FedEx and UPS owe millions in parking tickets to NYC

June 6, 2013

FedEx and UPS acquired an astonishing debt of $2.8 million in New York City parking tickets within the first three months of 2013. This year, NYC has set itself a target of collecting $550 million in parking fines. Typically, commercial delivery companies contribute a large chunk of that change.

FedEx trucks parked illegally to unload packages are a common sight in NYC (image by TheeErin).

According to Digital Journal, the city had already issued $10 million in tickets by March 2013. Fed Ex ($1.8 million) and UPS ($ 1 million) account for 28 percent, due to tight schedules and the lack of parking spaces.

A UPS spokesperson said, “If we have to double-park, then yes, we will. It’s the cost of doing business.” New York Post reports: “No one is happy about the situation except the city’s bean counters. Some of the businesses have sued over alleged ticket blitzes.”

Parking tickets can be dismissed

One way of getting tickets waived is if the delivery truck is making an “expeditious delivery”—a job done in less than half an hour. However, the process of getting a parking violation dismissed is anything but expeditious.

Companies must send an employee or a ticket broker to court and argue for each ticket individually. This process takes time, ties up courts, and costs NYC a great deal of money. The city’s solution? Commercial Parking Programs.

Parking programs save time and money

View this sign here.

NYC Delivery Solutions — one of the two commercial parking programs inducted by the city’s Department of Finance — is a service for delivery companies. The Commercial Abatement Program is meant for companies that make service calls and pick-ups. Both these programs allow businesses to pay a preset fine, reducing the charge for every violation.

In return, companies must waive their right to challenge parking violations. Though double-parking infractions are usually reduced, red light and bus lane violations must be paid for in full.

These programs have succeeded in saving time and money for both parties. Though, as Transportation Alternative’s Paul Steely White points out, “Getting a discount on a parking ticket just exacerbates the problem of congestion. They’ll just park there all day long.”