime expenses. Our typical monthly tolls average $900.00. Also, certificates of insurance are required nearly 80% of the time.

This blog topic provides just a brief detailing of what Craters & Freighters goes through in order to expertly deliver large, heavy and high-value items to the most powerful place in the world. We tackle each obstacle with smiles on our faces and our customer relationships in mind. So next time you think that logistics in New York City is not difficult, just know that Craters & Freighters makes it look easy.

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