These trucks are a lethal load of trash
Every private garbage truck inspected by the NYPD in Manhattan and The Bronx over the past month had a slew of dangerous infractions — including bad brakes, leaky fuel lines or missing lights, officials revealed Monday.
The trucks have caused the deaths of at least 20 people since 2016, the NYPD said.
“These collisions often involved trucks not yielding to pedestrians and bicyclists, traveling at excessive speeds — sometimes in the wrong directions — and running red lights,” Chief of Department Terence Monahan at a press conference announcing a weeklong crackdown on the vehicles. “When you factor in faulty equipment, such as worn-out brakes, these 25-ton trucks become death traps.”
The NYPD launched its blitz on the vehicles Sunday night after conducting spot inspections in The Bronx and Manhattan for the past month. During the inspections, police found that “every private trash truck stopped had multiple violations, including infractions such as faulty brakes, leaking fuel lines, or no lights,” Monahan said.
NYPD employee Robert Martinez, 64, was killed in August when a tire flew off a private sanitation truck on the Gowanus Expressway in Brooklyn and slammed into his car. The truck belonged to Century Waste, a New Jersey company with 74 federal safety violations since 2016.
In April, an elderly man was struck and killed by a private garbage truck in The Bronx.
“The city has had enough of the bad and dangerous behavior by the trade-waste industry,” said Dan Brownell, commissioner of the New York City Business Integrity Commission. “Too many companies in this industry have a business model that places profits and expediency over safety and responsible operation.”
So far this year, 1,826 summonses have been issued for violations, said NYPD Chief of Transportation Thomas M. Chan. A dedicated parol car from every precinct will now check for violations, and any truck with serious infractions may be taken off the road, Chan said.
Hours after the announcement, a 43-year-old bicyclist was badly hurt in Midtown when he collided with a Five Star Carting sanitation truck. The driver, 63, stayed on the scene and wasn’t arrested. An investigation is ongoing.